Coming Home Is Always Harder Than I Expect
- Alisha Smith
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 9
The emotional crash after rest, the ritual of leftovers, and an invitation to return—softly.
by Alisha M. Smith | Grief to Gratitude Chef
I just got back from a family trip. It was beautiful—slow mornings, beach meals, and the kind of quiet you don’t realize you’ve been craving until you have it.
But the truth is: coming home hit harder than I expected.
The fridge was random. My body was tired. My mood was all over the place. I didn’t want to do anything. And that includes cook.
But I was hungry. So I grabbed some leftover fries and frozen chicken thighs and figured I’d make it work. I ended up making chicken pot pie. Not because I had the energy—but because I needed to feel like I was still capable of making something good out of what I had.
This is what healing looks like sometimes.Not a perfect routine or a new grocery haul.Just showing up to the fridge, seeing what’s left, and trying to feed yourself.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to return. Return to yourself.Return to your routines.Return to your body after burnout.Return to life after grief.
And it’s not always soft. Sometimes the return feels like a crash landing.
That’s actually why I created something called Joyful Return—a culinary healing retreat for folks like us. People who give a lot. Who hold a lot.Who often return home to find the fridge empty and the soul hungry.
We’ll be gathering next year in St. Lucia for five days of rest, ritual, and food that feeds more than just your body. You don’t need to be “together” to join. You don’t need to perform peace. You just need to want it. That’s it.
This is the first time I’m mentioning it in our community. If you’re curious—or even just tired—I want you to be the first to see it.
This week, I turned scraps into dinner. Not because I had it all figured out.But because I needed something warm.
If you’re there too—you’re not alone.
Let’s return softly, together.
– Alisha 🤎
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