13 Comments
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Robyn Ryle's avatar

Your voice and your laugh are survival tools for me. And now, Duolingo.

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Shira Erlichman's avatar

Your mirroring of all this breathed life into me. Thank you boo.

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Saeed Jones's avatar

*inhale exhale*

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Isabelle's avatar

so much discipline, for like, the most basic performance of life ;-; but caesar pics and your substack make me feel less alone

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Juliana's avatar

Yo Duolingo and the NYT Spelling Bee are my productive distractions these days. The world is trash but at least yo hablo español and made it to Queen Bee 🫠🫠🫠

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Charlotte Sheedy's avatar

I’m with you. Terrible times. Terrible news.

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MsWong's avatar

Thank you for this!

I downloaded a free "design" app that was working for me, but after a few room designs, you had to start spending real $ to continue. Ugh.

I'm going to try Duolingo, but I'm not a writer or language person, so I think I need something more visual. Feeling productive is key, though. So often lately, I feel like if I think about the future I'll start crying or hyperventilating, so I need to force myself into the present moment and do something productive.

Also, thank you for recommending Ross Gay's work, I got 2 books of his and they are wonderful! (Not as wonderful as yours, but there can be only one Saeed.)

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Maegan Gwaltney's avatar

Thank you! Every. Word. Of. This. Exhausting. I love the term "productive disassociation". I've been doing typing lessons/games to combat the fact that I hunt-and-peck despite being a writer. Might have to get Duolingo though.

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Nic @nml_dc's avatar

I'm fraying.

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Catherine Elaine Womack's avatar

ALL OF THIS. Daily Duolingo has helped me through vast swaths of this pandemic. I am a very resilient person, but recently I've been frustrated by what you're describing.... having to be so damn ON IT with mental health/therapy/daily yoga/walks, etc. just to survive the news cycle. I'm thankful for all the healthy coping mechanisms I have in place, but tired of living in a world where they are constantly, unrelentingly necessary. Would be wonderful to have some sort of breather or break from the onslaught, but barring that, je parle francais avec Duo!

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Sam Lawry's avatar

I so needed to listen to this today, thank you!! Your ability to articulate these things - to pull the threads together - is sublime

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Olivia Krishnaswami's avatar

I spent years pressuring myself to be okay when I wasn't ready to be okay. It's a relief these days to allow myself to truly break when it's safe to do so. So much happens in the rupture and repair cycle. Thanks for sharing your heart, Saeed.

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Madison T. Clark's avatar

"Productive disassociation" is the PERFECT descriptor for Duolingo.

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