Tha Good Good, Week of 5.29.20
Some things that are doing good for me & I hope will do some good for you, too.
How I'm getting my movement in:
10,000 steps every morning. This week brought a wave of difficult and confusing health issues. Hearing I couldn't strength train for some time felt like cruising carefree down the highway, then glancing down at your Google Maps and seeing 58 minutes of traffic up ahead. Shifting gears, I started waking up earlier and walking for about an hour and a half along the water near my apartment, followed by a stretch. I feel energized for the day ahead, and at peace with myself if that's all the movement I accomplish that day (because I've already accomplished a whole lot). And when you have a bad day and a walk is too much, consider softening your tone and showing yourself the tenderness you would show a friend.
Excerpt helping me feel at home in my body:
From Glennon Doyle's new bestseller, Untamed —
I’ve spent much of my life lost in the woods of pain, relationships, religion, career, service, success, and failure. Looking back on those times, I can trace my lostness back to a decision to make something outside myself my Touch Tree. An identity. A set of beliefs. An institution. Aspirational ideals. A job. Another person. A list of rules. Approval. An old version of myself.
Now when I feel lost, I remember that I am not the woods. I am my own tree. So I return to myself and reinhabit myself. As I do, I feel my chin rise and my body straighten.
Band I'm grooving to:
Caamp. While camping in Big Sur last weekend (cough, obnoxious west coast flex), there was no music more perfectly crafted for kicking up our Chacos and chasing beers with s'mores than music from Caamp. Can't say their good vibes came as a surprise, considering the humble group from Athens, Ohio got its start playing for "free beer and a couple folks who would enjoy a guitar-banjo tune."
Dynamite bread I'm baking:
Sure, puzzles are great. But as Bourdain once said, "Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." With that, here's the ~ Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Banana Bread ~ that my friends and roommate have been devouring. Don't worry, it's got greek yogurt, bananas, and almond butter, so it's basically kale! Thank you to the one and only Tieghen Gerard for the recipe.
Vino I'm loving:
Last week, my neighbor, a kind, older Italian gentleman who lives alone, knocked on my door and presented me with a gorgeous bowl of pasta and an equally gorgeous glass of Chianti. He told me his daughter always loves when he makes this dish, and he thought I might, too. Now if you need to stop reading to grab some tissues, be my guest. I had the same reaction. In honor of my neighbor and in appreciation of the kindness of strangers, I'm sharing a Paso Robles estate whose wines have been consistently landing. My hope is that you, too, might share a glass with someone new.
Your moment of zen:
"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers."
— Voltaire