# The Place Within Essays and reflections exploring what shapes us and the deeper knowing already within. Page: Feed: --- ## [Happiness Comes From Our Hearts](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/happiness-comes-from-our-hearts) _2026-08-16 · Niamh O’Shea_ On dreams, strange coincidences, following curiosity, and the beginnings of The Almanac. Perhaps happiness is simpler than we make it. ## [The Places That Set Us Free](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/the-places-that-set-us-free) _2026-08-09 · Niamh O’Shea_ A night at the theatre took me back to Paris, to the years we travelled, and to a version of life I’ve been missing more than I realised. ## [Sunlight](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/sunlight) _2026-07-29 · Niamh O’Shea_ Today’s been one of those days… I’ve had a hundred and one things I should have been doing. I was meant to be writing a course, replying to emails, and working on a new project. I’ve been interrupted, had to run errands, and I think I’m coming down with something. ## [The Light That Finds Us](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/the-light-that-finds-us) _2026-07-26 · Niamh O’Shea_ I have always loved looking at the stars. Even as a child, they stirred something in me that I couldn’t quite explain. If I find myself outside on a clear night, I almost always stop and look up. Sometimes only for a few moments, sometimes much longer. ## [The Oldest Thing You May Ever Touch](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/the-oldest-thing-you-may-ever-touch) _2026-07-22 · Niamh O’Shea_ There are some things we become so familiar with that we forget how extraordinary they really are. A reflection on rivers, wonder and what it means to belong. ## [It Felt Like the Truth](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/the-stories-we-carry) _2026-07-12 · Niamh O’Shea_ Sometimes the story our mind tells first isn’t the whole story. A reflection on how quickly we create meaning, why it feels so convincing, and what changes when we pause before reaching certainty. ## [If I Met Myself Today](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/if-i-met-myself-today) _2026-07-05 · Niamh O’Shea_ We often assume our beliefs are shaped by evidence. So why do old stories about ourselves survive long after our lives have changed? A reflection on psychology, identity, and self-understanding. ## [When What You Know Isn’t Enough](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/when-what-you-know-isnt-enough) _2026-06-28 · Niamh O’Shea_ Sometimes the hardest thing is not seeing the truth. It is holding onto it when everybody around you is telling you something different. ## [Why Do I Keep Ending Up Here?](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/why-do-i-keep-ending-up-here) _2026-06-21 · Niamh O’Shea_ Many years ago, I attended a recovery course. One question from that experience has stayed with me ever since. A woman in the group was upset and frustrated with herself. She wanted to know why she kept ending up in abusive relationships, why she seemed to repeat the same patterns over and over again, and why she kept finding herself in situations that caused pain despite knowing how much they… ## [Install Manifest V3 Extension (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/lrEsSUfVAhYi) _2026-06-21 · **Sponsored**_ Get this Manifest V3 extension from the official TronBrowser Store listing. ## [Beneath The Stars](https://withniamh.substack.com/p/beneath-the-stars) _2026-06-16 · Niamh O’Shea_ There is something about the night that restores perspective. During the day our attention is pulled in countless directions. We move between responsibilities, conversations, decisions, and worries, often without noticing how small our world has become. Our thoughts circle the same familiar paths. Our concerns fill the available space. Then night arrives. The shoreline empties. The noise softens.…