I am someone who tends to believe that thinking a lot about something will help me find the truth in it. I tend to overcomplicate things rather than see them for what they are. This tendency doesn’t usually serve me, even though it’s so familiar it often feels like my only way of being.

This month, our theme on Wit & Delight is about getting to the truth of the matter.

It’s about taking the people in our lives at their word, rather than endlessly analyzing what they *might* have meant. It’s about exploring ways we can simplify our lives and our routines. It’s about learning to untangle our perception of ourselves and others, without all the self-imposed baggage that tends to cloud it. 

I’ve been trying to do all of the above of late. I’ve also been trying to accept that while the truth is simple at its core, the responses it emits won’t necessarily be identical. The truth of the matter is going to mean different things to different people, and that’s okay. 

As we move into October, I invite you to reflect on the following questions:

• What big decision have I had to make that I overcomplicated? How would I do it differently now?
• Have there been people in my life I have not seen clearly? In hindsight, why do I think that was?
• What’s my reality, without all the unnecessary weight that’s sometimes put on it?
• Who in my life has helped me see the truest version of myself and why?

Truth is what’s in front of you. It’s not elusive; it doesn’t live in the past or in the future. It’s tangible. The truth of what things are can sometimes be hard to swallow, but it can also be very liberating. It can help us make decisions with more clarity and move through the world with more confidence. I wish that sense of ease and understanding for us all.

The truth of what things are can sometimes be hard to swallow, but it can also be very liberating. It can help us make decisions with more clarity and move through the world with more confidence.

This October on W&D, our contributors will be exploring the best things about aging and how the process of wanting tells us who we are. I’ll be sharing a list of thirty-nine truths I’ve learned in thirty-nine years, my personal tips for thrifting and antiquing, and remodeled bathrooms I really, really love. Stay tuned for this and plenty more throughout the month ahead!

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Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.