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#selfreflection

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Johanny Ortega

Finding Your Anchor Through Life Chaotic Phases

When life throws us into chaos through major transitions, how do we find our way back to ourselves? That’s the question at the heart of this deeply personal episode where I open up about my recent experiences navigating multiple upheavals – moving from Kentucky to San Antonio and then immediately jumping into a temporary duty assignment.

Through this whirlwind of change, I discovered something profound about stability: it’s not about trying to recreate your old normal in new circumstances. It’s about identifying the sacred habits that anchor your identity regardless of where you are or what’s happening around you. For me, this meant stripping everything back to just three core practices: physical exercise for mental clarity, writing for creative nourishment, and reading as my escape hatch from stress.

The journey wasn’t straightforward. It required intentional self-reflection, kindness toward myself, and consistently quieting that counterproductive inner voice that wanted me to give up. I share the uncomfortable truth of how it took a full week of feeling low before I could motivate myself to restart these habits, and how I had to be both gentle and firm with myself to maintain them. 

Whether you’re in military life facing PCS moves, or navigating any major life transition, this episode offers practical wisdom for rebuilding your sense of self one sacred habit at a time. Stability isn’t a fixed destination we reach once and for all – it’s something we actively cultivate day by day, especially during seasons of change. What habits anchor you when everything else is in flux?

blurred photo of a man sitting on an office chair
#CreativeHealing#DailyRituals#EmotionalReset
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sharie❣︎
Had a beautiful 4 day weekend for my birthday in my favorite town at my favorite place to stay 🩷🌼 also tried 🍄s for the first time and it was incredible…the things I saw in the floral wallpaper 😹 it’s been a long and winding 38 years but the world is beautiful so long as you allow yourself to see it that way

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#birthdaytrip #literally #travel #travelphotography #norcal #redwoods #deer #mushrooms #psychedelics #fun #alwaysgo #explore #selfreflection #veganfood #vegan #catsofpixelfed
#catsofpixelfed
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Johanny Ortega

How Mamá’s Jarabe Is Keeping My Family Warm (and Healed)

There’s something about a stuffy nose and a scratchy throat that takes me right back to Mamá’s kitchen. Not the one we had here in the States—but the one back in the Dominican Republic. The one that smelled like coffee in the morning and garlic and onions at night. The one where, if you were sneezing, she didn’t reach for Tylenol. She reached for the jar.

Mamá’s jarabe.

Sticky. Strong. And made with love (and a little side-eye if you tried to run from the spoon).

Today, I’m the one pulling the jar from the fridge. I’m the one handing it to my stepbabies and my husband, reminding them to pinch their nose and swallow it fast. And yes—I’m the one giggling when they make faces just like I used to.

But it’s more than just nostalgia. This remedy works. And it’s a piece of Mamá I carry with me.

What’s in It and Why It Matters

Mamá’s jarabe is a powerhouse blend of:

Honey – Our sweet healer, soothing sore throats and coating irritated passages. Lemon – Bright and acidic, it cuts through congestion like a blade. Garlic – Antiviral, antibacterial, and unapologetically strong. Onion – Our tearful protector, full of antioxidants and immune-boosting magic. Ginger – For the heat that reminds you: this is no regular syrup. Radish – Sinus-clearing, spicy, and dramatic enough to make an impression.

She didn’t learn this from a book. She learned it from her mother. Who learned it from hers. And now, it’s in my fridge—its scent mingling with memories and healing energy.

What It Means to Me Now

In a world full of over-the-counter fixes and fast relief, this jar reminds me that healing can be slow. It can be ugly. It can come in a mismatched jar tucked behind last night’s leftovers. And it doesn’t always taste sweet.

When I stir the mixture and serve it to my family, I’m doing more than just soothing a cold. I’m holding space for legacy. For tradition. For the knowledge that, even though my mamá isn’t in my kitchen, she’s in every spoonful I serve.

Teaching My Children Without Saying a Word

It’s not lost on me that my stepkids scrunch their noses the same way I used to. That they open their mouths reluctantly and chase it with juice. That they’re learning—maybe without realizing it—that remedies don’t always come from a pharmacy. They come from people. From love. From generations of wisdom passed down like recipes.

I’m not just mothering here. I’m remembering. I’m honoring. And I’m planting little seeds in them, hoping one day they’ll reach for the honey, the lemon, the garlic…and remember me.

Want to Make It Too? Here’s the Recipe:

You can find the full visual recipe here—but here’s the quick version:

Wash and slice all ingredients Layer them in a jar Pour lemon juice Add honey until everything is coated Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours Take 1–2 spoonfuls as needed

From One Healing Home to Another

We may not have had access to medicine growing up, but we had knowledge. We had nature. And we had Mamá.

Today, I carry her in my words, my stories, and now, in the sticky sweetness of this jarabe that refuses to be forgotten.

So next time a cold hits your home, before you run to the pharmacy—try a spoonful of legacy.

A jar of Dominican home remedy jarabe sits on a granite counter. The jar contains sliced onion, garlic, radish, and ginger soaked in honey and lemon, with a warm, golden glow. Recipe and instructions are written on the graphic in a vintage, comforting font.
#HaveACupOfJohanny#MentalHealth#PersonalGrowth
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RationizedInsanity🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇵🇸

I'm starting to find that now that I am fit #healthy and don't look so #homeless -

Random men are always trying to show off around me, or one up me for no reason.

If this is what being cool is like, I understand why cool people can turn into dicks. I find it funny. Most wouldn't.

Or stare at me like they think I'm an asshole.

I should start wearing make-up cuz they look at me more than every woman who walks by, quite frankly.

If I wasn't broke I already would be xD

#humor#selfreflection
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RationizedInsanity🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇵🇸

@bardmoss Thank you.

That was the bravest thing I've ever done.

I knew I'd probably be homeless and could get hurt.

I didn't care.

Drugs were being sold. Many used to be addicts.

You don't get to do that to my friends.

I would do it again not thinking twice.

How evil is it to sell drugs at a place meant for recovering from them and other health issues?

And to be the staff nonetheless?

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did nothing.

#writing#poverty#addiction
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N-gated Hacker News

🤔 Oh look, yet another self-indulgent ramble where we discover that Claude #Code can decompile itself! 🌀 Just what the world needed, more #AI code contemplating its own existence while the rest of us desperately seek the relevance in this narrative from 1995. 📅
ghuntley.com/tradecraft/ #SelfReflection #AI #Decompilation #TechHumor #1995Narrative #HackerNews #ngated

Geoffrey Huntley · Yes, Claude Code can decompile itself. Here's the source code.These LLMs are shockingly good at deobfuscation, transpilation and structure to structure conversions. I discovered this back around Christmas where I asked an LLM to make me an Haskell audio library by transpiling a rust implementation. An “oh fuck” moment in timeOver the Christmas break I’ve been critically looking
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Stephen P. Anderson

Okay, this is a long and meandering post: Deconstructing “What’s Worth Doing?” But, I use (and made!) lots and LOTS of pictures—30 pictures!! 🤪 This is me looking at *HOW* a specific learning card deck encourages and supports better thinking. And other ways this could have been done.

stephenanderson.medium.com/dec

Medium · Deconstructing “What’s Worth Doing?” - Stephen P. Anderson - MediumBy Stephen P. Anderson
#CardGames#CardGame#CardDecks
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Kati
First image is hybrid photographing I made at Danny Bittencourts course at Domestika.org. It's nice to print the photo, handle it with salt and water to paint it. Other images are nice memories (in a way) for the last 2 -3 or 3-4 years. Sometimes it takes a trauma for you to have the need to really watch inside the mirror. There is no turning back, there is no need to turn back to the old me. Parts of old me still exists but the new me is more aware and whole as a person. There are also old pictures from kids whom mean the world to me.

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At the moment I'm doing so much Python on a computer that I miss the amount of movement I had! Now it's pretty much yoga and walks with the dog. All this sitting is so annoying, I can feel my ass being the same shape with the chair 😁 It's like I have to handle this deadline but in the same time it's the cost of me not knowing and feeling my body and muscles anymore 😂 Basically, through these images I remember the time spent outdoors and in nature. The best way to spend time is to get rid of the clock and wonder without destination, enjoying the small moments passing by... These images could also be "me 5 kg's ago" 😁 The lack of time for exercise needs to be resolved, it's affecting my mind in a negative way. Like being trapped indoors... Like being trapped in this one phase of my life as a graduate student... 🙃😶‍🌫️

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It was also nice to notice that I am not ashamed these images anymore. When you spent enough time with people lifting their ego by making you smaller, you can be ashamed really odd things. Because it's not your role to be something, it's your role not to be anything so they can lift their shallow ego.
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Remember, jealous friend is not a friend.

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Oh, there are couple of friends too...

#ego #photography #photographing #photographer #memory #outdoors #selfreflection #mirroring #selfknowledge #trauma #change #person
#person
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