A Few of My Favorite Things
I’m gonna take it easy on you guys this week (and myself), and do a fun post about some things I have enjoyed lately. Hopefully, there will be something on this list that you might like to check out and enjoy, too!
The new series on Netflix called The Four Seasons - a remake of an Alan Alda film from 1981 with Carol Burnett. In this TV series they have taken many of the themes and storylines from the original movie, but then also updated it, added some new twists, and given it a lot of heart. Alan Alda even makes a cameo. This series stars Tina Fey, Will Forte, and Steve Carrell. The rest of the cast is incredible, too. It made me laugh and cry. It is about three couples who vacation together and one couple getting a divorce sends shockwaves through the whole group dynamic. I especially got a big kick out of the character Claude, a very emotional and doting Italian man married to a character named Danny. I genuinely think most people would enjoy this show. It has really quality writing, acting, and storytelling.
Art meditation - A good friend of mine has a YouTube Channel where she shares really easy art projects that focus on letting go of perfectionism and using art as a form of meditation. I do this almost every day now, and it has really helped me get out of my head. I think there is such a thing as talking through shit too much, and lately that has done my head in. Using something besides words to handle my emotions and decompress has been a huge weight off. I used to struggle with the fact that I am not good at art, but watching her videos really helped me let go of that, and now I am a doodling fool! My favorite past time is listening to an audiobook or a reiki YouTube by my teacher Sarah while doing an art meditation doodle.
Audiobooks - I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I am so thankful I have found audiobooks at this point in my life. Prior to my disability I couldn’t listen to audiobooks and could only focus on reading books. But now with my neurological stuff, that has flip-flopped and I can’t focus on reading anymore, but can focus on listening. They both are equally beneficial and your brain doesn’t know the difference in terms of how good reading is for you. So, if you find yourself struggling with reading with your eyes, may I suggest doing it with your ears?! I listen to them at 2x speed while either playing a game on my phone, or drawing, or driving. Somehow I am able to pay attention better under these circumstances. Here are a few I’ve read/listened to as of late that I really, truly enjoyed!
The World’s Largest Man: A Memoir by Harrison Scott Key
This book was so beautiful, heartfelt, and funny. It is rare that I think books are funny, even when they are supposed to be. But this had me belly laughing and my face was hurting. It also made me cry, too. I went to college with the author briefly at SIUC in the Theatre department—I doubt he remembers me though. I love all 3 of his books, but this one was his first and has so many years of blood, sweat, and tears in it. Listening to him read it on the audiobook version with his sweet, gentle, Southern voice is *chef’s kiss*. I genuinely cannot recommend this one enough.
This Is Body Grief by Jayne Mattingly
This one was just very validating and helped support a lot of the emotions I have about my disability and the accompanying body grief. And she covers a lot of bases in terms of body grief: disordered eating, pregnancy, disability, chronic illness, being trans, and many other forms of things that our bodies go through that can cause us grief. It just felt like everything that people have been so dismissive about was addressed in this and it felt like I was wrapped in an understanding literary hug. I don’t have a recommendation on doing this as an audiobook vs. a regular book. Harrison’s book in the number 1 spot, you GOTTA do audio. This one, do whatever.
By the same author who wrote Weyward, which was one of my favorite books last year. I knew I’d want this one on my shelf, so I went for hard copy over audio. Not as good as Weyward, but still thoroughly enjoyable. If you like witchy, mystical, mermaidy, feminine literature then this is great!
Ok, so technically I am only halfway through this one, but I am LOVING it so far. It is about Adam’s first wife before Eve, who was expelled from Paradise for not putting up with Adam’s misogynist bullshit. She was created equal to man and not made out of his ribs or whatever the fuck. She was smart and strong and incredible and this story is so powerful and the writing is really good. I can’t imagine I will stop loving it by the time I am finished with it—so I am recommending it now even though I am not finished.
If you have heard of Black Moon Lilith in astrology, this is her. Fun fact, my Black Moon Lilith is in my 10th house of career and public roles in the sign of Aquarius, and according to my research this is a common Lilith placement for sex workers and I love that so much for me. (The Black Moon Lilith, also known as the dark moon, is the position in the moon's orbit when it's farthest from Earth. Lilith is often associated with feminine energy's darker, more primal aspects. It represents independence, refusal to conform, and uncovering desires and impulses that may be buried in the subconscious. Where Lilith is located in a person's birth chart can tell us about their independence and where they might not want to follow or obey others.
Oil Pulling - Ok, so please do your own research and don’t take medical advice from me. With that disclaimer out of the way, I learned a new dental thingy. I made a new friend who has the whitest teeth I have ever seen. Mine will never get that white no matter what I do. However, she swears by this, and I have been doing it for a few weeks and I am really enjoying the results. You need organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil—and you swish it around in your teeth for 15 mins every day. It has been used for thousands of years as an Indian folk remedy. There are disputes on the benefits, but I couldn’t find any harm in doing it in my research. Some say it whitens their teeth. It is mostly used to help with removing plaque. My teeth haven’t gotten a ton whiter yet, but I’ve had every whitening thing in the book done and this is just the color my teeth are gonna be (according to my dentist). However, I have noticed it has removed plaque and my teeth feel much smoother and cleaner, and look better too. According to research in this Healthline article it can reduce harmful bacteria in your mouth, reduce plaque and gingivitis, and reduce bad breath. And while there is no data to support this one yet, many say it whitens their teeth.
Medical Astrology Reading - I have a new friend on Substack, Erica, who is from New Zealand and is a health coach. Without knowing me at all, she came across me on Substack and offered to do a full-out health analysis for me based on my astrology chart (we traded services, but she has a business doing this). She has come up with the most brilliant and scarily accurate information I have ever seen—having never talked to me or met me and knowing me on Substack for a few days. The things she put in the 30-page document she wrote for me include things that are so on point that I didn’t think anyone could pull them out of the deepest, darkest, hidden, secret corners of my life. It was cool AF! And I learned some really cool new holistic health stuff that is catered just to me and my body. She writes a really unique and fucking smart as shit blog about this stuff on Substack, and when I read it, it kinda blows my mind. I can’t really do her justice because she is so much smarter than me that I just feel like the words coming out of my mouth are “doy doh duh” when I try to explain it. She talks a lot about methylation— and holistic health — and some really cool science — along with a lot of research — and combines it with astrology and it is just mind blowing. I recommend checking her out.
Music - I created a Lilith playlist on Apple Music. Holler at me if you want me to send it to you! So far, this is what it has on it. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment below!
Shameless Self Promotion!
1 - I would love for you to check out a paid subscription to even more content on my Substack! There are monthly and yearly packages!
2 - I so appreciate all of the supportive and kind words I get from people about all of my creative endeavors that I put out into the world. And I so appreciate all of you being here. You and your support mean so much to me. Thank you!! Something that helps me greatly, and is free of cost, is to put the kind words into comments on the work itself. This creates engagement and boosts me in feeds and algorithms and gets my work out there to more people. This will be a big help when trying to get my book published. While heartfelt texts, emails, and DMs do mean a lot to me and I cherish them, they sadly don’t boost the stupid numbers that we gotta unfortunately live by in this world for creators. So I would really love it if people could like, comment, and share directly on the stuff I post. Thank you so much!! I appreciate all of you!
3 - I am still making content on YouTube that I would love for you to check out!
I really enjoyed this post and will check out some of these things. Thanks, Krista!