Ursula's Transformation Story

It's day 183 of documenting 2025.

No power! 😭

This outage is getting to everyone...and it's getting worse.

I couldn't charge my device and the power bank is on its last legs.

Word is, the problem started when two officials were beaten because they came for bill payment verification.

That's enough to piss them off.

Well, I'm not sure if the story is true.

I'm just hoping the issue gets resolved, whatever it may be. 

Anyways, life goes on.

I may consider leaving my phone at home instead of bringing it to school.

That way, I can save the battery.

But there's a problem.

We usually use my phone to play the song for the cultural dance presentation in my school.

I wonder how I can navigate that 😐

Don't worry, I'll figure it out.

Time for highlights...and then a fictional story.

The first of it's kind on this blog.

365 Days With Self-discipline 

📌 On Shocking Your Body

“Your body needs to be shocked to become resilient,” Eric explained.

Follow the same daily routine, and your musculoskeletal system quickly figures out how to adapt and go on autopilot. 

But surprise it with new challenges —leap over a creek, commando-crawl under a log, sprint till your lungs are bursting — and scores of nerves and ancillary muscles are suddenly electrified into action."

Quote by Christopher McDougall

Body shock? 😲 

Let's read further.

One of the most common reasons why people don’t succeed at introducing permanent exercise habit in their lives is because their workouts are boring.

They do the same things over and over again, and even if they work in the beginning, the body quickly adapts to them and stops responding to them in the same way as in the beginning.

When the effectiveness drops down and a person gets tired of doing the same things, the outcome is predictable: you no longer want to work out.

For now, I don't work out...I walk most of the time.

And I used to stretch.

(Used to?...I need to reconsider 😐)

Seek something enjoyable and exciting that won’t feel like dreadful exercise. If you can’t find it, keep looking until you do. Ultimately, it’s the only way to successfully maintain an exercise habit in your life.

I'll look into this....some other exercise activity I can do.

Maybe yoga? 🤔 

Mixing it up every now and then by focusing on a different aspect of the activity, doing it in a different place, with different intensity or with different people will boost your excitement, shock your body, and ensure that you’ll stick to physical activity for the long haul.

You can mix up your exercise activity as well.

And if you don't regularly exercise, you should consider long walks.

And if you're worried about "wasting time", you can listen to podcasts on a topic of interest.

Talk about killing two birds with one stone (not literally 😄)

Fiction time!

I decided on adding a story as an idea 💡 

Let's see how it goes.

This one is titled Ursula's Transformation Srory.

I actually like the name Ursula.

The name just rolls off your tongue.

Ursula's Transformation Srory 

Ursula stared at her reflection in the kitchen window. Not because she admired what she saw, but because it reminded her of still water; clear but unmoving. 

Life had become just that. Stagnant. Predictable. Safe in a way that choked her.

She lived by routines: the same bland coffee, the same greetings at work, the same muted ache in her chest every time she passed the mirror without looking into it. 

Her dreams were still there, tucked in some dusty corner of her mind like old journals; kept but unread.

Every night, she asked the same question before falling asleep: “Is this all there is?”

And every morning, she ignored the answer.

But something had shifted recently. Maybe it was the way her chest tightened during Zoom meetings. Maybe it was the heavy silence after logging off, or the dull guilt that came with clicking “remind me later” on yet another idea. 

She wasn’t just tired. She was becoming someone she didn’t recognize; a shell dressed up in to-do lists and small talk.

One evening, standing alone in her apartment, a thought sliced through the haze:

“Something's gotta break, or I will.”

Fear answered immediately. 

Loud and sharp.

What if you lose everything? 

What if you fail? 

What if the comfort you toss away is the only thing keeping you sane?

Her palms went cold. 

The fear wasn't just about risk. 

It was about losing what was familiar. Even if that familiarity was part of what was killing her.

She sat on the floor with an open journal. Her pen hovered.

“May 1st : I choose to begin again.”

It felt dramatic. Arbitrary, even. 

But something about declaring it gave her the tiniest sense of control; like marking a trailhead before a hike into the unknown.

For a few days, she clung to that date like a lifeboat. 

Until her mind turned on her again.

"Why wait?" it whispered one sleepless night. 

"Why postpone the pain or the freedom? 

What’s so special about May 1st?"

That voice didn’t sound like fear. 

It sounded like truth. 

Ursula realized she was waiting not because she needed time; but because she was afraid to act without a deadline.

The next morning, she tore the page out of her journal.

She didn’t need May 1st.

She needed now.

So she sent that email. 

The one she'd saved in drafts a dozen times; a resignation from the job that no longer aligned. 

She called her best friend and said, “I’m scared, but I can’t keep pretending I’m okay.” 

She opened her old writing folder and let herself cry over the drafts she abandoned when self-doubt got too loud.

The process was messy. 

One day, she felt unstoppable. 

The next, she curled up on the couch wondering if she’d made a mistake. But with each brave step, the chains grew lighter.

It wasn’t about clarity. 

It was about commitment. 

She didn’t have the whole map; just enough courage to take the next step.

Ursula had always thought transformation would look like fire. It didn’t. It looked like cleaning out her closet. 

Like saying no to invitations that didn’t feel like her. Like relearning how to be alone without feeling lonely.

Each choice, each sacrifice, peeled off an old layer. And beneath all the roles she had played; employee, friend, daughter, perfectionist; she finally met herself.

Not a version made for approval or applause.

Just Ursula.

A little scared, but finally free.

That's the story.

What do you think?

Do you understand what the story signifies?

(It's in the title, duh 🙄)

The mental path leading to Ursula making the decision is what makes this piece captivating.

If you can, leave your comments below this post.

You can be anonymous, if you want.

I would love to hear from you 💜

That's all for today's post.

Thanks for reading 🎀 

You can always catch up on former posts from this blog.

Simply visit the main site.

I'll see you there 😉 

I'm Duon Ada.

I'm documenting 2025.

And I'll see you tomorrow.

Ciao 💕