4. iPhone 7+
…and Cadbury Mini Eggs.
Currently reading…
If you use the Headspace app, Andy is the same fellow you hear during those guided meditations. This book is the perfect companion to his app – highly recommend both! I am really enjoying the backstory into how Andy began came to meditation, how he learned to do it correctly, and his mission to share it with others. I can’t stress enough how true that subtitle is. 10 minutes a day really CAN make all the difference. As one Amazon reviewer put it: “This should be mandatory for everyone on Earth.”
Agreed.
Find the book here and change your life today! It’s never too late to start a good habit.
My 40th year: The Game Plan
For my 40th year (#FulfilledAnd40…hopefully), I plan on tackling the 3 things troubling me most. The first is my mind/mindfulness. The second is my body (duh). The third is my craft/career.
For the mind, I’m recommitting to my meditation practice. I was making progress near the end of the Summer, but when my photography season kicked into full gear, the time I had for meditation (and all of the things) pretty much went away. Or I should say, I knew if I forced myself to carve out 10 minutes to do it, I’d spend those minutes panicking about all the photos I wasn’t editing and never be “present” in my head, so I figured it would be a waste. It might not have been, but that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. I got started using the Headspace app (which I still very much enjoy), and now I also really love Erin Stutland’s Shrink Session workouts and Soul Strolls. While I haven’t gotten back to her workouts (which focus on movement and mantras – LOVE them), I have been enjoying Soul Strolls the past week or so. I highly highly recommend them if you want to get moving and work on your confidence while you’re at it! Note: requires talking to yourself… out loud. Just get used to being a weirdo. I have. It’s fun!
For my body, I have started a 9 Day Isagenix Cleanse to jump start my path back to healthy eating. Working out really isn’t an issue for me, but eating well is. I really like what I’ve read and seen in my research of Isagenix, not to mention my sister and brother-in-law as well as some of my favorite fitness instructors are big fans. My sister encouraged me to give it a shot, so here I am 2 days into the cleanse and I’m not dead yet. I also have a nasty sinus/congestion thing going on so I kind of don’t really know what’s going on beyond my cottonball filled head. But so far, so good. I haven’t felt hungry or deprived, but I’m also eating a healthy meal in addition to drinking the meal replacement shakes. Chewing things is nice. Will definitely keep you apprised of my progress.
In regards to my craft/career, I desperately want to rediscover what got me excited about photography back when I first starting shooting seriously, and I’m hoping it results in better work over at 77 Prints and helps infuse more of my creativity into the 9-5 job. Still not sure of the exact plan here, but working it out little by little. I’m definitely planning to do more photography for ME (I miss photographing live music SO MUCH), and really want to get out of my comfort zone with personal projects. I started working with flash/continuous lighting, so that’s high on my list because I’ve barely scratched the surface. Not to mention getting back to lots and lots of plain old practice. It’s easy to be a lazy digital photographer – “oh I can fix that in post.” I need to work on nailing my exposure and getting reacquainted with finding the light. Not sure how I lost my groove along the way, but I’m not going to get any better being complacent, so just like a pitcher will pitch thousands of balls to get it right, I’m going to be taking lots and lots and lots of pictures until I get it right. And of course, the elephant in the room: VIDEO. I shot my first official video for work this year, and it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. I started working in Premiere Pro last year so I want shoot as much video as I can so that I have a reason to work in that application every week. It’s not the most intuitive Adobe workspace, but I’m getting a little better each time I work on a project.
Onward and upward.
I’m coming for you, 40.
photos by me
taken 01.07.17 in dallas, tx
2016: The dumpster fire prequel to my 40th year
Well we made it. Mostly intact. Somewhat sane, although, I dunno somedays. I normally love looking back at the end of the year and compiling listicles or favorite things from the last 12 months, but I wasn’t really feeling it this year (I have a few drafted, though, don’t give up on me yet). I haven’t even done my favorite photos of the year over on 77 Prints, and that’s one of those posts that I always look forward to crafting.
I feel like this year just sucked the life out of me. Physically, I’ve gained a ridiculous amount of weight and everything hurts. Emotionally, I’m a wreck. I cry way too much, sometimes at happy things, but mostly for silly reasons. Creatively, I feel like I’m lost and regressing. Where is my spark? Where is my joy? Where are my wacky ideas for shots?
In 2017 I will be – gulp – 40 years old. FORTY. YEARS. OOOOLD. And I feel like I have nothing to show for it. What have I done? Got a great education. Check. Started taking pictures for fun. Turned it into kind of a business, in that it’s an LLC and I pay taxes, but not in the way that it, ya know, makes money. And then. And then… and… then. Not much.
I’ve had other friends who’ve done the “quarter life crisis” at some point along the way, but for some reason I never really had one. I flipped out for a hot minute at 30 because I thought for sure by then I’d be married. Or almost married. Or doing something amazing with my life. Find my purpose. Hit the winning lotto numbers. Something. But that wasn’t happening. And then I realized I had plenty of good years ahead of me, so why was I so panicked? Pssh. I got time!
And then I blinked and I was 38.
Somewhere between 38-39 a switch was flipped. And it wasn’t just, “oh why can’t I find someone?” or “will I really never have kids?” or “am I going to have a mid-level marketing job for the rest of my life?”. It was bigger than that. “Why am I here? I don’t understand my purpose. This doesn’t make sense. There has to be more to my life than this.” Textbook existential crisis. And I waver between thinking that I don’t need to check items off a list to live a great life, to thinking, well ok, if I’m not checking any of those traditional milestones off, then what am I supposed to DO? What’s my contribution to the world? Have I done anything worthwhile or worth remembering? I don’t know. There are people (like my parents, who are required by law to think I’m dope) who think I’m probably crazy for thinking I’ve done nothing worthwhile, but I’m a stubborn mule and will not be easily convinced.
In the midst of all of this, and brace yourselves because I’m about to talk politics for a minute, we (not me) elected someone to the highest office in the land who I find to be repulsive, unfit to lead our country, dangerous, impetuous, rude, and representative of many many things I find absolutely reprehensible and un-American in spirit. And I still can’t believe it actually happened. And as I mentioned in earlier posts, it absolutely leveled me, which I didn’t anticipate. So I start thinking again, “why is this happening? what did we do to deserve this? what is the point? I don’t want to live in this world.” (I mean that metaphorically, don’t worry). There were horrific attacks at home and abroad. Wars. People fleeing for their lives. Babies, children, innocents. We saw the absolute worst in humanity throughout the election season. Many of us realized that the people closest to us weren’t the kind of people we thought they were. And so many wonderful people just died as the months passed by – more than usual. Legends. Gone. Far too soon. But 2016 just kept getting worse. And became the least funny joke ever. Like, ha ha, enough 2016, enough already. No seriously. Stop. And then 2016 gave us the middle finger, taking Carrie Fisher one day and her mother Debbie Reynolds the very NEXT DAY for good measure. I mean. Why? Who pissed in your Wheaties, 2016? We were all just trying to keep it together and you kept kicking down our sand castles again and again.
So anyway. It’s 2017. And I am still turning 40 despite all attempts to appeal to the birthday gods to give me just a few more years in my 30s. So what am I going to do about it? What’s my game plan? My thought is a simple one. You know how flight attendants tell you in case of emergency to put oxygen on yourself first before you put it on the person next to you? I haven’t been giving myself oxygen for a long time and it’s time to revive myself so I can be of service to someone or something else. I’ve been neglecting my body and soul for a long time, and you know what, no one wants to be around a person like that. When you are living your best life (trademark Oprah) , you naturally attract people, things, opportunities to yourself – you’re receptive to possibilities. I’m not right now. I haven’t been in a long time. I probably did it on purpose, on some subconscious level, but that doesn’t matter anymore because I choose to change. I choose to open myself to whatever life has to offer me. I also choose to try new things, and hard things, and to not care what other people may think. It’s going to get weird, folks. We’re talking meditation, spiritual awakening, clearing out the cobwebs in those dark corners. Feeling the feelings.
Are you with me?
Podcasts: A Primer
I listen to podcasts like it’s my job.
[Spoiler alert: not my job. I have 2 already.]
I love listening to podcasts. And like everything I love, I must insist you love them too, and I won’t rest until I’ve convinced you! You have been warned.
A Pod-what now?
In a nutshell, podcasts are audio recordings posted out on the interwebs for you to enjoy, either for free, or for a small subscription fee. Sometimes a podcaster will post a new episode everyday, but most often you’ll find the big ones are posting new content once a week or bi-weekly, or just whenever the mood strikes them. I don’t knoooow.
The first rule in podcasting is that there are no rules.
(Except for the part where it’s audio recording that you put out on the internet. That one’s kind of a dealbreaker, actually.)
The range of topics covered on podcasts is as vast as it is niche. News, interviews, science, history, arts, culture, entertainment, food, economics, careers, clothes, books… If you like something, chances are someone is talking about it on a podcast somewhere in this world. And if not? You can make your own podcast! The barrier to entry is as low as the voice memo recorder on your iPhone. So go ahead and talk about sloths for an hour. Someone’s gonna love it.
Where can I find podcasts?
I’ve been using the Stitcher app to stream my podcasts since 2011. Alternately, many podcasts are available on iTunes or directly from the person putting out the podcast via a link or website where they post the audio stream. There are also networks that house a number of different podcasts under their umbrella. Off the top of my head, Earwolf, Nerdist, Maximum Fun, and Radiotopia are all great places to start since they represent some of the biggest podcasts out there right now. There is also a connection between public radio and podcasts, so NPR and PRI also offer many of your favorite programs in podcast form. This alone should get you on the podcast bandwagon – you’ll never have to miss This American Life, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, or Radiolab again!
I’ll stick to Stitcher, though, as it’s the only service I’ve ever really used. And no they aren’t paying me to shill for them. I just like ’em, gosh darnit. Although it can be a little glitchy, fair warning.
99% of my podcast consumption happens on the road, so the Stitcher app is the ideal set up for me because I can stream them via Bluetooth through my car’s audio system. Bazinga. Instant work commute upgrade. When I click on the app, I have a “Favorites” playlist where I see the most current episodes of my preferred podcasts. This is what mine looks like right now:
Pretty self-explanatory, right? Not seen in this screenshot is a more robust set of controls for listening. They have a nifty “back it up 30 seconds because I zoned out there for a minute” button that I use OFTEN. At stoplights. Safety first, people. Also, the 1.5x speed button to make slow talkers hurry up.
Now, on to the IMPORTANT PART. My fav-o-rite podcasts. And there way too many for one post, so these are the current loves from my playlist. I am a big fan of anything that makes me laugh, so there’s a hefty serving of comedy, as well as a fair amount of arts and entertainment offerings. I’m also a huge dork, so many of my selections are educational and informative. Now that I think about it, some podcasts are kind of like books/periodicals for lazy people. Hmm. No wonder I like them so much.
In no particular order (and I’m excluding public radio stuff which you can easily find, and Serial, because surely you’ve already heard about that?):
WTF with Marc Maron
For many folks, myself included, this is the gateway podcast. After this one, you’ll start searching the podcast universe to satisfy your hunger for more ear candy. Marc is a stand-up comedian by trade, but it turns out, the guy knows how to get inside people’s brains. Without a doubt, some of the most poignant and important interviews you’ll ever hear. Do it. The ones I usually think will be throwaways inevitably end up being the ones that have me riveted until the end. Josh Radnor, por ejemplo. Ted Mosby. I know. Trust me, it’s a great one. The guy is pretty deep. And then there’s the heavy hitters – President Obama, Lorne Michaels, Robin Williams, Carl Reiner, Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Louis CK… yeah.
Three hilarious brothers dropping not-so-helpful–but always funny–advice bombs on topics ranging from “can I ask out that girl who works at TCBY?” (NO! DON’T!) to “I think I’m falling in love with my horse, what should I do?” This was one of the first non-public radio podcasts I stumbled upon, and not to be too dramatic, but it kind of changed my life. I went back and listened to every single episode they’ve ever recorded after I found it and have never laughed so hard. Warning: not suitable for those who are easily offended. R-rated. Only cool babies listen to MBMBaM. Ya heard?
I never know how to describe this one, but it’s kind of like if Radiolab was about design-y stuff. Roman Mars is a mesmerizing narrator, guiding you through these fascinating little history lessons about the most amazing things that you might not notice in everyday life. Like the carpet at Portland’s airport, or the NBC chimes. Actually, their tagline sums it up quite nicely: “99% Invisible is a tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.” Yup. You really don’t want to miss this one, trust me.
I lied about not including any NPR related podcasts. But I have to make an exception because it’s not played on NPR stations (not mine, anyway). This is a great little roundtable discussion about, you guessed it, pop culture. Hosted by the wonderful Linda Holmes (read her interview with Shonda Rimes, please) and generally attended by books, comic books, and music contributors from public radio, it’s a wonderful snapshot of what’s great in the world of entertainment right at this moment. “What’s Making Us Happy” is a particularly favorite segment of mine. Check it out.
When I discovered this one I felt like I sat down at the lunch table in the middle of a really good story. This is a podcast between two incredibly smart best girlfriends who chat (long-distance) each episode about stuff that you might share with your own BFF. Music you’re loving, politics, pop culture, news, stuff you just gotta rant about, and the like. I adore it. Late to the party, but no less a fan. I will tell you, if you are of a certain age (oldish, like me) the way they speak can make it a little hard to listen in the beginning, but give it a chance. You will realize how whip-smart these ladies are in short order.
I found this podcast through Call Your Girlfriend, and love it just as much. Heben and Tracy have welcomed some incredible guests over the years, most notably Hillary Clinton, in addition to Lin Manuel Miranda, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the wise beyond her 11 years, Marley Dias who blew my mind with her insight on a recent episode about books for black girls. They cover topics that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you uncomfortable, make you smarter, and ultimately, kinder. Add this to your queue. Heben is now writing for Stephen Colbert, so the future of the show is uncertain, but for now it’s still going strong.
Stuff You Missed In History Class
Nerd alert! This is a fantastic little show about lesser known historical events – or lesser known aspects of well-known historical events – that I’m convinced has made me into a better conversationalist at parties. Some of my favorite episodes: Typhoid Mary, the Boston Massacre (that wasn’t actually a massacre), Prince Sado of Korea, The Radium Girls… I could go on. I promise, you’ll love it.
Storytelling at it’s finest. I never never never NEVER miss The Moth. Ever. I have been known to sit in my car long after I’ve gotten to my destination because I cannot bear to turn it off without hearing the end of the story. These are true stories told by all sorts of people in front of a live audience, so you get the added bonus of the crowd’s reaction. Dead silence as people hang on every word, or peals of laughter as a storyteller rehashes a hilarious anecdote. Absolutely riveting and delightful.
Jesse Thorn is by far one of the finest interviewers you will ever hear, specifically on the topics of music and pop culture. Meticulous in his preparation but so unassuming and easy-going in his interview style. He just has this way of asking questions that are seemingly and deceptively simple, but always find a target deep in the guest’s psyche. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard a guest say “wow, that’s a really great question” or “I never thought of it that way, but you’re right” or “no one has ever asked me that before” – it’s uncanny. And almost always at the end you’ll hear the guest say how great the interview was, but in a way that you know they really mean it. Another favorite feature is his “outshot” which is the final segment where he talks about something meaningful to him that week. 9 times out of 10, it will leave you wanting to Google whatever song, book, movie or tv show he’s referencing as soon as you get to the next stoplight.
Another great interview program, hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick who is often accompanied by fellow comedians/writers Jonah Ray and Matt Mira (or other people on the Nerdist staff these days). Guests are typically actors, comedians, or musicians, and you find yourself marveling at how Chris crafts these intricate questions and trains of thought to lead the guests to some pretty great places. He rarely asks the usual stuff, so it’s a great one to listen to if you want to know the craziest things about your favorite celebs. And despite being a “comedy” podcast for all intents and purposes, there are some pretty heavy moments.
This is not for everybody. This is not for a lot of folks. It almost wasn’t for me. But it grows on you. Scott Aukerman hosts this legendary podcast each week, featuring many celebrity and not-so-celebrity “guests”–and by that I mean actors/comedians/improv folks–who play recurring characters. Paul F. Tompkins, Nick Kroll, Lauren Lapkus, and even Weird Al Yankovic are all regulars. There are a LOT of inside jokes that you will not get right away. There is a long history with these “guests” that builds each time they visit the podcast that will not make any sense to you at first. But once you listen to a dozen or so episodes, you’ll start to get it. It’s an investment that will eventually pay off, is what I’m saying. But I get that this is not everyone’s cup of tea. I was lucky enough to see a live taping at SXSW and loved seeing it all unfold in real-time. You have to be on top of your game to keep up (as a guest) so it’s pretty impressive.
This is another fantastic real-life crime podcast that finds fringe or lesser known cases – some actually on the lighter side, believe it or not. Like the episode about the issue of people stealing petrified wood from the Petrified Forest. This is apparently REALLY bad juju and many over the years who fessed up to the thievery sent the petrified wood back anonymously, claiming they’d been cursed as a result. I like this one because it’s very short and each episode (usually) stands alone.
Another great true crime podcast that relies heavily on actual audio from the criminals and victims themselves – you’ll hear 911 calls, interrogations, jailhouse recordings, trials – it’s all very firsthand. The crimes on this podcast are pretty dark, be warned. I just listened to a two part-er that aired recently about the Craigslist killer. You hear most of the audio of his fiance getting interrogated after they get pulled over and taken in, and you literally hear her slowly start to realize the guy she thought was her true love was secretly a monster.
Linguists and etymology nerds, this is your podcast. The episode I am listening to now is about the origins of state mottos. So random, but so interesting.
Young House Love Has A Podcast
Ah, Sherry and John. My imaginary BFFs. DIYers and all-around delightful folks who have written one of the most popular home design blogs evarrr. I’ve followed them from house to house over the years as they tackled renovations and home decor (among other things, like becoming parents) and was thrilled when they launched a podcast earlier this year. It’s just as wonderful as their blog, except you hear their voices – truly, one of the highlights of my podcast list. I learn a lot and laugh a lot. Can’t ask for more than that! If HGTV is your jam, this podcast will be your happy place. Past guests included Vern Yip, Genevieve Gorder, and Emily Henderson.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist extraordinaire, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and pop culture icon. Need I say more? If you don’t know about the awesomeness that is NdGT, I pity you. Consider this your call to action – get to know this guy. He’s the BEST. If you love space and the wonder that is the cosmos, you won’t be disappointed. There’s also a lot of pop culture stuff to make the nerd medicine go down. Space-obsessed celebs are frequent guests.
Oh man, every time I see this pop up on my feed with an artist/song I’ve never heard of, I’m like, nah, I’ll skip this one. But I’ll inevitably go ahead and start it, thinking I’ll turn it off after a few minutes – and I never have! I always make it to the end because it’s absolutely fascinating, even if you’ve never heard of (or don’t necessarily like) the artist. It’s basically a musician breaking down one song into its individual components. And it’s firsthand, so they guide you through the entire song creation process themselves. I can’t tell you how many amazing artists I’ve discovered through this podcast. It’s a MUST listen if you’re a music fan. Bravo, Hrishikesh Hirway, this is an outstanding podcast. Truly.
Ok, I’ll be the first to admit I sometimes do a little eye-rolling at this one. The tagline is “a weekly podcast designed to add a little extra intention to your everyday.” And that means, some real hippy dippy gratitude-journaling stuff. Now, I am a gratitude journaler. I meditate (I try to, anyway) regularly. I love Brené Brown. And Oprah. But I have my limits for this ego/intuition/flow/mindfulness stuff. That said, Jess manages to toe that line in such a way that I can almost always find something useful or insightful in every single episode. I think I’m probably just jealous that she’s traveling the world right now based on said intuition, instead of sitting behind a desk like me! If you want to improve yourself (or get real with your inner self), add this to your favorites list.
Do you like terrible movies? Ok, do you like making fun of terrible movies? This podcast will be right up your alley. You’ll find out a week ahead what movie they’ll be watching/destroying, so you have time to watch it and join in the fun. Hosts Paul Scheer and Jason Mantzoukas (and sometimes Paul’s wife June Diane Raphael, and sometimes awesome celeb guests) dissect the movie bit by bit with hilarious insights, theories and observations, often to the delight of a live audience. It’s just something you have to listen to at least once to appreciate the brilliance. Past movies include: Mannequin 2, The Boy Next Door, Top Dog, Hercules in New York, From Justin To Kelly, Sharknado, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, and on and on… and this week’s episode? Grease 2. Come on, Cool Rider.
The OG of podcasts. Over FIVE HUNDRED episodes. Seriously, Seth and Jonathan go way back to the origins of podcasting times. Their tagline says it best, “America through the eyes of two American Americans.” Equal parts funny tangents and random facts, bookended by some dope tunes, these best friends will make you laugh and keep you entertained week after week. This is another where I’m like, “ah, I’ll only listen to the first few minutes this week”, and I end up listening to the entire thing without fail. Solid dudes, good dudes, worthy of your time.
Alec Baldwin interviewing celebs. That’s kiiiind of it. But for some reason, it really works. And he manages to pull insanely cool, legendary guests that you won’t hear anywhere else. And he can get them to spill the juicy stuff.
Fugitive Waves With the Kitchen Sisters
Another incredible story-telling podcast, with a focus on food/kitchen history that you’ve likely NEVER heard of… “below the radar cooking” as they say. Just give it a listen. One episode, you’ll be hooked. I can’t possibly do it justice with my words. Davia and Nikki are Peabody Award-winning producers, so I promise you won’t be disappointed. Fellow Texans, don’t miss the episode about Stubb Stubblefield of Stubb’s BBQ.
A podcast about the internet. That’s how they describe it. I’m too tired to explain it at this point in this post… but consistently solid, solid episodes, week after week. Funny, intelligent, insightful. You’ll be a little smarter at the end of each episode.
WHEW.
There’s a million more that I could list, but this should be a good start for podcast newbies!
About that blog…
I’m attending a 2 day digital marketing conference this week which kicked off today with an absolutely delightful keynote by acclaimed marketer and author Seth Godin. One of the things he touched on was the importance of blogging. He said something to the effect of “blog everyday, even if no one is reading.” I have started 4 different blogs over the years (including the one I actually keep updated for 77 Prints) and find much comfort in writing, but never seem to do it consistently.
Warning: tangent ahead, political stuff and crying jags, ahoy!
After this year’s presidential election, I found myself completely wrecked and absolutely blindsided by what can best be described as ALL THE FEELS. Shock, yes. Abject horror, roger. Panic, coming in for the week, has not bought a return ticket to go back from whence it came. And then, sadness. Despair. I couldn’t stop crying for days (yeah yeah, I can HEAR your eyes rolling, save it). But I’m just not that kind of a person-a cryer!– well, I didn’t used to be anyway, and I did not know how to work my way out of this sadness. I couldn’t make any sense of it, but I couldn’t get away from it with a job that requires me to be online 24/7, reminding me of this new reality every.single.second. I tried working out, but as soon as I’d walk out of that gym, tears welled up in my eyes. As I sat blinking through tears on the third or fourth day, I opened up a blank Word doc because I knew the only way I was going to begin to move forward was by just getting it all out. I had every intention of sharing it, but now I know I probably never will. Probably. I think. I’d have to take out a LOT of cuss words. I just had to write it, is all.
Anyway.
The point is, it helped. Seth said that the act of explaining yourself is priceless. I get that. I keep 2 journals by my bed as well. One is a gratitude journal that I try to fill out every single day, just a line or two, and one is for longer journal entries which rarely gets written in, sadly. But I’ve been feeling the itch to blog again and Seth’s words stuck with me all day, so I logged into my WordPress account tonight to see where I’d left off. Exactly where I started, apparently! I wrote just one real post last year (see below) and then abandoned it. So I’m going to make an effort to blog a few times a week here. Probably not every single day like Seth, but at least a post or two or three a week. A pre-New Year’s resolution, if you will. Don’t be afraid to hold me accountable. A little light public shaming never hurt anybody. I’m not promising they’ll be as thoughtful as these first two posts – you know I’ve always longed to be a beauty blogger, right? – but I’m going to give it a shot!
Oh, and go read Seth’s blog!
On honesty
I have a habit of compulsively telling people things that most folks would keep to themselves. Every time I do something embarrassing, I swear to myself I’m going to keep this one on the inside. No one needs to know. Hey, none of your friends were there when you drove off and ripped the hose from the gas pump before realizing it was still in your gas tank. Let’s keep this one on the down-low, Clare. Save a little face. Just this once. (Legal Disclaimer: I immediately outed myself to the station attendant and paid handsomely for my accidental destruction.)
On more than one occasion I’ve been asked, “why would you share something so personal?” or “aren’t you worried what people will think?” And that stinks. Firstly, don’t worry about me. Honey, I worry about me plenty enough for the both of us. I’m good. Secondly, it’s this exact kind of mindset that creates a culture of shame and self-doubt to a degree that is unhealthy and dangerous. Just the small act of sharing your experience with someone can make a difference that you wouldn’t believe. And that goes for silly things all the way up to really serious things, like feeling sad or happy, elated or discouraged. Finding solace in knowing you aren’t the only one going through something really helps. I’ve been on both sides of that equation, and it feels good to be on the giving and receiving end of a shared experience or feeling.
Talk. Listen. Share.
And be sure to check that gas pump before you pull away.
Greetings, readers of the interwebs.
What you’re reading are the musings of a frustrated writer. Someone who loves to talk, but can’t always find the right words. These are my thoughts, my recommendations, my pictures, and a bit of my heart. I hope you enjoy. All opinions are my own.
clare dempsey 