Gracia’s Index — Start Here

There’s a fine line between courting someone and harassment. — Springtime in Berlin “Hey, how are you doing?” I looked up from my phone and saw a man who I did not know. From his stance, I could see he was trying to make an advance. I applaud his bravery, as rejection always lurks around the corner. “What are you doing?” he asked…

Don’t postpone that dream or idea for sometime in the future. — I was twenty. The median age was seventeen. Many of the dancers were even younger. I had wanted to explore this sport much earlier, but I was afraid of sucking through the initial stage of picking up a new hobby. At twenty, a classmate from one of my project groups…

Use this Google Sheets Editorial Calendar 2021 template to plan Social Media posts across all your Social Media channels. — Table of Contents · Why this template was created · Use cases · How to get your free template · How to customize your template · Downsides Why this template was created As just one person, it can feel challenging to be present in many places at the same time in the glorious online landscape. Through creating a…

Writer, spreadsheet & tooling nerd, amateur filmmaker, personal development junkie (aren’t we all), language lover, introvert. — My name is Gracia Kleijnen, and I came here to write *aggressively chugs down a cup of coffee and slams it on the table while placing fingers back on the home row*. Professionally, I freelance in copywriting. That implies I write a lot. And the production of streams of words…

Why do my palms suddenly feel damp… — You’ve read and re-read the piece. The story is watertight. Impenetrable. Signed, sealed, ready to be delivered? Your cursor hovers closer to the Publish-button. Sweat drops start to clump together on your forehead. The first one falls onto your keyboard. No troll has come after you — yet. Does that…

The person themselves didn’t have the balls to be straightforward. Could I not just have taken the hint? — Breakups can sting, even if you only dated for a short while. Situationships or any casual relationship where you only saw each other a few times, or where you mostly talked over the phone for a few months? These, too, leave their marks. Some leave behind a string of positive…

Instead of trying to find The One, focus more on having fun — Many people open dating apps in the hopes of finding meaningful encounters. Some desperately search for The One or for a relationship. Why can the focus of the search not be the right one(s), a new friend, or simply someone you can share a nice experience with? Interpret this how…

The One will be replaced by A New One after you break up — You thought they were The One. You told the world about it. Their face was plastered all over your social media. Until a tiny disagreement erupts into a breakup. You part ways and stop speaking to each other. Radio silence. Suddenly, a new face pops up on your feeds. Replaced…

Prepare to start from scratch — I thought I could be alone for weeks on end. I was wrong. It’s a challenge to find the right balance of being on my own versus socializing in groups or with other humans. As an introvert who does like people, I still get saturated by “too much” social contact. …