Good afternoon, friend

This week I’ve been thinking about the word balance. It was my word of the year last year. Do you do that? My counter is cluttered. Frankly It’s always cluttered. Today it’s with herbs, teacups, and notebooks.

There’s something steady in the rhythm of preparing tea, tending skin, and pausing to breathe. Balance doesn’t always mean tidy or perfect—it often looks like small choices that bring us back to center. That’s what today’s podcast is all about.

New for Members of The Course Library
I’m so excited to share something special with you—each week, I’ll be creating a Skincare & Soul Care Herbal Guide. These guides are designed to nourish both your skin and your spirit. Inside, you’ll find an herb spotlight with skin + self-care benefits, a simple recipe, creative ways to use the herb, and a reflection with scripture and journaling prompts. Think of it as a little companion for your weekly rituals—a gift of beauty, wisdom, and pause. This week’s guide is all about aloe. 

🎙️ New Podcast Episode

Ayurveda & Aging Gracefully | Daily Rituals for Balance & Radiance

https://youtu.be/RLro7unO-fg?si=dsvVo59aqwpPbqVD

What if aging wasn’t a battle, but a balance? In this week’s episode of Plants, Flowers, Oils & Whimsy, I explore how Ayurveda, the ancient system of holistic health, offers wisdom for embracing aging with ease and radiance.

We’ll talk about shifting doshas (especially Vata), daily rituals for grounding, digestion, sleep, and skincare, and how we can reframe aging as a gentle process of balance, not something to fight.

🌸 Skincare Recipe of the Week

Rose & Aloe Hydrating Gel

• 2 tbsp pure aloe vera gel

• 1 tbsp rose hydrosol (or rosewater)

• ½ tsp vegetable glycerin

• Optional: 1 drop lavender essential oil

Mix together and store in a small jar in the fridge. Smooth onto skin after cleansing for cooling hydration—especially lovely for mature skin that feels dry or sensitive.

🌿 Ink & Wildflowers

Word of the Week: Balance

Word Garden: steady • center • rhythm • harmony • grounding

Scripture:
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.” — Isaiah 46:4

Quote:
“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” — Thomas Merton

Creative Journaling Ideas:

• Balance Spread: Divide a page into two halves. On one side, write things that drain your balance. On the other, list what restores it.

• Draw Your Rhythm: Instead of words, sketch lines, waves, or shapes that represent how balanced (or unbalanced) you feel right now.

• Tea Meditation: While sipping a warm cup of tea, jot down three words that describe how it feels to pause.

✨ Radiant Things I’m Loving

A weekly invitation to live more slowly and notice beauty.

This week, my radiant practice has been stepping outside at dusk. The light softens, the air cools, and for a few minutes the world feels perfectly balanced. I invite you to try this—leave your phone behind, breathe deeply, and let the fading light remind you that beauty is always shifting, always present.

With warmth,
Carrie 🌸

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