I arrived in Paris hoping to discover a new city. I left having discovered a new version of myself. Paris taught me that life isn’t meant to be rushed. It’s meant to be experienced. Somewhere between opening the windows each morning, hearing students sing as the city came alive, getting lost on streets I’d never walked before, and dancing through Fête de la Musique, I stopped worrying so much about what came next and started appreciating where I already was. It taught me say

Sorry to everyone I’m about to piss off… Just keep reading. I swear it’ll all make sense by the end. Everyone thought I spent my twenty-second birthday in Toronto with a friend. The truth? It was just me. I never told anyone because I knew exactly what they’d say. “You’re going alone?” “Why would you do that?” I didn’t want permission. I wanted freedom, so I booked the ticket anyway. Looking back, it wasn’t a perfect trip, and maybe that’s exactly why it changed me. On my b

Truthfully, I didn’t start selling my clothes because I suddenly became a minimalist. I wanted some extra money… and my mom was tired of looking at my overflowing closet. Then I sold a dress I bought for $10 for $8. Instead of thinking, “I lost $2,” I thought, “I got to enjoy this dress, and now someone else gets to enjoy it too.” That completely changed how I look at secondhand clothing. So many of us have closets full of clothes we never wear while someone else would be e