Let It Be Monday, 186!

Hello dear friends!

Thank you for your patience yesterday!  I hope you’re coming out of a lovely August weekend (literally HOW is it almost September!?) and I hope you’re feeling steady in this Monday.  Take it slow. Let’s just ease in.  

Maybe this recipe for Red Beans and Rice will help… it is a Monday tradition.  

This past week I taught my first yoga class to a handful of very patient students.  What a privilege to have people come into a space and trust me enough to shape their bodies in ways I suggest.  

The offering this week is as follows.  I hope it inspires you to get in the kitchen, do the chores, and just… be as happy as you can be.  

Take good care: 

โ€ข Politics aside: John McCain, a Scarred but Happy Warrior. (NYTimes)

โ€ข  You may find this relevant this Monday:  5 Things To Do When You Feel Overwhelmed By Your Workload – you had me at ‘healthy self-talk!’ (from Ann Friedman’s newsletter and Harvard Business Review) 

โ€ข  See also:  10 Small Ways To Be Happy.  Not included on this list – petting a dog. It always helps.  (Joy the Baker) 

โ€ข  Inside The New Era of Hunting Serial Killers.  DNA, y’all. (Rolling Stone) 

โ€ข  As a child who cleaned bathroom and vacuumed floors and did dishes and set the table I can attest to the fact that Happy Children Do Chores, though very begrudgingly. (New York Times)

โ€ข  How You Felt About Gym Class May Impact Your Exercise Habits Today.  You know the part gym class where you have to change clothes around your peers while your body is super awkward?  Yea… those were tough times that really only got more tough once we left the locker room. (NYTimes) 

โ€ข  Let’s talk about Birkenstocks.  (The Cut)

โ€ข  I heard a blip of a news story on NPR this week that reported that the health benefits of a daily glass of wine are eclipsed by the damage alcohol does to our bodies and I said NOPE, next story.  Well, we also have some bad news about coconut oil.  

โ€ข  We have a lovely season of cookbooks ahead of us! 10 New Cookbook We Can’t Wait To Get Our Hands On!  (The Kitchn)

โ€ข  I threw my most successful dinner party yet last Friday night – I didn’t take a single picture which is further proof that it was incredible.  I set an intention for the gathering and relied heavily on the principles in this book: The Art of Gathering.  We got way past small talk. (Amazon) 

โ€ข  I’m ready to wear a sweater – I’ve been stubbornly doing so all week, so help me god.  I’m also ready for this Healthy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Bake. (Pinch of Yum)

โ€ข  Are these overalls we can work with? Mokoro One Piece (Free People) 

Enjoy this week!  Thank you for spending some quality time here. 

My love to you,

xo Joy

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I Made This

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18 Responses

  1. Is there a better comfort food than red beans and rice? Maybe, but red beans and rice do the trick for me. Though it isn’t an every Monday tradition in Fairhope like it is in New Orleans, we sure do enjoy it. Truth be told, I probably like a big wedge of fresh French bread all sopped up with red bean juice more than the rest of the dish.

  2. The thing about these health studies…dude, Iโ€™m so over it. The parameters and measures such studies use almost never(like 9.99 times out of 10) ever account for sociology, human experience and collective impact of community vs isolation.
    In many communities, wine/alcohol facilitates connection in ways sobriety rarely achieves. There simply isnโ€™t enough comprehensive data or perspective for researchers to keep making these sweeping rulings about foods and drink. The human experience, in my opinion, is far too complex for summary judgement. Besides, no matter what you partake of or abstain from, none of us will abstain from death. So, I raise a glass in company to that.

  3. Happy Monday! I just got that book from a friend and I love it so much. I haven’t put it into practice though so this is a nudge from you! I love those overalls – relaxed and comfy looking. Thank you for these collections.
    xox

  4. Today is my birthday, so these coming a day later felt like my own special surprise :) Thank you for sharing them!

  5. Your ten small ways to be happy list is spot on. A good sandwich can change your whole mood, and ambitiously, the world. Chores… I was happy to be trusted with rinsing the dishes, and the folks didn’t mind there was more water on the floor. At least there’s less water on the floor now lol

    Blu
    http://www.liveloveblu.com | wellness & healthy living

  6. Congrats on teaching your first Yoga class! Hearing this really makes me want to further my yoga practice. I’m excited for you. Also great links this week, I have so many of them open on my desktop right now Ha! Happy Monday!

  7. That article about gym class really resonated with me, although we CAN change our destiny. I was always so clumsy. The kids would fight over who would get me or the “fat girl”–they preferred her because she could occasionally belt out a home run whereas I was 100% worthless. However, decades later, I am in much better shape than those former classmates. I do Pilates, yoga, HIIT running/walking…it’s about finding what you like to do, or at least what you don’t mind doing in order to be healthy (I hate running but I love the way running makes me feel, which is strong).

  8. That coconut article is a joke. Saturated fat has no bearing on heart disease and this has been proven many times over. If you look at actual evidence-based, peer reviewed scientific articles, you’ll see that coconut is indeed very healthy.

    1. Why take aim at the one other person who mightโ€™ve felt the same as you. Reducing a whole person to โ€œthe fat girlโ€ doesnโ€™t add to your argument your growth.

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