"i'm visiting my bff and her kids are AWFUL"

and other selected secrets/sparkles

remember, in this context:

• secrets are the shadowy things that we want to share but might be tempted to hide because of shame/fear/social obligations.

• sparkles are the things that make you feel most alive - little moments of joy/satisfaction/contentment that you wish you could bottle up.

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loosely defined themes of the week: new beginnings

secrets

play this while reading

short & sweet/salty:

Contemplating meeting my birthmom who I haven’t seen in 25 years this weekend.

I wish I could be the state at home parent.

I want to quit my well-paying successful girl boss job to pursue my dreams of baking but I'm so so scared to fail

My coworker gave me an endearing compliment and now I am flustered. I hate not being able to separate niceness and flirting!

Had a good but sexless long-term relationship. Asked for nonmonogamy and he left me. Now I'm having the best sex of my life in a caring FWB situation, but I miss the stable companionship and love of my ex.

My friend is going out with my crush (she knows I like him). Idk what to do and I’m really sad.

I’m sad that so many people I thought I was close to forgot my birthday.

My cat is sick, and I’m so worried about him. I feel like a bad cat mom.

My father in law is dying and my husband is taking it really hard (understandably) but I don’t know what to say or do to help and I dread coming home from work because of it.

I've met the most joyous human in years but it's reminding me how much I like to self-sabotage :(

I finally got a therapist after years let's gooooooooooooooooooooo

And this one was billed as a secret/sparkle hybrid (a new category!):

I avoided Covid until about 3 weeks ago. It hasn't been severe, but because of an immune condition, I still haven't cleared it. My husband has been sleeping down on the futon all this time, but this morning he woke me up for sex ... in N-95 masks. He still surprises me after all these years.

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sparkles

play this while reading

short & sweet:

My boyfriend and I have decided that we officially cook enough recipes to be mortar and pestle people (a dream of mine) and are going to get one when we move in together.

OK I love this <3. If you have a mortar & pestle that you love, plz drop the link in the comments.

Looking at baby pics of my partner in his mom’s house

I made my best sourdough today!

Just found out my sister got a job at a nearby hospital, and we're going to be living in the same town for the first time in 6 years! She's my best friend and I'm so happy.

Made mini watercolor sketches to mail to my mum, sister, & niece for Valentine’s Day. Love staying connected in these small ways when living far apart

I'm dating someone new and I'm going to teach him how to braid so he can do his daughter's hair :)

I’m one of ten finalists for this suuuuuper competitive full-ride scholarship!!! Realistically, it’s the only way I’ll be able to go to college without crazy student loans. Excited about my future again!!!

My crush of 3 months has liked me back for even longer we’re in the stage where we just talk about how much we like each other and it’s so nice <3

I invited my girlfriend to come live with me in the spring and she said she'd like to :) I've never asked anyone that before.

I sold at my first vintage market and did really well! People told me my collection was beautiful.

I’ve picked up reading as a hobby and have already 10 books this year! V proud of myself.

Was ghosted by a potential employer during the interview process (boo), but have found and applied to more job opportunities with other employers. Please send positive thoughts and vibes my way. Onward and upward! <3

Sending you all the sparkly vibes, and so proud that you’re continuing to put yourself out there!

long-form:

I keep (in my opinion) doing and saying weird things to the new crush I absolutely adore and am getting SO IN MY HEAD and panicking for day(s). The latest weird thing I said, the next morning I finally asked "is it weird if I just call?" in order to explain myself. In which case they said "listen, I know you think what you said is weird, and I know you're going to keep thinking you're saying weird things, and I'm going to keep dispelling that for you." And they texted me after to say "listen, you know you can call me literally anytime right and even for no reason at all?" and the care they're putting into quelling my anxiety is just blowing my mind. I lob up a new situation and they just bat it back down for me. As a result, their existence makes my body feel like a cracked glowstick.

Like a cracked glowstick!!!

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click here to submit your own secrets/sparkles anonymously anytime.

xoxo,

your favorite becca

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things that permanently live at the bottom of my posts:

Submit your secrets/sparkly moments here.

If you need help accessing abortion care, click here or here.

Grab a copy of my choose-your-own-adventure cookbook, Baking by Feel, here!