Jarka's Wellness

09/07/2026

I was living and studying In Prague while Czechoslovakia was still behind the Iron Curtain.

One November evening, I walked through the quiet streets of Prague with a man I barely knew. We walked, talked, laughed, and wandered through the city under soft yellow lights. Before we parted, he asked me to meet him at the train station the following weekend.

I thought he was simply taking a trip to another town. I was wrong.

What happened at that train station became one of those strange memories that stayed somewhere inside me for almost forty years. I never understood why he invited me.

Only while writing this story did I begin to understand.

My new essay, “I Thought It Was Just a Date in Prague,” is now on Writing My Way Home.
Hope you enjoy it as others did and share your thoughts:
https://jarkamagdalena.substack.com/p/i-thought-it-was-just-a-date-in-prague?r=7thgtu

08/22/2026

This is me, sixteen years ago, on a gondola in Venice. It was the day after my wedding.

Looking at this photo this week made me reflect on everything that has happened since.

So much of the life I thought was ahead of me never happened.
And so much I never imagined or dreamed about did.

Looking at her now, I wonder what I would tell her about everything that came next.

I wrote about it in my new essay on Substack: https://jarkamagdalena.substack.com/p/my-husbands-death-changed-the-trajectory?r=7thgtu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

08/20/2026

For years, I thought success meant achieving something. EVERY DAY! Yes. What was I thinking? Maybe just running on automatic based on what I was taught.

every day - Winning. Finishing. Accomplishing something big. Being recognized.
Having something to show for my effort.

It's exhausting right?

I'm starting to question that definition. Some days success is also doing less.

Resting. Listening to myself.

And not abandoning myself just because I didn't accomplish anything impressive.

Not every day needs to be impressive. And not every day can be.
Maybe that doesn't make the day any less valuable.

Follow me on Substack. I write weekly.

https://jarkamagdalena.substack.com/

08/16/2026

Just a few words welcoming a new day while watching the sun come up again.

A new substack essay is up at https://jarkamagdalena.substack.com/

08/15/2026

Last week I shared an essay about unexpected tears that show up when I watch athletes succeed, and the grief underneath them.

That piece left me with a question I couldn't put down: why am I so afraid of being seen as a failure?

So I kept writing. Part 2 is up, on what I found when I finally sat with that question: https://jarkamagdale

08/11/2026

I catch myself doing this more often than I realize.

My mind promises that life will finally begin when I get there.
When I'm healthier.
When I earn more.
When I figure everything out.

Then I remember that every moment I've ever lived has been now.

08/09/2026

Watching champions felt like facing my own failure.

I've loved sports my entire life. I competed in alpine skiing from childhood into my twenties, and I still enjoy watching tennis, skiing, and track and field.

This summer, while watching the major tennis tournaments, I noticed something unexpected. Every time someone lifted a trophy, I felt sadness, regret, and even grief.
And often tears came easily.

It took me a while to understand what it was about.

That realization became my newest essay. It's about identity, comparison, childhood dreams, and what happens when we measure our lives against the lives we imagined we would have.

If this resonates with you, I'd love for you to read it.

08/07/2026

This thought came to me today while reading another writer's story on Substack.

So much of our lives we spend wondering whether we measure up, belong, or fit in.

At the same time, we all want to be seen for who we truly are. Unique.

Maybe those two things pull us in opposite directions.

The flowers don't compare themselves to the trees.
They simply become what they were created to be.

Perhaps we're here to do the same.

What does "living a life that feels right for you" look like for you? 👇

I write more about this weekly — link in bio 🌿

08/06/2026

Who would you be if you stopped performing?
Internally and externally.

What if you stopped forcing, striving, manipulating, trying to become someone?

Without the striving.
Without the forcing.
Without the endless list of shoulds and have-tos.

For me, part of me thinks it would feel like freedom — letting go.

Another part is convinced it would feel like failure. Laziness. Unproductive.

How would it feel for you if you stopped performing?

Curious what comes up for you — drop it below.

05/30/2022

This is so worthwhile to listen. Just in case you want a laugh...

I was coming back home on a Southwest flight when I discovered I had one of the funniest flight attendants on board with me. It was one of the best flights I...