I’ve been in a funk this week for no good reason. Who knows why? It could be the wacky weather (apparently, it’s winter-summer here in Texas, with alternating days of 30- and 70-degree temps). It could also be hormones, or job-related disappointment, or even just feeling tired as I try to squeeze in some longer runs before the half-marathon this weekend. Whatever the cause, I realized yesterday that part of the cure would be a good old-fashioned happy list on the ol’ blog here.
I know that I am very fortunate. All the good things in life that someone could want? I have them. Good health, happy relationships, a curious mind, financial resources, future plans, hope—I am about as privileged as a person can be. Sometimes, I think when I get into a funk, I have stopped appreciating all the blessings in my life, and that makes me feel incredibly guilty. But it also makes me human. I don’t like playing one-upping games (“You think you had a bad day? Let me tell you about my bad day!”). They seem petty, and they disregard the fact that having a good life doesn’t insulate us from challenge, stress, and disappointment.
Anyway, if you’ll indulge me, I’ll tell you about some things that are making me happy these days.
{ONE} My favorite professor friend from college, Cliff, is coming to Dallas in March, so Paul and I are driving up there to hang out with him. We’re going to visit the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, which means we’ll be geeking out together over all the cool exhibits. I can’t wait!
{TWO} Another Dallas treat that Paul and I always look forward to? Eating at the all-vegan Spiral Diner. Paul and I love Dallas for many reasons, especially because our dear friends Amber and Jeremy live there and make our visits so fun and filled with great things. Spiral Diner is one of those things that we love to share together.
{THREE} I’ve mentioned before that for my tutoring business, I am part of WyzAnt Tutoring (hence the sidebar ads here—it’s a business I can support wholeheartedly because they’ve been so good to me). WyzAnt has a pretty bustling set of tutor-written blogs and forums, and this week I’ve found some awesome advice from a full-time tutor who lives in the Detroit area. Brian S., you are terrific!
(By the way, if any of you readers are interested in tutoring and want to sign up for WyzAnt, you can support this blog by signing up through me. Send me your e-mail address at lifeloveandfood@gmail.com and we’ll get you set up!)
{FOUR} I am obsessed with pancakes these days. Obsessed! I’ve made a version with peanut butter and granola that was outrageously good. And Melissa Clark’s pancakes in Cook This Now continue to be a favorite for tweaking. Today, I’m plotting a trip to the grocery store to make a hearty oatmeal pancake that was just published in Self. Yum.
{FIVE} I’m finally blogging again. It makes me sad that it’s hard for me to find time to blog. I think the issue is less about time and more about mental bandwidth.
And now, onto some links for you to enjoy!
{SIX} I have been digging deep into Charles Eisenstein’s work. I’m almost done reading Sacred Economics, which I cannot recommend highly enough. This week, I listened to this talk from him and loved it.
{SEVEN} I’m revisiting posts from Ashley about shopping every other week (and then cooking with all those fantastic basic ingredients!). I haven’t written about it much, but Paul and I have settled into a routine where I am the primary cook for us when we eat at home (my place). I also buy most of the food for those homecooked meals, so I am gravitating toward buying larger portions of simple ingredients because I know that I’ll be feeding both of us. (For the record, he is in charge of transportation, and we go grocery shopping together every week now.) Ashley’s posts on a BIG grocery shop every other week and her shopping guide are good food for thought. You can make a lot of really excellent meals using her basic shopping list.
And oh my gosh, Ashley has a youtube channel now! How cute is she?!? I just adore her.
{EIGHT} Have you discovered Into Mind yet? This blog is for aspiring wardrobe minimalists or even just-rightists like me. There is way too much good stuff for me to list it all here, so I’ll just give you one link, a set of ideas for how to curate a fantastic wardrobe on a budget. If I had to pick, I’d say my spending strategy is a combination of having a priorities list and a “hot & cold” list. What’s yours?
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Whew, I feel better now. Thanks for indulging me! I hope you are all well and feeling less funky than I am this week.
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