Sunday Summary - 02.27.22
The Big 3-0!
After filming several videos reflecting on the last decade, it feels like I’ve been celebrating turning 30 for quite some time. Saturday was finally the big day, and I was so grateful to have two of my best friends in town to celebrate with me. I’ve stayed exceptionally close to a particular friend group from college, despite the fact that we all live in different states. I could type for hours about what those friendships mean to me, BUT I just finished crying after dropping two of them off at the airport, so I better table it for now.
A bonus lesson I’ve learned in my 20s: Once you find real friends, keep them close despite your physical distance. I’m lucky enough to have one that lives down the street from me, but there are several of us that really have to put in time and effort to remain close. We make it a priority to see each other at least once a year, and I don’t think we’ve gone a day without talking since we graduated college (almost a decade ago!) Sometimes it’s really hard to have your best friends hundreds of miles away, but it makes the reunions so much sweeter!
Reading
I started reading The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren, and for some reason the entire first page was blank on my Kindle. What?! Have y’all ever had that happen? Because of that, it took me a second to figure out what was going on, but I’m about 30-40 pages in and oriented now, so we’ll see how things unfold. The Kindle version is on sale right now for $1.99 if you were thinking about reading it!er it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
I also added a few more books to my reading list this week, because browsing Goodreads is my favorite “I need a break from work for 3 minutes” task:
One Night on the Island - A romcom about two people looking for time away who are accidentally booked in the same room of a remote cabin. This is by the author of One Day in December!
Four Aunties and a Wedding - This story is set immediately following Dial A for Aunties that was equal parts incredibly unrealistic and hilarious, so I’m excited for this light-hearted read.
Just Keep Buying - Out of place amongst this lot, I know, but I got wild with an Amazon gift card and preordered a physical copy of this book recently. It’s supposed to outline financial strategies in clear, actionable ways, and I’m excited to dive into some non-fiction.
Watching
I feature a LOT of recipes in these newsletters, so one thing I feel like you should know about me is that I am always watching or listening to something while I cook. It’s part of why I love cooking so much, because it’s “me time.” This Thursday I used that time to watch Brené Brown’s special on Netflix - The Call to Courage.
I have to admit that I attempted to read one of her books a few years ago and stopped about a quarter of the way in. The language turned me off for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on, and since then I haven’t been dying to listen to her podcast or read her other bestsellers. However, this Netflix special makes me want to dive right back into her work because her stories felt so authentic and really resonated with me…which is weird, because it’s the total OPPOSITE reaction I got from reading her first book.
This special is kind of a follow up to her Vulnerability Ted Talk that went viral a few years ago, and it struck a freaking cord. Lately I’ve felt like I’ve been running full speed ahead toward an unknown target, and it’s daunting (and a bit tiring!) If you’ve felt lost yet hopeful lately - know I’m right there with you, and you may find the same level of comfort that I did after watching.
Cooking
Since I cut this section last week, I wanted to get you up to speed with the latest list of recipes we’ve been devouring that are free and accessible to everyone!
The Latest
Favorites videos are oldies but goodies, and I don’t think I’ll ever give them up. I view them as good monthly reminders to delight in the little things like a great $10 shirt or a reliable lip color. If you haven’t seen the latest upload that went live a few hours ago, you can find it here!
Listening
I was a huge fan of The Good Place, which is no surprise since Michael Schur created it, and that man can do no wrong in the world of television (and literature, apparently?) In case you’re unfamiliar with the show, it’s a comedy about morality and ethics that explores a lot of complicated philosophical questions that humans face in really hilarious ways. It’s kind of hard to explain, but trust me that it’s totally worth the watch!
The writer recently released a book titled How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question, and on a recent episode of Armchair Expert he discusses how he started studying philosophy, the influence that experience had on creating The Good Place, and how it ultimately culminated into this new book.
This podcast was incredibly thought provoking, and Schur did a great job explaining some incredibly complex concepts using real life examples. If you’re looking to get your “thought” on - give it a listen!