Welcoming Aliveness : My Intentions For August

Beneath the tiredness that’s been lingering these past few months, I’ve felt a quiet stirring—an inner nudge calling me back to myself. Back to the rhythms and rituals that make me feel alive, not just functional. This August, I’m choosing to welcome aliveness. I’m choosing to let gratitude and joy take the lead, even in small, imperfect ways. I’m learning that I don’t need to have it all figured out. I just need to begin again—with openness, softness, and the willingness to show up.

August is my birthday month—and not just any birthday. I’m turning 60. A milestone that naturally brings both reflection and celebration. When I look back, I see a life threaded with both pain and beauty, strength and softness. I’ve lived through enough to know that growth isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s quiet, slow, and deeply personal. This year, my word of the year is Strong—and while I didn’t always feel strong in the moment, I can see now how I’ve been growing into that word in ways I hadn’t expected.

So this month, I’m setting intentions not to transform everything, but to realign gently. To live from a place of openness and gratitude. To choose aliveness, even in the mundane.

Welcoming aliveness, wherever I can

Aliveness doesn’t always mean doing more—it might show up in a quiet moment, a meaningful conversation, or the first step into something new. It can come through exchange, where shared thoughts reignite curiosity. It can come at the edge of discovery, when you try something unfamiliar or follow a nudge. And sometimes, it lives in stillness—the kind that gives shape to what’s been quietly waiting within you.

Aliveness isn’t earned through constant doing. It’s found in presence, in permission, and in paying attention.

As Morgan Harper Nichols writes: “Being alive right here means giving yourself permission to grow through stillness and change. There’s room for both.”

Here are the three intentions I’m carrying into this month:

Welcoming Each Day With Presence and Curiosity

It’s easy to go through the motions—to check off the boxes, move from one task to the next, and miss the quiet beauty threaded through our days. This month, I want to slow down enough to notice. To feel the morning air on my skin, to watch how the light moves through the room, to really taste my coffee. I want to treat each day like a living, breathing invitation. Not perfect. Not always easy. But alive.

Making Space for Gratitude and Joy

Joy doesn’t need to be loud. Gratitude doesn’t need a special occasion. Sometimes it’s in the unexpected kindness of a stranger, the comfort of a familiar voice, the ritual of lighting a candle when I write my Morning Pages. This month, I’ll keep a gratitude journal again. I’ll collect the good moments not to cling to them, but to remind myself that even on the hard days, there is still light.

Recommitting to Rituals, Gently

There are practices that bring me back to myself—writing, journaling, scripture reflecting, reading. I’ve let some of them go lately, and I miss them. This month, I’m returning to my rituals. Not with rigidity, but with love. I’m not aiming for perfect consistency. Just presence. Just effort. Just practice. Each time I show up, I’ll let it be enough.

As I step into August, I’m holding these intentions loosely. I know they might shift. I know I won’t get it right every day. But I also know that welcoming aliveness is not about control—it’s about openness. It’s about showing up. It’s about finding joy in the trying.

So here’s to August. To fresh starts, milestone birthdays, small joys, and the quiet courage to begin again.

I’d love to hear—what are you welcoming this August? Whether it’s a ritual, a word, or a quiet hope, feel free to share in the comments or simply pause to reflect. Wherever you are, may you find small sparks of joy and aliveness along the way.