Welcome, I’m happy you’re here. My name is Steph. I created Sending Smiles to spread the joy I found on the other side of healing. Thank you for taking the time to read.
Happy June!
Lately, I’ve come to realize that while my interests are endless, my energy is not. I reached a point of exhaustion where even getting out of bed felt like a struggle—a clear signal that it was time to reassess my priorities.
One of the biggest shifts I made was choosing to stop pouring energy into relationships that weren’t mutual. At first, doubt crept in: “Am I abandoning people? Does this make me a bad person?” But what I found was surprising—by letting go, I created space to reconnect with myself in a more genuine way.
That deeper self-connection allowed me to show up more fully, not only for myself but for the people who truly matter.
Joy Journal
Spontaneous visits from my sister.
Maddy said, “You make friends easily.”
Savoring a smoothie first thing in the morning.
Wrapping Mom in a hug after a tiring day.
Dancing like no one’s watching to a song I just discovered.
Watching Outrageous with Mom.
What is in your June joy journal?
Steph’s Suggestions
Music, television shows, films, and books I rated 4 + stars.
Girls
Genre: Drama
Medium: Television Series
“I’m embarrassed when we walk down the street because you’re so fucking average. I tell my friends that you were born a test-tube baby, just so you have a little edge.”
Hannah Horvath, Marnie Michaels, Shoshanna Shapiro, and Jessa Johansson navigate their twenties in New York City.
What I liked:
Focuses on female friendships
Flawed, but lovable characters
Witty dialogue
The God of Small Things
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Novel
Author: Arundhati Roy
“It didn’t matter that the story had begun, because Kathakali discovered long ago that the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don’t deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don’t surprise you with the unforseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lovers skin. You know they end, yet you listen as though you don’t. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you live as though you won’t. In the Great Stories, you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn’t. And yet you want to know again.”
Fraternal twins Rahel and Esthas’ lives are irrevocably shaped by the “Love Laws” of their post-colonial Indian community.
What I liked:
Learning about post-colonial India
Luscious prose
Interesting character dynamics
This book contains descriptions of childhood sexual abuse. Please take care of yourself while reading, and visit RAINN for more resources.
Sending Smiles,
Steph
Thank you for sharing this so honest and grounding. It’s powerful how letting go made room for deeper self-connection. I feel this deeply.