I Stopped Carrying Everything

I almost didn’t bring it.

It felt unnecessary. Bulky. A little inconvenient.

I used to just carry everything.

Bags on both arms. Tote on my shoulder.
Water bottle, purchases, whatever I decided I needed that day.

I never questioned it.
I just… did it.

That morning, though, something in me hesitated.

Not loudly. Not dramatically.

Just a quiet thought:

What if I didn’t?

I was anxious about our trip that day because I didn’t want to carry anything heavy and our tote is heavy from all the things we need to bring.

And then I remembered.

My little trolley.

The one I’ve had for years.
The one I stopped using because my husband didn’t like it.

He said it’s better to carry everything. But I’m not him.

And I’m not as strong as him.

And I’m not built like him.

I have limitations and one of them is the condition of my spine which limits me from carrying a lot.

With my decision solid, I folded it.

Brought it with me.

Didn’t overthink it.

Just… brought it.

At the mall, I opened it.

Placed our tote inside.

And then we walked.

It felt different immediately.

Lighter.

And… steadier.

I wasn’t shifting weight from one arm to the other.
I wasn’t adjusting straps or bracing my shoulders.

I was just walking.

Pulling something beside me.

Something solid.

At some point, I realized I could pause.

Just stop.

Stand there without the quiet urgency of holding everything together.

And that’s when it hit me.

I wasn’t just carrying things before.

I was carrying tension.

The lights, the noise, the people…
they’ve always been there.

But that day, they didn’t overwhelm me the same way.

Because my body wasn’t already struggling.

There was no anxiety because I was holding on to something all throughout our mall stay.

And I had the security of knowing that I can just pause and look at my pretty trolley any time I felt overwhelmed.

And that knowledge helped prevent any more anxiety.

We went from store to store.

Flying Tiger. SM Stationery. Daiso. Kinokuniya. NBS

Back again.

I picked what I wanted.
Didn’t calculate what I could physically manage.

For once, I wasn’t negotiating with myself.

There were 5 shopping bags and our tote inside the trolley

And when we got home…

I wasn’t exhausted.

Not the kind that sinks into your bones.

Not the kind that makes everything feel like too much.

That’s when I understood.

It wasn’t just the heat.
Or the lights.
Or the crowd.

It was everything… plus what needed carrying.

Somewhere along the way,
I got used to doing things the hard way.

Because I forgot.

I forgot that the help I needed was just folded away neatly in the back of our car.

But now…

I wont’t forget.

So I brought the trolley.

And everything changed.

Not because I did more.

But because I finally allowed myself…

to carry less.

---

'Til my next post,

Stay soft. Stay strong. Stay Glowing.

LET'S GLOW.

With elegance and quiet fire,

Lady E

Exhibitor and speaker at the Philippine Book Festival 2026

💌 Connect with me on Insta: behind-the-scenes, daily sparks, and more.

📚 Created by a registered NBDB author, these children’s books and homeschool workbooks are made to help your child learn with ease.

💻 Grab your copies now on Gumroad

🍽 Craving comfort food stories and recipes? Visit my food blog: Lady E Eats

🛒 🎁 Looking for learning materials, school supplies, and thoughtful finds? Visit my Shopee: Isaac's Gift Shop

💫 I write, I cook, I create — with love, always.

✈️ Our Binondo staycation was featured by Ramada by Wyndham Manila Central! Read about our Soft Luxe experience here 💖

P. S.

Don't forget to get your Glow Cards!

👉 Grab your Glow Cards here – available now on Gumroad

👉 Get your very own Pantry Ledger here.

🤝 For Collaborations & Features

If you’re a brand, PR agency, or fellow creative who believes in adding beauty, meaning, and intention to everyday life, I’d love to hear from you. Whether it’s a product you’d like me to try, a place you’d love me to experience, or a story waiting to be told — let’s create something lovely together.

📩 Send me a message on:

✨ Instagram

💖 Facebook

Or simply leave a comment and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Used to the Last Drop: The Ones I’d Already Told You About

There’s something particularly satisfying about finishing a product you’ve already written about. Not testing it. Not forming first impressions. Not wondering whether I’ll still like it three weeks from now. Finished. My Molang Honey sheet masks and this body scrub both made it all the way to the end. (Finally for the Molang sheet masks, right?) I’ve reviewed both before, so I won’t review them all over again here. But perhaps using something until there is nothing left to use is its own kind of review. Beauty products come through my bathroom rather frequently. Some are lovely for a week. Some get pushed to the back of a shelf. Some simply stop working for me. And then there are the ones that quietly disappear because I kept reaching for them. Maybe an empty container is the shortest review of all. I liked it enough to finish it. If you want to read my thought about these products, just type them on my search bar. —- With elegance and quiet fire, Lady E Founder, Glow by Lady E...

The Pleasure of Leaving It Behind

I really liked this dress. Enough that I stood there looking at it for far longer than necessary, having that familiar little debate with myself. It was black. Simple. Very me. I could already imagine how I would wear it. There was only one problem. The fabric was thick. And perhaps in another climate, or another version of my life, that wouldn’t matter very much. But I live in the Philippines. We’re going through El Niño. Heat and I are already not particularly good friends, and my histamine sensitivity has made me even less willing to wear something that might leave me uncomfortable simply because it looks good. Still, I stood there. Because sometimes walking away from something we like is strangely difficult, even when we already know it isn’t right for us. We start negotiating. Maybe I’ll only wear it indoors. Maybe the fabric isn’t that thick. Maybe I’ll regret leaving it behind. Then I realized I was trying awfully hard to convince myself to buy something my body had alrea...

Soul Notes: For Your Journal Tonight

Come sit with me for a while. I have my journal open, and tonight I’ve been thinking about something I suspect I do more often than I realize. I turn healing into another thing I need to accomplish. I want to know when I’ll be over something. When I’ll stop thinking about it. When something that hurt will finally stop hurting. When I’ll feel like myself again. And somewhere along the way, healing quietly becomes another deadline. Another invisible date on a calendar. Another thing I can somehow be late for. But maybe healing doesn’t work particularly well under project management. Maybe there are things I will understand quickly and things I’ll have to revisit again and again. Maybe I’ll feel completely fine one day and unexpectedly tender the next. That doesn’t mean I’ve gone backwards. It means I’m still moving through it. I remember one day, many years ago, when I had fibromyalgia. I lived in constant pain. I just couldn’t get a good day. And then one day, in the office...

Glow by Lady E

Search This Blog