So I purchased a book twice by mistake, forgetting I had done so! The book “Uncolonized Latinas”! Misery does love company…I’m grateful for that😂 and you!
Your note made me a remember John Mulaney bit where he says that an acceptable answer to a question on a test as kids (or adults) should be “I don’t know. I know you told me. But life is hard and I’m a kid.”
This winter is TESTING me. It’s like in the early pandemic days where you’d lie in bed and think “covid or allergies?” and stare at the ceiling until you sneezed and then breathe a sigh of relief. Only now I’m staring at the ceiling thinking “is it me or the is it the collective trauma experienced by Americans in the last two years and bosses are expecting us to accept the same lack of any safety net and return to work?” (It’s probably both).
True story - my last temp job before covid hit was helping a newish foundation research potential donors. I had a list given to me and I had to fill in their publicly available details for those doing the networking. I kid you not, one biography of a venture capitalist went “From humble beginnings as a freshman at Harvard in 1988 with a computer and a fax machine…”
Love this vibe. I'm trying out comfort with confusion as well in my mid-30s. It's humbling, as you say, but also fresh. It energizes me in a different way.
Thank you for sharing that teaching story. As someone that overanalyzes everything I do (and others do) (thanks, anxiety), this is a reminder that sometimes I just do something that is thoughtless. It's not that I am a terrible person, or harbor some inner deep feelings. I just, I did some silly stuff and yes it does have repercussions. But I can also just admit that it was not my best moment, deal with the effects, and move on.
December had me pinned, and in January I very timidly admitted it was time to get out of my slump, so I started doing a bunch of things that require me to show up regularly. One of those was starting morning pages again, and there were a few days where I was writing about how hard it is for me to stick to a routine because chaos and dumb luck are a big part of my family lore, so routines and practices feel like a weird kind of betrayal--a kind of arrogance. Whew...I realized that showing up every day to write or read or meditate requires me to sort of ask permission to show up again. It's strange, and humbling, but it's working. Slowly, very quietly. Fingers crossed.
I love this one Saeed. I feel like one's ability to grow is directly related to one's capacity and willingness to be humbled. <3
Love a Shira-forward newsletter! <3
REAL. ONES. KNOW.
So I purchased a book twice by mistake, forgetting I had done so! The book “Uncolonized Latinas”! Misery does love company…I’m grateful for that😂 and you!
Your note made me a remember John Mulaney bit where he says that an acceptable answer to a question on a test as kids (or adults) should be “I don’t know. I know you told me. But life is hard and I’m a kid.”
This winter is TESTING me. It’s like in the early pandemic days where you’d lie in bed and think “covid or allergies?” and stare at the ceiling until you sneezed and then breathe a sigh of relief. Only now I’m staring at the ceiling thinking “is it me or the is it the collective trauma experienced by Americans in the last two years and bosses are expecting us to accept the same lack of any safety net and return to work?” (It’s probably both).
True story - my last temp job before covid hit was helping a newish foundation research potential donors. I had a list given to me and I had to fill in their publicly available details for those doing the networking. I kid you not, one biography of a venture capitalist went “From humble beginnings as a freshman at Harvard in 1988 with a computer and a fax machine…”
(Still speechless. Two years later).
Love this vibe. I'm trying out comfort with confusion as well in my mid-30s. It's humbling, as you say, but also fresh. It energizes me in a different way.
Thank you for sharing that teaching story. As someone that overanalyzes everything I do (and others do) (thanks, anxiety), this is a reminder that sometimes I just do something that is thoughtless. It's not that I am a terrible person, or harbor some inner deep feelings. I just, I did some silly stuff and yes it does have repercussions. But I can also just admit that it was not my best moment, deal with the effects, and move on.
December had me pinned, and in January I very timidly admitted it was time to get out of my slump, so I started doing a bunch of things that require me to show up regularly. One of those was starting morning pages again, and there were a few days where I was writing about how hard it is for me to stick to a routine because chaos and dumb luck are a big part of my family lore, so routines and practices feel like a weird kind of betrayal--a kind of arrogance. Whew...I realized that showing up every day to write or read or meditate requires me to sort of ask permission to show up again. It's strange, and humbling, but it's working. Slowly, very quietly. Fingers crossed.
Feeling this in California this morning. Love your positivity! xo
This winter is on one. My brain is ceding the field.