The Power of Choice, The Weight of Words

This week has been heavy. The kind that lingers in your chest and makes the most minor tasks feel monumental. I woke up some mornings tired, already carrying the weight before the day began. And if I’m being honest, my first instinct was to shut down, to go quiet, to run on autopilot to make it through.

Maybe you’ve felt that too.

But in the middle of that heaviness, I caught myself. I remembered: We were never meant to live by default. And here’s what I know to be true, even when it feels impossible: I still have a choice. Not an option to erase the heaviness. Not a choice to make life instantly lighter. But a choice in how I respond.

I can choose to stay stuck in the cycles that drain me. Or I can choose to keep moving forward in one small way. Forward motion doesn’t have to look like a grand gesture. Sometimes it looks like pausing to take a breath before reacting. Sometimes it seems like writing down one thing I’m grateful for when my mind is spinning. Sometimes it looks like reminding myself of my core values and letting them steer me back. It’s the daily conscious choices, the ones aligned with our beliefs, that quietly build momentum. Little by little, those choices carry us forward, even when the weight feels too much.

And then there are our words. I noticed this week how quickly my words shift when I’m stretched thin. Maybe you’ve seen it too, the tone that snaps sharper than intended, the self-talk that turns critical instead of kind, the words that spill out before you even realize they’ve left your mouth. Our words hold power. They can soothe or sting. They can divide or connect. They can validate or dismiss. The content we share, the stories we tell, and the conversations we engage in all speak to our character. And they ripple farther than we often realize.

Even in the heaviness, I’ve had to pause and ask myself: Do my words reflect the person I’m becoming, or the weight I carry?

This work isn’t just about me; it isn’t just about you. Little eyes and ears are always watching. My own kids notice when I raise my voice out of frustration. They notice when I take a breath and try again. They see whether I repair when I get it wrong. They learn less from what I say and more from how I live. Our choices and our words are teaching tools. Even in the heaviest weeks, they become the model for how the next generation learns to navigate life, with resilience, courage, and intention.

So if your week has felt heavy too, let me pause to say: I see you. It makes sense. And you don’t have to push through with a smile or pretend it’s not hard. What you can do, what we can do together, is keep choosing.

Choose forward motion, even if it’s just one small step today. Choose words that reflect the values you want to live by, not just your weight. Choose to model the kind of world you hope others will inherit.

Because our choices matter.
And our words...they matter too.

Sending love and light,
Court