The Candle That Started With a Stranger's Show
How a low week, Nabela Noor, and a sold-out candle taught me to make my own light
I made this candle last night, and I still haven't stopped staring at it.
Gaudy. Elegant. Luxuriously cozy.
Everything I love in decor.
And it came from an uncomfortable place.
It started with a new show — Hosted by Nabela Noor, on Tubi. I found it in the midst of a personally low week and started watching it as a gentle place to rest for a bit.
What unfolded next was a genuine love and respect for what Nabela represents. Conversations that felt like real friendship and intimacy, transparency around how fleeting life can be, empowerment to rebrand yourself in any season, and the witnessing of someone who didn’t remain down after her share of bad days.
I found new recipes, got curious about the use of dates (which I’m going to try!), fell in love with a candle, and just let my body exhale in a place that felt aligned.
I didn’t realize what had happened until I finished the show.
Despite my previous history, I’d made a conscious decision to handle these moments differently and this time, I was actually successful.
But here’s the unsurprising thing— even though I felt lighter and inspired, my problems were still there. They hadn’t moved at all.
But I had.
The Shift
When my low week began, I could feel myself falling further and further into a pit. A funk I couldn’t shake. As I did, I was flooded with thoughts of everything that matters to me, and by finding the show, I found an aligned place, a container of sorts, where I could put my own reality on pause but still indulge in the things that light me up, even if they weren’t directly in my life.
Essentially, this allowed for space between me, my reality, and the pressure of the dreams I haven’t attained…yet.
And everything that happened next, gave me the realization of what I knew I had to share with you:
1. We All Have Lows
No matter the background, zip code, or amount of money in the bank — we all have lows.
What matters more than being in the pit is the way you tend to yourself while there.
Making the decision to handle this low moment differently than I had in the past was huge. And I didn’t know this would be the right move before I did it. I was just trying something new.
So, once I put my phone on DND and stopped trying to get out of the funk, I was able to sit in it. That sounds counterintuitive but there was something about witnessing beauty while feeling low that made me feel empowered. When I saw my same values reflected back to me through the TV, it reminded me of just how much I have to be grateful for.
My family, our home, new and old traditions, nature and the creativity alive inside of me.
I remembered that lows are not punishment—but they are a part of life…of everyone’s.
And suddenly, the pit didn’t seem so deep any more.
2. How You Manage It Matters
With the perspective brought on by gratitude, I couldn’t help but think about my higher self and my posture in what I was referring to as a low week.
Basically, was I representing my best interests in this moment?
In the past, that looked like ruminating over thoughts, picking up the phone to vent constantly, and many times, choosing the comfort of food to mask the discomfort I felt internally.
I realize now that these indulgences actually kept me lower for longer because my behavior was directly, and subconsciously, reinforcing where my attention and energy deemed to be important.
This time, I made a conscious decision to do it differently.
After Nabela’s show, I continued on the search for aligned places to rest and restore my mind.
I found these two videos and watched them while sitting on the floor with my toddler at the end of the work day. These changed my outlook IMMEDIATELY.
By the time I was done, I recognized that staying in the pit any longer was a choice.
3. Be Your Own Kind of Magic
There was a moment during Nabela’s show when I recognized that my eyes were lighting up every time I saw this candle. I was literally gasping.
So, I took a screenshot to look up the designer and found out they were hers! When I got to her website, I could feel the jolt of excitement deflate as I read the words SOLD OUT written next to the candle.
All of them, actually.
Sold out.
Now, I know this can seem fickle but understand that it was about more than a candle. This was about what it represented—literal light. The decorative embodiment of warmth and a familiar ritual that never fails to bring me back to myself.
If I’d already learned that the pit wasn’t as deep as I thought, and I could make a choice to stand and get out of it, the candle quite literally was the light to see my way out.
And it was sold out.
Sometimes, when you’re feeling low, all you need is that one thing to help remind you of who you are.
That’s exactly what happened the moment I almost sat back down due to the inconvenience.
I paused and remembered.
I remembered myself, the higher version.
Ambyr, House Targaryen, First of her name. Ruler of th— HAHA I’m kidding🤍!!
But I did remember myself and that I survived many low moments before, and with less.
I thought about where I’ve been blessed— my gifts and talents, and how nothing I’ve experienced, including bad days, have ever been wasted.
These collective thoughts made me sit up and decide to do the most Ambyr Thing I could think of — I decided to be my own kind of magic.
I created my own candle.
I’d Like to Offer You Something…
Whether you're still in the pit or you're just now coming up for air, I hope you find your own version of the light.
And if you can't find it, I hope this helps you remember that you can make it. 🤍
Next week, I'll show you how I made mine.
With Love,
Ambyr
