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Life as we know it?

It’s not easy. It’s rarely soft.

In fact, life is mostly a mess of speed bumps you don’t see coming. Just when you think you’ve ironed it all out — no more chaos, no more late-night overthinking — bam. The biggest bump of your life knocks you so hard the roof comes clean off.

Suddenly, you’re lying awake at 3 a.m., whispering “Why me?” like it’s a secret only the stars can answer.

So you do what any reasonable, exhausted woman does: you download a meditation app, burn through the self-help aisle, and watch every YouTube guru promising you “inner peace in five steps.”

And then… Pinterest throws you a curveball.
A dreamy, linen-draped, candlelit, fresh-flowers kind of curveball called:
✨ The Soft Life.

At first, I rolled my eyes. Soft? In this economy? In this chaos?

But then curiosity got me. I found myself up at 2 a.m., mouth half-open, watching videos of Russian and Turkish babushkas living their best soft lives in little wooden houses buried under snowstorms.

The husband chopped wood while the wife calmly sliced onions, tied her scarf, and walked through the snow with a wicker basket to collect fresh herbs. Chickens clucked. Cows mooed. Dogs frolicked. And she just stood there flipping the biggest hamburger I’d ever seen, all while the snow drifted down like a lullaby.

I sat there thinking:
Maybe this is the secret. Maybe the Soft Life needs snow, chickens, and a silent husband.
For a second, I genuinely considered buying a snow machine. (Chickens? Doable. Cows? A stretch for my backyard — but hey, why not dream?)

Here’s what I’ve learned since:
The Soft Life didn’t start with babushkas or Instagram.
It began as a quiet rebellion — especially among women in Nigeria and the African diaspora — choosing pleasure and ease instead of glorifying struggle.

It spread like wildflowers, and somewhere along the way, it found me — a woman who’d forgotten that softness isn’t something the world hands you.
It’s something you claim.

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🌸 What is the Soft Life, Really?

Let me tell you what it’s not:
It’s not laziness.
It’s not pretending life is easy.
It’s not selfish.

It’s about creating tiny moments of grace, gentleness, and joy — on purpose — even in a world that keeps shouting at you to toughen up.

Softness is a quiet rebellion against the hardness of the world.
And it’s delicious.

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🌸 How I Started Claiming My Soft Life

No 5 a.m. club for me — that’s the Hard Life’s favorite schedule.
I chose the Gentle 8 a.m. instead.

I rolled out of bed, no jarring alarm, no phone in my face.
Just a stretch under the covers before slipping into the day.
I turned on Bob Marley — Don’t worry about a thing…
I wrapped my hands around a mug of coffee and actually tasted it.

That’s it.
The Soft Life is simply… not bracing for the next blow all the time.

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🌸 My Soft Life Starter List

If you’re curious and want to experiment, here are 10 tiny ways to start today:

1️⃣ Wake up gently — no harsh alarms.
2️⃣ Use your best mug — yes, even on a Tuesday.
3️⃣ Light a candle, even at breakfast.
4️⃣ Wear something cozy.
5️⃣ Declutter just one tiny drawer.
6️⃣ Sip your coffee or tea slowly, no multitasking.
7️⃣ Open a window and breathe.
8️⃣ Say no — kindly but firmly.
9️⃣ Let silence into your day — even just 5 minutes.
🔟 Rest without guilt.

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🌸 A Soft Invitation

Claiming the Soft Life isn’t about escaping reality.
It’s about meeting it — in all its messiness — with intention, kindness, and ease.

You still work, love, cry, show up. But inside all that, you carve out moments of peace.

One candle.
One breath.
One quiet “no” at a time.

Because you, my dear, deserve to meet life gently — even when it’s anything but.

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If you liked this little love letter to the Soft Life, leave me a comment:
What does YOUR version of the Soft Life look like?
Do you need babushkas and chickens? Or just 10 minutes of quiet and a good cup of coffee?

I’d love to hear from you

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHLJ1JXS/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&sr=1-3&text=Amanda+Scully

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