This Week’s Soft Week Menu: Making Space for What Matters

Hi Besties, One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how easy it is to accidentally overcrowd our lives. Not necessarily with bad things. Sometimes it’s goals, plans, content, habits, projects, or even books we’re excited to read. We fill every empty corner because it feels productive, it feels responsible, and it feels like we’re making the most of our time. But this week, I’m craving the opposite. For the first time in a while, my reading plans are almost completely open. My schedule feels lighter, and my usual routines are shifting. Instead of rushing to fill every gap, I’m experimenting with leaving a little room for things to arrive naturally. That’s what this week’s Soft Week Menu is all about. Not adding more, making space.

This Week’s Menu

Reading

Murder on Vacation by Rosie A. Point and Charles Timmerman. Technically this doubles as reading and a hobby because its both a cozy mystery and word search puzzle. I talk more about it here: Cranberry Creek Word Search Mystery Guide.

Hobby

Coloring pages and cozy creative time.

Friendship

Calling friends I’ve lost touch with.

Ritual

Building an evening wind-down routine that actually feels sustainable.

Reset

Preparing for a change in my morning schedule.

Question to Carry

Who would I be more connected to if I reached out before I felt ready?

Reading: Following One Cozy Curiosity

Usually, I have a stack of books waiting for me, and this week, I don’t. I mean, technically, I have the books I’m reading for the fall reading guide, but I haven’t organized in my notes app the ones I’ve read already, so I’m not starting anything else until I’m squared away. As I’m typing, I realize I do have one thing sitting on my TBR, and honestly, I’m perfectly happy with that.

I’ve been completely charmed by the Cranberry Creek Word Search Mystery series, which is a cozy mystery word search book that combines puzzles with storytelling. It feels like exactly the kind of reading experience I want right now. Not because it’s ambitious or educational or going to help me hit some reading goal, but because it’s fun. I just got book 4 this weekend, Murder on Vacation, and I can’t wait to start.

I’ve noticed that sometimes I treat my reading life like a project when it’s really supposed to be a relationship. The books that stay with me aren’t always the most important books. Sometimes they’re simply the books that met me exactly where I was. This week, that’s a cozy mystery and a word search, and I’m not overthinking it.

Hobby: Returning to Coloring Pages Again

If you’ve followed this series for a few weeks, you’ll notice coloring pages have shown up before. And yes, they’re back. One thing I’ve learned about soft living is that not everything needs to be new to be valuable. I feel like nowadays, we’re constantly encouraged to move on to the next thing. So discover the next hobby, the next planner, the next routine, the next “thing” that will somehow improve our lives. But some of the softest moments come from returning to something familiar. Right now coloring pages have become one of those familiar comforts for me. They’re also simple enough that I don’t have to think about them; they’re also super affordable, and they last a long time. They give my hands something to do, help slow the constant urge to multitask, and most importantly, they remind me that hobbies don’t need to be personal growth projects. If you need some super easy pages, check out my Free Bold & Easy Bookish Coloring Pages for Adults.

Friendship: Make the Call

This is the part of the menu I hope you’ll consider adding to your own week. So this past week, I talked to a friend I hadn’t spoken with in about six months. Then I reconnected with a group of friends that I normally talk with on one giant group call. We hadn’t all chatted together in roughly eight months. One friend couldn’t make it, but hearing everyone else’s voices again felt surprisingly comforting. What struck me most wasn’t the conversation itself. It was how much energy I had wasted worrying about reaching out. I think many of us quietly carry guilt about friendships. We mean to call, text, and reconnect, but then life happens. Then the longer we wait, the harder it feels. But after talking with these friends, I was reminded of something simple: everyone is busy. Nobody was upset or keeping score, nobody asked where I’d been, they were just happy to talk and catch up.

So this week I’m challenging myself to do it again. I have two friends I want to call and another group conversation I’d like to revive. Will everyone answer? Maybe not. Will time zones and schedules line up perfectly? Probably not. But I’m making the call anyway. And if there’s someone you’ve been thinking about lately, maybe this is your sign to do the same.

Ritual: Building an Evening I Actually Want to Return To

I’m still working on my evening wind-down routines. The keyword there is working. I think social media sometimes makes routines look finished. As if one day you create the perfect evening ritual and then follow it flawlessly forever. If that happens for some people, I’m truly happy it worked out, but my experience has been the opposite. I’m constantly tweaking things because some habits stick, others don’t, and when you have a family, things pop up. So some evenings feel calm and intentional, and other evenings it falls apart, and then I pretend tomorrow’s version of me will suddenly have it together. What I’m trying to focus on now isn’t perfection. It’s creating an evening that feels welcoming enough that I actually want to participate in it. That’s the goal. So not the perfect routine, just a routine I genuinely enjoy.

Reset: Preparing for a Different Morning

So the next month, my mornings are going to look different, and after that month, they will change again. My current early morning exercise routine is also ending in a month, which means I’ll suddenly have a section of my day that feels wide open. I’m not rushing to fill it yet. Instead, I’m paying attention.

• What do I want my mornings to feel like?
• What parts of my current routine do I want to keep?
• What do I only do because my schedule currently requires it?

I don’t have answers yet, and that’s okay. One thing soft living has taught me is that every transition doesn’t need an immediate solution. Sometimes we can sit with the question first.

The Question We’re Carrying This Week

Who would I be more connected to if I reached out before I felt ready? I love questions like this because they don’t require immediate action. They simply ask us to notice.

• Maybe a friend’s name comes to mind.
• Maybe a sibling.
• Maybe a former coworker.
• Maybe someone you’ve been meaning to call for months.

Whoever it is, don’t ignore the answer.

Final Thoughts

This week’s menu feels quieter than some of the others, but maybe that’s exactly why I needed it.

• Book: A cozy mystery puzzle.
• Hobby: Coloring pages.
• Friendship: Phone calls with old friends.
• Ritual: An evolving evening routine.
• Reset: A future morning I’m not quite ready to plan yet.
• Question: Who would I be more connected to if I reached out before I felt ready?

None of these things are particularly dramatic. But together, they feel like a reminder that a softer life isn’t usually built through big changes. It’s built through small choices made repeatedly. This week, I’m choosing connection. I’d love to know what’s on your Soft Week Menu this week. What are you reading, reaching for, resetting, or learning right now? Let me know in the comments.