✨ the SPARK 241 ~ When Life Keeps Life-ing (Building Through the Chaos)
Mad scientist era meets real life and other lessons in resilience
Last week kicked my arse.
I got sick for a few days—the kind of sick where you can barely think straight, let alone build AI apps. I was a little more than halfway to my destination (a two-hour drive), pulled off to get gas, felt it coming on, and thought, “Uh-oh. Here we go.”
I have a very sensitive system and get what I call “queasy migraines.”
I pulled into a parking lot, found a shady spot, and had to lie still in the car for 3.5 hours (and missed my hair appointment, dang nabit!). That lingered for about 4 days.
Then, a client I worked with months ago decided to do a chargeback 90 days after the fact (yes, really), which I've disputed with Stripe. And because the universe has a sense of humor, I messed up the Stripe submission process, and now have to follow up with American Express to see if I can submit all the evidence of the completed work directly to them (nothing like having 25 pages of ‘receipts’ and something goes sideways).
Oh, and the world feels exhausting right now. If you're in the United States, you know exactly what I mean.
Some weeks are like this.
Everything you touch seems to break, and the news cycle makes you want to crawl under a blanket and hibernate until... when? When does it get easier?
But here's the thing: even when everything feels heavy, I still love what I do.
The Pause That Isn't a Stop
I've been in what I'm calling my "mad scientist era"—rebuilding my AI apps from scratch because I finally understand what strong foundations actually look like. It's been exhilarating. I've been loving every minute of the learning curve, every constraint I bump up against, every "aha" moment when something clicks into place.
Then life happened.
Hard.
The temptation is to use these disruptions as an excuse to stop. To say, "Well, I can't focus anyway, so I'll just put everything on hold until things settle down."
But when do things actually settle down?
(Seriously, does anyone know? lol)
Instead, I'm choosing the pause that isn't a stop.
The space where you acknowledge that everything feels heavy right now, but you don't abandon the work that matters to you.
Sometimes (often), that’s what gets you through the hard times.
You can feel exhausted by the world and still be excited about your work. You can have terrible weeks and still move forward on the projects that excite you.
It's not about pushing through or being "productive at all costs"—it's about honoring both the heaviness and the pull toward creating something meaningful.
I'm still rebuilding everything from scratch with Mocha. I'm still planning to connect it to Cursor and GitHub, even though my brain glitches a bit every time I open Cursor 😂. I'm still committed to going deeper rather than jumping to another platform when things get complicated.
But I'm doing it differently now.
Slower.
With more grace for the days when nothing goes right.
The Messy Middle Is Messier Than We Think
All those business stories about "pushing through adversity" miss something crucial: sometimes the adversity isn't just about the work. Sometimes it's about everything else happening around the work.
The client's chargeback, getting sick, the weight of watching everything happening in the world, and feeling powerless to change it.
This is the messy middle they don't show you in the YouTube tutorials.
It's not just about learning new platforms or figuring out technical constraints. It's about building something meaningful while life keeps “life-ing” all around you.
What I'm Learning About Foundations
You know what's funny?
All the foundation work I've been discussing—mastering constraints, establishing proper knowledge bases, and building things correctly instead of just making them visually appealing… applies to more than just AI apps.
When everything feels heavy, you also need strong personal foundations.
The practices that keep you grounded when the world feels chaotic. The people who remind you why the work matters. The permission to pause when you need to, without abandoning everything you've built.
I'm sticking with Mocha not just because I have a lot invested in the platform, but because sometimes the best response to chaos is a deeper commitment to the things you've chosen.
Not blind persistence, but thoughtful dedication.
A little resilience goes a long way.
Once you hit a particular stage of life, you’ve weathered a few storms. You know that disruption is temporary, but the work that matters to you?
That's worth protecting.
We've built careers through recessions, raised kids through uncertainty, and adapted to technology shifts that felt impossible at the time. We know how to keep the important things moving forward even when everything else feels unstable.
This feels familiar, actually. The tools are new, but the process of building something meaningful while the world spins around you? We've done this before.
Moving Forward (Gently)
I'll still be connecting Mocha to Cursor and GitHub. I'll still be documenting the whole messy process. I'm still in my mad scientist era, still loving the learning curve.
But I'm also giving myself permission to move at human speed through inhuman times.
Sometimes, progress means moving forward. Other days, progress means not giving up.
Both count.
SPARK Spotlight 🔥
This AI tool takes your app ideas and actually builds them for you - no heavy coding required on your end.
Replit's Agent 3 is like having a coding buddy that works independently. It can build real apps for you by looking up information online and making changes based on your instructions. It's essentially an AI assistant that actually codes while you provide it with direction.
A Little Brainpower 🧠
A new AI search framework from Backlinko? “The Seen & Trusted Brand Framework.”
I had the good fortune of speaking with
of a week or so ago and am so grateful for her time & knowledge. She helped me understand what goes into a solid foundation with vibe coding. She takes it a step further here: “The Essential Software Engineering Practices Every AI Builder Needs to Know.”I’ve discussed PRDs (Product Requirement Documents) a bit (this term was ‘new-to-me’ just a few months ago).
breaks this down in a fun and easy-to-understand way in “Vibecoding, But Smarter: The PRD Prompt That Audits Itself For Hallucinations and Failure Modes.” (How fun are her illustrations?)Tool Time ⚒️
Gmail: AI that sorts, drafts, schedules, and follows up—freeing your team to do the real work. Try HeyHelp free here.
Desktop AI: I’m not even sure what to call this, lol. Writing, research, coding, meetings, education, routine… but it works alongside you. It’s an AI assistant that’s trained on your behaviors. Watch the demo for Whisper here.
E-commerce: Build and launch your store in minutes. Deliver a fast experience to customers anywhere in the world. No setup pain, no server stress. Check out Your Next Store here.
Video: An AI video editor that creates viral-ready short clips in seconds using features like AI voiceovers, engaging subtitles, and optimized gameplay. Check out Crayo here.
I don’t have a cat, but if I did, it would probably be like this 😂
I know I'm not the only one feeling the weight of everything lately while still being excited about the work. If you're building through your own chaos right now, know that you're not alone in this.
We're all figuring out how to move at human speed through inhuman times.
The mad scientist era continues, just with a little more grace for the days when nothing goes according to plan. Because that's real life, and real life is where the best foundations get built.
With coffee & kindness,
Kim
I admire your persistence! I hope you're feeling better.
Thanks, Kim. That resonates. Hope you're feeling much better!