When the Morning Finds You Worried

Written By Coach Vida

This morning, I woke up worried. If I’m being real, I went to bed worried too. Sometimes when you gamble on yourself, the payout isn’t immediate. Sometimes, it feels like you’re climbing uphill for years, wondering when the ground under your feet is finally going to flatten. That’s been my life for the past two years, steady progress, powerful milestones, real growth… and still, the climb continues.

The economy has squeezed my industry. My community has been hit by political moves. My own circle, family, friends, has felt the pressure. And when you’re self-employed, you don’t just carry your responsibilities. You carry the weight of everyone who depends on you.

So I woke up today with a knot in my stomach, knowing I need to pay contractors before the holidays, knowing I’d love to pay myself before the holidays, knowing that sometimes the entities who owe you money pay whenever they feel like paying. That’s the life of freelancers, creators, and working people. It’s not romantic. But it’s real.

We had spa plans this morning. But my body couldn’t relax. Not today.

So Coach Formie and I did what we do best: We hit the Griffith Park horse trail instead.

We had just started the walk, sunscreen on, smart watches started, when we saw a group of older Armenian men at a picnic table, sharing a full feast.

Formie whispered, “I need to throw this away, but I don’t want to interrupt them…”

I told her, “There’s another trash can up ahead, but… it’s fine, go go.”

And in two seconds, everything changed.

The men welcomed us like old friends. They hardly spoke English, but joy doesn’t need translation. They poured a vodka shot and toasted to one of the men visiting from Armenia for his birthday. They shared their food. We hugged them. We shook hands.

And by pure luck, today of all days, I had brought a sticker shaped like a cupcake with one candle that said Happy Birthday. We gave it to the birthday man. He tucked it into his wallet like something precious.

I gestured, two hands forming a heart, telling him that when he goes home to Armenia, and he opens his wallet, to think of us.

He understood. We all understood.

It was a perfect, unexpected moment of connection. The kind that hits you like a blessing when you’ve been carrying weight for too long.

We walked that trail with a whole different energy. Light. Lifted. Grateful.

This morning started heavy.
But life handed us a reminder:
Even in the uphill seasons, joy still finds you.
Community still finds you.
And sometimes, the smallest gesture, a sticker, a smile, a shared moment, becomes the fuel you didn’t know you needed.

I’ll add our selfies here. Because today, the trail gave me more than steps. It gave me hope.

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Coach Vida

Coach Vida is the voice behind FormaFit Active a movement journal rooted in mindful motion, real gear, cultural pride, and showing up without apology.
She believes in slow mornings, walking when it hurts, and building strength that feels like freedom.

Her motto: You don’t have to look like an athlete to move like one.

She writes from Los Angeles, with a speaker clipped on and sunscreen always in the bag. This journal is for anyone reclaiming energy, stretch by stretch.

Coach Vida es la voz detrás de FormaFit Active, un diario de movimiento con raíces en el cuerpo, la cultura y la intención.
Cree en moverse con calma, en estirarse cuando duele, y en la fuerza como libertad.

Su lema: No tienes que parecer atleta para moverte como uno.

Escribe desde Los Ángeles, con su bocina a un lado y bloqueador en la mochila.
Este espacio es para quienes se están reclamando, paso a paso.

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