Illustrator: Courtney Coloring Some butterflies - the Admirals, in particular - tend to circle back to the same location looking for a mate. They’ll return to the same piece of fruit or twig. Maybe 4 or 5 perches, but they keep coming back. Some humans do this in relationships, too. We check back just to see if we can date that same person again. Unfinished business, I guess? Whatever you want to call it, circling back doesn’t always work out. It certainly didn’t for me. But, in a way… it...

Courtney Coloring Butterflies connect successfully, much like humans fail… proficiently. Butterflies naturally connect to their food sources with keen eyesight, smell, and taste. They find their mates through the pheromones in their wings, with visual cues, and with specific courtship behavior. Humans, on the other hand, are much more complicated. As human beings, we don’t just enjoy connection, we need it. We need it to feel safe, seen, supported, and bonded. It’s part of our evolutionary...

Illustrator: Courtney Collins I’m honestly relieved to be done with 2025. Last year felt like wave after wave of upheaval, personally and collectively. My parents’ health declined in ways that required most of my attention, pulling me away from my business and my own rhythm. And beyond my own life, the world itself has felt like a constant storm. This wasn’t “life be lifin.” This was life trying to take me out. At some point, the noise became louder than my peace. And while I’m a Reiki Master...