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    The Apple Fritter Worth Driving Two Hours For

    July 24, 2026 / No Comments

    A few years ago, I don’t think I would have driven two hours for a cinnamon bun. Not because I didn’t enjoy cinnamon buns. Because I couldn’t have justified it. There was always something more practical to do. Laundry. Groceries. Work. Emails. A house to take care of. Someone who needed something. A day spent driving for the simple pleasure of trying a bakery felt… unnecessary. Maybe even a little irresponsible. At the time, I thought that was just who I was. Practical. Responsible. Efficient. I didn’t realize I had spent most of my life measuring every decision by its usefulness. That realization didn’t come until much later. It came…

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    Cynthia Marie

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Author & Essayist

Jennifer Irene Stewart

 

I write fiction, essays, and reflections for women learning how to live after years of surviving.

Here you’ll find emotionally grounded stories, sacred-but-skeptical essays, creative experiments, quiet adventures, nourishing food, and honest reflections on self-trust, healing, discernment, and coming back to yourself after fifty.

No gurus. No forced meaning. No pretending everything is fine.

Just beauty, curiosity, courage, and the slow work of becoming alive again.

Categories

  • Creative Reinvention (4)
  • Healing After Survival Mode (10)
  • Healing Without The Fluff (13)
  • Joy Quest (4)

Tags

Finding Joy joyful living learing to live learning to live life after survival living after survival living without fear new adventures Survival Mode who am i? who do i want to become
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