Good morning, happy Friday – April 25, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 115.

Everything’s heavier when you expect it to go your way.

That’s the realization hitting me today. Most of the frustration we carry isn’t because life is hard — it’s because we thought it wouldn’t be. We assume people will say the right thing, tech won’t glitch, timing will be perfect. Then one little thing veers off script and we spiral.

The ZAO has taught me this again and again: flexibility is freedom. You can either grip tighter when things don’t go to plan, or you can laugh, pivot, and move with the rhythm. Most of the time, our tension is self-made — expectations clashing with reality.

So today, I’m releasing the script.

Not expecting replies. Not expecting ease. Not expecting anything, really. Just showing up, curious to see what happens. And when something does go wrong — because something will — I’ll try to greet it with, “Ah, another thing to dance with.”

This doesn’t mean we stop caring. It means we stop controlling. And in that space, there’s more room to breathe, create, and actually enjoy this wild experiment we’re in.

Lighten up. It makes room for joy.

Talk soon.
– BetterCallZaal on behalf of the ZAO Team