Friday Things... on a Saturday
The one about removing the guilt from guilty pleasures.
Hiya friends! Happy Saturday.
Remember when we all used to do the “hope this finds you well” intro to emails? Did you do that? I definitely did, especially at work. At some point last year (or maybe even at the end of 2020) I stopped because, uh, no one is well? Anyways, I really do hope you’re well, but we’ll get to that in a second.
I meant to send this yesterday, but to be honest with you, I was just running on empty by the time we hit Thursday night, and then I just ran out of time to send this at a reasonable time that wouldn’t be, you know, midnight for my east coast pals/readers. Nevertheless, I’m in your inbox now, baby! And I want to talk about what a damn doozy — as my mom would say — this week was, for seemingly all of us. Well, more than that, I want to talk about getting ourselves through what seems to be week after week (after week…) of doozies.
I think the mental exhaustion and the constant state of stress that seems to be life lately — whether that’s pandemic related, politics related, rearing of kiddos during this rollercoaster time, the nightmare blood crisis (please donate blood! please!), or any of the other insane things happening around us these days — is manifesting itself in different ways in different people. For me, I’m just so dang tired (like keep snoozing my alarm even though in m heart I do truly want to get up/get moving), and cannot for the life of me focus most of the time. Really the only time I can focus is writing, like for this newsletter. Go figure. Anyways, my point being that we are all absorbing a lot of trauma and this never-turning-off waterfall of challenges and just… lemons. So many lemons! And most of them seem to be rotten, so can’t even turn them into lemonade, you know? Really, that’s been the only consistent thing for all of us — the never-ending stress. I know I’m not alone here, and I hope you do too.
I suppose what I’m saying is that we’re all just trying to get through here. This week, I had to really fight off the existential dread that was following me around like a shadow. I know I’ve said it here before, but I have always been an unwavering optimist… and yet, it continues to get harder to see the light through the trees. I know it’s there, I know this difficult season will not last our lifetime even if it feels that way sometimes, but still, I get that it can feel like the world’s hanging on by a thread (and/or our sanity).
So, be gentle with yourself. Give yourself some grace. Do the things that make you happy (and are safe, please), no matter how silly they might seem to others. Earlier this week, I hit my 300th spin class on Peloton, and I got a shout-out in the live class by one of my favorite instructors. (Note for anyone not familiar with the brand: I’m not special — that’s part of Peloton’s shtick… but I digress.) I was SO excited about it, and when the ride was over, I jumped off the bike and, dripping in sweat, ran out to tell my husband what had happened. I even shared the experience on Instagram, but afterwards, I felt a little silly. Like maybe I should have been embarrassed to be so overjoyed about something like that — a workout milestone, a virtual fitness class, etc. But you know what, friends? The answer to that question is a resounding NOPE.
Don’t feel guilty for the things you enjoy. Never, but especially not now. The moments of joy and levity feel so far and few between these days, so if there’s something that lights you up and helps you feel more confident or stronger, clearer or more joyful? Soak it up. Do that thing as much as you can. If 30 minutes of a workout with virtual classmates and a teacher I’ve never met in person makes me happy enough to temporarily forget about ~ALL THIS~ then cool — I don’t care who thinks it’s dumb. I’m grateful for it.
It doesn’t have to be Peloton or anything remotely related to moving your body. Maybe the thing that brings you joy or your “guilty pleasure” is watching some terribly acted soap opera, or singing loudly in the shower, or reading implausible rom-coms, or… whatever. Just do it. Cling to it. Let it fill your cup.
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That’s all for today! I hope you all have a great weekend, and seriously — if you’re feeling healthy, please consider signing up to give blood! (Actually, I need more than just consideration — we really, really need more donors.) If you want to get a better sense of why this is so important, the American Red Cross is your bff, but also here’s the essay I wrote last month for the Los Angles Times on the subject about my firsthand experience on the receiving end. Thank you in advance, and if you do, please tell me! I want to thank you again. xo
Thanks for reading,
Joelle