The awards go to…
For the last 2 years, I’ve done a 40-question reflection exercise (shared below the fold if you’re interested). One of the questions on that list is what was the best thing you bought? which led me down a path of wondering amid all the living and spending, what actually stood out? Send me your stand outs, I love a listicle.
Reading/Entertainment
Comfort watch / listen was Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast on YouTube. I love watching comedians in conversation.
Best book: This is a tie. Both of these books had unforgettable characters and legit had me in tears because life.
I See You Called In Dead is about an obituary writer Bud Stanley who is about to be fired for accidentally publishing his own obituary after a drunken night and his life begins to unravel. Funny and sad.
The Correspondent. Sybil Van Antwerp writes letters to everyone and anyone friends, neighbors, authors. The entire book is told through her letters. You get to know her life, her secrets and her regrets. A unique reading experience.
Favorite long form reads:
The Road to Self Renewal. This is a speech John Gardner delivered in 1990 to McKinsey & Company. I returned to this multiple times - so many good nuggets. “Life is an endless unfolding, and if we wish it to be, an endless process of self-discovery, an endless and unpredictable dialogue between our own potentialities and the life situations in which we find ourselves.”
An Existential Guide to Making Friends. This was a funny, interesting angle on a topic where the typical advice has started to feel repetitive to me. It made me appreciate the friends who have made these efforts with me. “You will text first, often. Later they will. Then you again. If you keep a ledger, you are an auditor, not a friend. The universe does not balance; the kindness must.”
Best New Artist Audrey McGraw - Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s daughter. I love Thunder and Gone Away.
Shopping
Best jeans (defined as more than 1 purchase) - Levi’s Baggy Dad
Best activewear: Old Navy Studio Smooth Wide-Leg Pants. Butter smooth, high wasted, wide leg, great ass.
Wellness
Learning That Became a Regular Practice: The 6 Qigong Healing Sounds, a traditional Chinese medicine technique that uses breath, sound, and vibration to release tension and undesirable emotions. Each sound is linked to an organ. Here is a 10 minute meditation to guide you. I feel noticeably calmer and settled when I do this before bed.
Most frequented prayer meditation - Prayer of Surrender. Some of my favorite lines: “Free me from any need to manipulate and control outcomes. Trusting that I will attract the right experiences in alignment with your highest good. May all living beings on our beloved planet be blessed and gently showered with droplets of your divine light.”
Best gift / experience - Natal Chart Reading with Micaela Anaya (Thank you Les!) Such a clear, cohesive picture of why I am the way I am. Highly recommend. So memorable.
Best Investment - Working with a Nutrionist who I found on a Reddit rabbit hole. I lost several pounds of inflammation (photos to prove). Highly recommend if you’ve been thinking about partnering with someone.
Loved all of this and saved the insight timers down 💕