Isis peeked over her coffee mug like she’d been summoned from the depths of luxury. “Adrian… nobody forgot; we just intentionally chose not to bring it up.”
“How?” he shot back, raising a brow. “Weren’t you the one who suggested we do the shit in the first place?”
She shrugged nonchalantly, the corner of her mouth quirking up slightly. “Touché. But a girl can change her mind.”
Adrian waved her off like she was bad weather and he was controlling the climate. “Nah… see, that’s negativity. And today? We positive. We renewing our spirits and charging our inner iPhones. No Bluetooth demons allowed. This cabin turned us into a… community.”
I tied my bonnet tighter. “We locked in, you mean.”
“Yeah... we locked in! Now, everybody gon’ go around and say something uplifting… real-life affirmations shit… gems… growth! I want spiritual hydration!”
Bryce muttered something under his breath and shook his head, already over it.
Adrian cleared his throat as if about to deliver a keynote speech. “Aight… I’ll go first. My affirmation of the day is, I am evolving past the man I used to be because the man I used to be couldn’t survive in the woods… not mentally… not emotionally… and especially not cardio-wise.”
Bryce raised a brow, smirking. “My boy, youstillgot some ways to go. But keep speaking it into existence. Manifest that lung capacity.”
Everyone erupted in laughter, the sound bouncing off the cabin walls.
"That's cool. The lungs ain’t caught up yet, but the mindset has!”
Isis, her hands cradling her heart as if holding a delicate secret, decided to share next. “Alright… well, my positivity for today is this: I’m learning to trust the universe… even though I’m cold, tired, and I feel spiritually allergic to the outdoors. But I’m grateful that even in this frigid snowstorm, I’m not alone, and I’m surrounded by people I can genuinely say I’ve come to…like,” she confessed, her voice softening with sincerity.
I smiled, caught off guard by the softness in her voice. Even Bryce blinked, clearly surprised by her heartfelt admission.
Adrian gave her a proud little golf clap. “Aight... bougie growth. Next!”
I sat forward, drawing in a deep breath, my voice steady yet gentle. “My gem for today…”
I allowed the words to flow organically, feeling the weight of what I wanted to express.
“…is that peace isn’t always found in perfect places; sometimes it shows up in chaos, or on cold mornings spent with people you’d never thought you’d laugh with, cry near, or witness this side of. Sometimes God isolates us to show us what we’ve been too busy—or too stubborn—to see. And sometimes, the storm isn’t punishment; it’s protection. It’s a reroute. It’s getting stuck with the exact people you didn’t know you needed… but can’t imagine not knowing now.”
As I locked eyes with Bryce, an unspoken understanding passed between us.
“Damn, Chesteria. That was Oprah-level, girl!” Isis exclaimed.
Bryce leaned back on the couch, arms crossed, looking like a lumberjack philosopher.
“My positivity for today? I’m learning patience with storms, life, and people.” His eyes lingered on me. “And with myself, the old me, I didn’t make room for grace. But this cabin, this mess…this group—” He grunted and shook his head like he didn’t want to say it but had to. “Y’all remind me that even when life shakes you up, you still get to choose how you stand afterward, and I’m choosing better.”
Bryce’s words hit me like a physical blow, resonating deep within.
Isis pretended to wipe an imaginary tear, dramatically fanning her face. “I just… love us! I would say group hug, but I’m wearing a four hundred dollar lounge set stitched by a blind Italian artisan in a villa, and I can still smell yesterday’s decisions onsomebodyin here… and that energy isloud.”
All heads turned to Adrian, who was lowkey sniffing under his arms.
“Damn,” he said, like he was the one in disbelief.
“Nigga, if you don’t get yo’ funky ass in some water while you over here trying to manifest, marinate, and motivate in the same damn breath!” Bryce chastised, barely holding back his laughter.
Adrian raised a hand defensively, sounding almost indignant. “First of all, I’ve been conserving water for the cabin. That’s called sacrifice and leadership, my friends.”
I coughed, unable to suppress my laughter. “That’s called stank.”
“I call it woodsy musk!” Adrian retorted, puffing his chest out. “Survival has a scent!”
I shook my head, laughing. “I guess some things will never change.”
