I hope this week’s newsletter finds you healthy and happy.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been intentionally learning how to maintain boundaries at work, something that didn’t come naturally to me before. For a long time, my days didn’t really have an ending. Work bled into evenings, evenings into nights, and eventually my 5-to-9 time disappeared completely. Reclaiming that space has been both uncomfortable and freeing. It has allowed me to do small things just for myself, like reading, thinking, and slowing down; and in the process, it reminded me of something important: if I want big changes in my life, they won’t arrive on their own. They have to begin with me. I have the choice to make them happen.

Choice is something every human carries within themselves. The choice to be kind or cruel. The choice to help someone in need or to walk away during difficult times. A single choice can build empires, and a single choice can break families. In the end, it’s our choices that shape the kind of people we become.

Over the weekend, I finished reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck, and “magical” is the only word that does it justice. From the dark presence of Cathy to the goodness of Sam Hamilton, from Cal’s painful journey of being seen as manipulative and evil to his struggle toward goodness, the story feels deeply human. Aron’s choices and Lee’s open-minded wisdom elevate the book to a solid five stars for me.

One moment in particular stayed with me. Sam and Lee are discussing the Bible and come across a word whose meaning changes across translations. The version that resonates most with them and with me is timshel: “Thou mayest.”
Not thou shalt. Not thou must. But thou mayest, the idea that humans are given the freedom to choose. Thou mayest suggests that humans are not bound by fate, nor commanded into righteousness. Not perfection, not inevitability, but possibility.

In today’s world, this idea feels more important than ever. We live surrounded by negativity, fueled by social-media algorithms that reward outrage and fear. We wake up, check the news, and are greeted by a fresh wave of darkness. Over time, it becomes a habit, an expectation that something negative is always waiting for us.

And yet, timshel still applies.

We may choose to look for light within the chaos. We may choose to manifest better things for ourselves and for others. We may choose contentment, gratitude, and presence. We may choose to spread positivity even when it feels easier not to. Even within all this noise, we may choose where we place our attention. We may choose to seek moments of light. We may choose gratitude over comparison, presence over distraction, and compassion over judgment. We may choose to be content with what we have while still striving for growth. These choices may seem small, but they compound over time and shape the quality of our lives.

There will be days when we choose poorly. I hope those days are few, but if they come, the choice to step back, to repair relationships, and to do better is still within us. It’s never too late to make a good choice.

We could spend lifetimes debating good and evil through the works of Nietzsche and countless other philosophers. But what matters most to me is this simple truth: we have a choice. And sometimes, what’s missing isn’t the choice itself but the awareness that we have one.

That awareness alone can change everything.