A very human month | Stephanie's March 2026

I can't believe we're here again — another month in the books. I say this every single time, and yet it never stops feeling true: where does the time go? It's April now. We are well past New Years, and before we know it, we'll be staring down the midyear point. March was one of those months: Short on the calendar, long in feeling. Full of emotion, variety, and very human emotions. So let's just get into it. — Stephanie 

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Lifestyle, Lows & Lessons

March marks the start of spring, and honestly? It's my favorite time of year. The moment the sun starts setting later, no more darkness creeping in at 5:30 PM. And yet — even with the longer days and the sunlight finally returning — some of the weight of winter continued on. The stress, the lingering heaviness, it didn't just disappear with the season. Spring showed up, but so did a lot of the same feelings I was hoping to leave behind. I'll get more into that as we go.

Professionally. If you've been following along, none of this will be a surprise: work has been a lot. It's been a lot for a while now. The stress hasn't let up, the busyness hasn't eased, and career growth still feels like something happening somewhere in the distance. This month didn't change that. I'd be lying if I said it did.

And yet — dare I say it — I think I'm actually getting pretty good at my job. Even when I'm tired. Even when I'm running on fumes and motivation feels hard to come by. The evidence is there: this month, I kicked off multiple partnerships with stakeholders I had never met before. I didn't stumble into those rooms. I created a seat for myself in them. I reached out based on role titles alone, with little to no support from my team, and brought together groups of people who had no particular reason to connect — except that I made it happen. I'll own that. It says something about what I'm capable of, even on the hard days.

On a warmer note, I got to see my manager in person this month, which was a genuine highlight as I only get to see her in person once (twice if I’m lucky) times a year.

The biggest work win of March came in the form of people. I somehow — a little intentionally, a little unknowingly — built a whole community around me this month. First, there's the team trio with Dani and Sean: two colleagues I'd worked alongside for a while but never quite clicked with, until now. The shared realization that we're all feeling the same way about our team and work ironically led to this friendship. There's something quietly powerful about that — finding your people not through forced fun or team-building exercises, but through honesty. It's made me feel less alone in a situation that can feel pretty isolating. And beyond the solidarity, I've genuinely gotten to know some cool, interesting humans.

Then there's the other outside of work (but friends met from work) trio with Ai and Jon — born from Barry's, of all places. An ex-colleague and someone from an adjacent team. I never thought I'd set foot in another Barry's class, and yet here I am, not only going back but building friendships around it. One workout led to a dinner and impromptu bar hop till the AMs (I never do this with coworkersl ol), and now we have our own little group too. Two trios in one month. I don't know how I managed it, but I'm so grateful.

If March gave me anything to hold onto professionally, it's this: the work is hard, but the people make it worth showing up for.

Friendships. The month kicked off with a birthday dinner for my dear friend Christina Wu. I can't believe it's been over two years since we reconnected post-grad, and yet our monthly catch-ups have become one of the most therapeutic constants in my life. We met at 6 PM and didn't stop talking until midnight — and truthfully, we could have kept going on and on if it wasn’t for our time constraints.

Then came another impromptu trio I did not see coming: two girls I met at completely different phases of my life — one through my nonprofit volunteering days a couple of years back, another through Bumble BFF all the way back in 2021 or 2022. No bad blood, just life doing what it does — pulling people in different directions. And yet somehow, there we were, all three of us in the same room, catching up on everything that had passed in between the years. Beyond the new and the rekindled, my existing long term friendships kept me grounded too. Weekly workouts and catch-ups with Tammie, dinner and drinks with Ashley, and (impromptu) first-ever improv show with Pearl and Sadie. I also got to celebrate Sadie's birthday, which made me realize: so many of my closest people are March and April babies, and then December and January. And then nothing. I apparently gravitate toward people born in the same two seasons of the year. Make it make sense.

All of it — every dinner, every spontaneous plan, every long overdue reunion — left me feeling genuinely grateful. Real human connection is something I don't take for granted, and March was full of it.

Romantic life. March also marks one year since I met my partner. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since we met and have been seeing each other consistently. It feels as if we’ve made so many memories together and we’re still in spring of last year when we first met, yet at the same time so much has happened to us and that it truly does feel like we’ve learned a years worth of time of each other.  He made the anniversary special in the most thoughtful ways. A surprise bouquet from yet another new florist he researched, which I didn’t expect but much appreciated. He also recreated our first date, and we committed to the bit, very silly role-playing our very first conversation as if we were meeting again for the first time.

But beyond the anniversary itself, the month was full of little memories I want to hold onto and beyond dates he's shown up in my daily life in ways to make life easier from fixing my garden rocks, to long commutes to my gyno and hair appt so I wouldn't have to do the drive myself. While I understand your partner is supposed to make your life easier, it's also something I don't want to take for granted. We both had a wellness day off at the same time, and we made the most of it — sleeping in, brunch on a sunny day, and then an afternoon at the Palace of Fine Arts. I've been to that place more times than I can count growing up in San Francisco, but seeing it as an adult, with him, felt different. Noticing the details in the carved architecture. Watching the ducks on the lake. It's the small things. We also had long walks at the beach, visited Land's End, and he surprised me with tickets to the Aura experience night at the cathedral — live music, lights, and narration. It's interesting how we both grew up here in SF, and yet it feels like we're discovering SF together all over again. I'm really glad I get to share these mems together! 

Personal life and errands. I said I'd be honest with myself, so here it is: I made progress this month. Keyword is progress, not killin it haha. On the health and movement front, I've been working toward hitting 10,000 steps a day — 8,000 at a realistic minimum. I had some genuinely strong weeks, and then some weeks that were all over the place. But even on the inconsistent weeks, I was moving more than I had in months, and that counts for something. Working a desk job that caps me at 4,000 to 5,000 steps on a good day has been a wake-up call. I've been feeling it in my body, my energy, my mood. If my early morning workout classes aren't consistent anymore with my current schedule, I need to find another way to get active. I also finally did something I'd been putting off for way too long: I saw a gynecologist. At 27, I know. But I'm proud of myself for doing the research, making the appointment, and actually showing up — especially with the health concerns I'd been carrying around. My partner drove me there and back and I really appreciated his support. The diagnosis came back well, with a "we'll monitor it" on the heavier concerns. To anyone else who's been putting this off out of fear: just go. You'll be glad you did. I also finally went to jury duty for the first time ever in my life instead of making excuses to postpone, which was less scary as people make it seem. It’s ironic I was actually looking forward to jury duty, from learning the process to taking a day off work and not think about work lol. And finally — taxes. After cycling through several CPAs, vetting options, and making more than a few back-and-forth trips, I ended up going back to my previous CPA. And you know what? I'm calling that a win. It was done on time, at a fair price, and with the best decision I could make given what I had to work with. For once, I don't owe a ridiculous amount of taxes. This was a month of making progress with adulting! 

Family. This is always the hardest section to write. And I think it will continue to be for a while. I'll keep the details close to my chest out of respect for everyone involved, but I want to acknowledge it honestly: the family chapter of March was, like so much of the past two years, a mix of highs and lows woven so tightly together it's hard to separate them.

We started the month with a visit to the temple to celebrate Lunar New Year. It came later than usual, between my being out of town in February and everything going on with my grandparents, but we made it happen. It's a tradition that goes back as far as I can remember, and showing up for it, even when life is complicated, feels important. The night before, my mom got an emergency call about my grandma possibly being taken to the ER and she rushed over. My dad and I sat together and had real conversations about the future — the kind you approach with as much optimism as you can while still being honest about what's coming. Luckily, the next morning brought relief. My grandma didn't need the ER. And my family of 4 ended up being able to make it to the temple in SJ as we do annually, the time we had felt like a gift.

Throughout the rest of the month, the pattern continued — moments of joy alongside the weight of watching the people I love age. We celebrated my aunts birthday, surprising her with all her favorites from San Jose. I hope she felt as special as she deserves to feel. We visited my grandma and grandpa, too, showing up as we could. My back-and-forth trips for taxes, with my CPA conveniently close to my childhood home, gave me more time with my parents than I might have had otherwise. But mixed into those visits was watching my parents caring for others while not always taking care of themselves and seeing them both grow older and weaker is tough. Still, in the pockets of time we did have together, I tried to make them count. Weekend meals out, trying new places on a whim, stumbling upon every day things such as the cutest doggo adoptions brought little joys together! I've been thinking a lot lately about time — specifically, the fear of running out of it. I don't want to be someone who waits until their parents are too old to start caring. Who tells themselves to spend more time later, be more present later. Later has a way of arriving already full. Right now, my parents can still walk, still go out, still experience things. Right now, I'm still at a chapter of my life without a family of my own to divide my time between and I’d like to continue being more present with my family as I can.This section is hard to write every month. Because every month honestly its been a similar pattern of battling my aging family with creating new memories before our time together is up. Hopefully happy and longer and continuous days to come together!

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My pick of the month: The Aura at the Cathedral

The architecture, the live music, the lights — the mix of ancient old history with modern lights - but what made it genuinely memorable wasn't the production, it was the feeling of discovering something new together with my partner in a city we both thought we already knew. What’s more, he’s usually not the best planner so it was warming to see him research things to do and plan fpr us!

It was a good reminder: it's never too late to try something for the first time. No matter how long you've lived somewhere, there's always another layer waiting to be found.

I came into this month hoping for lighter days, and in many ways I got them. Sunnier skies, longer evenings, and more memories than I can fully account for. Somewhere along the way I also went from being in one trio to four trios lol. I’m grateful for these friendships, the ones that go beyond the surface level. While I complain, I'm grateful, too, for my career. Even on the hard days — especially on the hard days — I try to remind myself that what I have is a career, not just a job. That distinction matters to me. And I'm grateful for my family, my partner, the people in my life. This month held memories with all of them, and that's not something I take lightly.

But I also want to be honest with myself, I'm a work in progress in every pillar. Moreso than ever before I admit I can do better in each pillar. There's room to grow in all of it in showing up to be a better daughter, family member, friend, partner, colleague, and to be better for myself and the lifestyle I want to live, and I'd rather name that than pretend otherwise.

As for April — I'm equal parts excited and nervous, and I think that's the right way to feel about a month this full. A long overdue reunion with my bestie, Coachella, annual work conference. And some pivotal family moments that I'm holding close. It's going to be a lot and I'm going to be optimistic about it all! 

To whoever's been reading along — I hope your April is eventful in all the best ways! 

Chat soon in May,

 — Stephanie