Tha Good Good, Week of 5.15.20
The 5 things I think you should know about this week:
Pod that inspired my last newsletter:
“Yuval Harari: On Why Boredom is Good For You.” Monk-turned-life-coach Jay Shetty sits down with Sapiens author Yuval Harari, covering topics like how to manage expectations and the dearth of boredom in modern society. Harari’s musings on boredom inspired me to evaluate the abundance of busyness and lack of boredom in my own life, opening my eyes to the importance of doing nothing. Spoiler: boredom slaps.
Feast we’re cooking:
My mom is such an incredible (and tireless) cook that I never felt a need to learn how to cook when I was growing up. With quarantine, I decided it’s time to improve my cooking game. I set the goal of cooking and baking at least one new thing each week. After researching recipes from Half Baked Harvest (@halfbakedharvest) and NYT Cooking, my brother and I teamed up to cook a solid Mother’s Day meal. For the main dish, we went with sheet pan Hawaiian pineapple shrimp tacos with creamy jalapeno sauce — which will certainly become a weeknight dinner staple. Guac was a nonnegotiable; we followed a recipe from one of our favorite spots in Manhattan and it did not disappoint. We sauteed some veggies for an extra health boost. And we cheers’d with blackberry thyme margaritas. Cranking up the good tunes and getting your quaranteam together to cook a meal is a great way to boost morale and learn how to make something new. Or maybe you just like tacos. Also valid.
App I’m obsessed with:
Peloton. No, you don’t need to own a bike. Yes, I am ready for Peloton execs to start paying me for all the good PR I’m generating. The app is loaded with incredible strength workouts (including bodyweight sessions for those without dumbbells) that are all 30 minutes or less and absolutely kick your ass. If you’re a parent or frontline worker without much free time on your hands, throw on a quick strength class with Rebecca Kennedy. I promise she and the other instructors will make every minute count. You can also explore other types of classes, like yoga, cardio, and cycling. Best part? It’s free right now.
What I’m practicing:
Leading conversations with vulnerability. I was growing sick of the steady stream of phone calls and Zoom catch ups spent discussing skin-deep conversation topics. Then one day, someone asked me how I was doing, and instead of responding, “Good!” I told them I was feeling irritable, and feeling guilty about feeling irritable, and generally not all that proud of the person I was showing up as that week. An audible sigh of relief emerged from the other end of the line. My friend immediately opened up, explaining how she had been feeling similar emotions. Leading conversations with raw vulnerability has not only felt cathartic, but also created a space in conversations to get to know people on a far deeper, more meaningful level.
What I’m watching:
Unorthodox on Netflix. Unorthodox is a four-part series about a young woman who escapes a Hasidic community in Williamsburg. The woman’s story is as captivating as it is informational, each episode providing more insight into a culture that had been completely unfamiliar to me. It’s a story of escape, isolation, and refuge. It's a story of finding who you are.
Your moment of zen:
“Promise me you will not spend so much time treading water and trying to keep your head above the waves that you forget, truly forget, how much you have always loved to swim.”
- Tyler Knott Gregson