For as long as I can remember, I have loved writing. I started by writing short stories when I was a kid, fun and playful storylines about female pirates who make stew out of a man named Stu (I still have this story stashed away). Later came journal entries, travel blogs, and professional assignments. My writing has often been described as sounding the same as I speak. I like that!
Prose is my latest venture into blogging, it will be a weekly blog that covers the stories I feel inspired to write and share. It’s not all marketing advice, it’s more stories from my life and experiences, possibly woven in with a moral of the story or lesson learned (like a fairytale).
My only guarantee is that it will be creative, playful, and probably have run on sentences and some grammar mistakes (to err is human). It will also be a connection between me and you each week. I hope you’ll join me on this writing adventure.
Freedom, Flags, and… Canadians.
It starts with King’s Day and ends with Liberation Day. It’s the most patriotic week in the Dutch calendar. There’s also a surprising intertwined history between Canada and the Netherlands during this time. As an immigrant, finding personal meaning in this patriotic Dutch week has been its own journey of embracing a new nationality as part of my identity.
Adventures.
When we lived on the island, we stopped exploring, even within the context of the island. So we got in a rut. We stopped going on little adventures.
We got bored. I got sad.
With the decision that we wouldn’t be pursuing kids anymore. Our rut needed to stop, we both agreed, this couldn’t be the next 40-50 years of our life.
AI can try but it can’t do better than this.
We’re entering new territory with AI programs and their infringement of art and culture.
Today, I thought I would share some of my favorite works, a chance to shine a small spotlight on the artists, I have come to love over the years. Maybe you have heard of some of them and maybe some of these will be new.
Soledad
Michelle is my middle name, my legal first name is Soledad. I was named after my Abuelita (Abuelita is Spanish for “Little Grandma”).
I have struggled to embrace this name, it never quite fits right, like an outfit you want to love because it looks great on the hanger but then when you wear it, it hangs on your curves in all the wrong ways. It doesn’t match your style, it’s a leather jacket but you’re more of a trenchcoat person.
That’s how the name Soledad feels, I keep returning to it and trying to make it fit.
It’s Okay To Flop.
This morning, I tried to bake Appleflaps. I ended up with AppleFLOPS. A melty, stuck-to-the-rack, flaky disaster. But as I stared at my failed pastries, I was reminded of something important: flopping is part of the process.
In business, in learning, in life—getting it wrong the first (or second… or third) time doesn’t mean you’re not capable. It just means you’re learning. Flopping isn’t failure. It’s the setup for resilience, growth, and some pretty great stories. So here’s to embracing the mess!