The Ordinary Things
Written on July 8, 2026.
There's nothing like a week of vertigo to make you realize what's truly valuable in life.
One day last week I woke at about 1:00am to the entire room spinning. Out of seemingly nowhere I was hit with a spell of vertigo that completely altered my life for the next several days. Getting out of bed, walking through the house, going to the bathroom, even just sitting on the sofa all became incredibly challenging. This is not one of those things you can just push through. This is the body giving a stop signal that you can't ignore.
So I stopped. I rested. I didn't have a choice. Each day things got slightly better, but I continued to rest. Sunday I felt well-enough to do my normal grocery shopping routine. I thought I was fine. Monday morning I woke to the room spinning again. More forced rest.
It's now Wednesday and I'm doing well-enough to return to my normal routine, with caution. And I am so grateful for my normal routine.
What this week of being, quite literally, turned upside down showed me is that the daily routine I have built for myself over this year is not just nice to have. It is foundational and necessary.
My simple, “boring” daily practices around meals, movement, creative work, sleep, time with my dogs, my morning coffee… all keep me grounded in the rhythm of my life. Without them, I lose my stability - physically and mentally.
I started off this year knowing that I wanted to create a new foundation that supported both my body and my bank account.
I now understand that my daily routine is the bridge that ties these two things together.
My routine maximizes my stability. It is the rhythm that allows my life to stay congruent with who I am. It's part of what allows me to live inside of my own truth on a daily basis.
This week reminded me that taking care of my body isn't separate from the work I'm here to do. It is the work.
When I honor my own needs, my own truth, and my own rhythms, I show up more fully for everyone else in my life.
Angela Dawn
Helping people come home to themselves
If these reflections have been meaningful to you, you’re welcome to support my work here: