I Forgot My Makeup Bag

… and no one died

Hey love,

Today I drove from Burbank, California to Ensenada, Mexico. It's about a four-hour drive, and by the time I got here, unpacked my bags, and started settling in, I realized I had forgotten my makeup bag.

Now, for some people, that wouldn't even be worth mentioning. And honestly, for me today, it wasn't a big deal either. It was inconvenient, sure, but it wasn't catastrophic. It wasn't even particularly upsetting.

And that's exactly why I'm writing about it.

Because a few years ago, this would have been a whole different experience.

Not because I desperately needed the makeup, but because I would have made forgetting it mean something. I would have replayed every step of packing in my head. I would have been annoyed with myself for being forgetful. I would have spent a ridiculous amount of energy trying to figure out how I could have prevented it and what I needed to do to fix it.

Instead, I laughed.

Then I realized I actually had more time to spend with my team because I didn't need to disappear to get ready before a call we had scheduled. I borrowed a few things, adapted, and moved on with my day.

And somewhere between laughing about it and carrying on, I had one of those quiet moments where life taps you on the shoulder and says, "Hey... pay attention to this."

Because the noteworthy part of this story isn't the missing makeup bag.

It's the missing meltdown.

The thing that struck me wasn't what I forgot. It was who I was while dealing with it.

I've changed.

And I don't mean in some dramatic, overnight, movie-montage kind of way.

I've changed through thousands of tiny choices that seemed insignificant at the time.

I've changed through asking questions instead of jumping to conclusions. Through catching myself in judgment and choosing something different. Through becoming more aware of what creates lightness for me and less interested in making everything such a big deal.

The funny thing is that most of us are terrible at noticing our own growth.

We're constantly focused on what still needs work. We notice where we're impatient, reactive, insecure, frustrated, or stuck. We can usually give a detailed report on all the places we're not where we want to be yet.

But we rarely stop and acknowledge where we've already changed.

We don't notice the situations that used to completely derail us but now barely register.

We don't acknowledge the conversations we handle differently, the choices we make more easily, or the emotional storms that no longer have the same grip on us.

And yet those things matter.

Actually, I think they matter a lot.

One of the biggest tools I've ever learned is acknowledgment.

Not praise.

Not pretending everything is perfect.

Not giving yourself a participation trophy for existing.

Acknowledgment is simply the willingness to notice what's true. It's being willing to look at your life and say, "You know what? That used to throw me completely, and now it doesn't." It's recognizing what's working, what's changed, and the person you've become through all the little choices nobody else saw you make.

And here's what I've discovered: acknowledgment doesn't just celebrate growth. It creates more of it.

It's almost like telling the universe, "Yes. More of this, please."

When we acknowledge change, we become more aware of what's possible. We stop defining ourselves by who we've been and start recognizing who we're becoming.

So today, I'm acknowledging something that probably sounds incredibly silly.

I forgot my makeup bag.

And I didn't lose my mind.

For me, that's growth.

Not because forgetting things is impressive, but because becoming lighter is.

And if I don't stop to acknowledge that, I'll miss the gift that's already here.

🌟 Your Add Wonder Tools

This week, take a moment to look for your own "missing meltdown."

• What situation would have completely thrown you a few years ago that you handle differently today?
• What have you changed that you've never stopped to acknowledge?
• Where are you still measuring yourself against some imaginary finish line instead of noticing how far you've already come?
• And if acknowledgment truly creates more, what would happen if you spent the next week actively looking for evidence of your own growth

Until next time, may you celebrate the things that no longer bother you, the lessons that no longer need repeating, and the version of you that's becoming lighter one choice at a time.

And if you happen to forget your makeup bag somewhere along the way, may it remind you to acknowledge how far you've come. 💛 

With wonder,