Hello my friends!
Welcome to this, another fine Sunday with us blinking our eyes open and figuring out which socks to wear (I think the answer is none).
This past week, at my request, many of you offered up some of the advice and wisdom you’ve accumulated in your time making your life your life. Your comments were top-notch, super insightful, and really wonderful to read. Every one was a gem, but there are a few favorites I thought I’d share. If you’re interested, read more in the comment section at This is 35.
Faith offered this, ‘“love means to look at yourself the way one looks at distant things. For you are only one thing among many”.
Meredith shared this, “A fella shared with me how his grandmother trains bulls on her farm; As babies she fastens them to a rock. the rock is heavier than the young bull, restraining it to the diameter of the rock. The young bull is not content with its confinement and tries to break free by bucking for a few days or weeks, but eventually sees the futility and calms. As the bull calms it starts to grow, still chained to and restrained by the same rock -the bull grows but the rock remains the same. one day, the bull is a youth no more, full-grown and much bigger then the rock, like much MUCH bigger. But the big bull doesn’t try to move the rock. At all. It is resigned to being restrained by an unlovable rock. For the record, if it tried, a full-grown bull could pull the rock across the farm.
My advice, never stop bucking.”
Renee offered this, “Show up for you and continue to encourage people to do the same for themselves in between everything else.”
The gems you offered me this week have been invaluable. I’m grateful to you and I’m reminded that we’re all in this together.
Here’s some Internet happenings. May the rest of your Sunday be glorious!
• If you’re going to call yourself “The Greatest”, you dang-well better be. Rest in peace, Muhammad Ali.
• There have been more than 300 homicides in Chicago this year already. That’s a lot. That’s too many because one is too many. That’s a city become war zone and the shooters are not being caught. Chicago’s invisible shooters wreak havoc.
• It’s wedding season and here’s a fine way to celebrate. Why you will marry the wrong person. It’s a beautiful read because we’re imperfect but capable and so is everyone else.
• Masters of Love. Let’s be good at love with kindness and generosity, with the confidence and consistency to doooo thaaatt all the time.
• Truer words never spoken. Your flip flops are grossing me out.
• This is the secret to keeping secrets. We’ve all seen Seinfeld. (That’s not necessarily a true statement but just let it happen.) You put secrets in The Vault. It’s as simple as that. Also… if we’re going to go down a Seinfeld rabbit hold (unintended): Aunt Baby.
• How Mark Zuckerberg led Facebook’s war to crush Google Plus. I mean… the dude and the company are no flipping joke. We all get that by now, right?
• Champagne gummies, they’ll never give you a headache. That’s a bald-faced lie and I’m making them anyway.
• An unlikely but very likeable and insightful pair: Maya Angelou and Dave Chapelle
• Consider this some bath time reading and motivation. Anne Lamont. Time lost and Found.
• Because it’s Summer and we want to be sure our cakes melt quickly: Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream Cake with Salted Caramel
• Unrelated to ice cream cake… have you ever tried the Whole 30 Diet? I’m toying with the idea- batting it around like a cat and a catnip ball in my head. There’s a cat in my head? I’m browsing this from The Kitchn: 12 Favorite Whole 30 Recipes.
In the meantime, I wish for you waffle brunch.
xo Joy
Rebekah
I’ve done Whole 30 and recommend it. It’s changed how I think about processed foods, sugar, and alcohol.
It’s not easy for the first couple of weeks; you’ll feel tired and irritable. But then you hit a turning point and feel incredible. After the 30 days is up, you can start adding certain foods back in and see how they make you feel.
Rebekah
I did Whole30 for Lent this year and by day 25 had snuck back in some carbs. I thought I’d be so miserable giving up sugar AND dairy, but having an end date made it reasonable. It’s not easy, but it does feel a lot healthier. I also lost 5 lbs. Good luck!
Marylyn
FYI We just spent a week in NOLA, our annual visit, and I remembered a previous post of yours about lovely towels. After going back and finding the post, we made it to Loomed, which was in an area we were familiar with. What a wonderful little shop with beautiful products and a great, helpful sales associate. I purchased a feather piece in black and natural stripes which I’ll use as a scarf, a wrap, a light blanket on our upcoming trip to Europe. Thank you so much for your recommendation!!
Lauren Wilson
Seinfeld. Love.
Julie
Try the whole 30. I’ve done it twice now and it’s not really as much about restricting food and mean girl fad diets as described in comments but about noticing and being mindful of your relationship to food. What are you craving and why? Are you nourishing your body or just simply reaching for something sweet? After 30 days you will look at your choices differently… And then you can go back to eating whichever foods work for you.
kyanabrindle
I’m late to the party and just recently discovered your blog. Wonderful. I especially love these Sunday posts. Great links, food stuffs and bits of your life. Thanks for sharing.
Fiona
Whole 30 created a shift in my set point and the frequency of eating foods that don’t really serve me. I liked the weight loss during the 30 days but for 6 weeks after I was done, I continued to lose weight.
Brittany R.
I did the paleo diet and lost 30 pounds quickly. I’ve maintained a weight loss of 20 pounds from that diet by watching my portion sizes at dinner and still watching the bad carbs. It friggin’ sucks. I just want to simultaneously eat bowls full of ice cream, mashed potatoes, and donut holes. When I crave something really bad for me, I try to remember how lethargic and bloated I felt before changing my eating habits. The most difficult part of the paleo diet for me was actually cutting out dairy. I can cut bread and pasta all day, but I LOVE cheese. Good luck if you try the whole 30. I know a lot of people who have had success on this diet.
Lynn
Joy, Whole30 is definitely worth doing. It made me aware of how certain foods affect my body & digestive system. Yes, weight loss was involved, but most importantly it helped me mentally wrap my head around a healthier way of eating. I skeptical when I started, but I’m a total believer due to how much better I feel. I’ve continued eating with the knowledge of what is best for my system. I have desserts & alcohol but in moderation. Interestingly, now when I indulge in those things I don’t feel any desire to over do it. I’ve never felt better!
Leigh Kramer
I did Whole 30 two and a half years ago and it helped me identify the culprits behind my life-long eczema and insomnia. I only recommend it if there’s some kind of medical condition or health problem. It’s intense and it was worth it for me but the only thing that got me through it was how desperate I had become about my eczema.
Cy
I’m not sure why my comments always have question marks. Annoying!
Cy
You can actually buy champagne gummies. Every year I have a holiday party and I always make up a party favor bag of beautiful candy. I like to break tradition. Last year my colors were pink and gold. The champagne gummies were a big hit. Delish!
Diane Leach
So I have a friend who did the Whole 30 and became a total food Nazi (I’m jewish, okay?). She claimed it would cure her aching back. Well, her aching back turned out to be a serious ailment requiring medical intervention no diet could cure, and her pointed, rude remarks about my eating were totally wrong. Eat a balanced diet. And treats!!! As for marrying the wrong person, I celebrated 20 years of the marriage to the wrong guy June 1. Sorry to sound so preachy–I don’t mean to. Peace, love, and chocolate chips!
Cy
I have tried the Whole30 diet and it can be helpful for a lot of reasons. The nation is on a no gluten craze and for most people this is not nessescary, but you know how that goes. That being said, it does give you a healthier diet, no sugar and tons of fruits and veg, always a plus. Many people try it to locate allergies or tolerance levels, but most people to lose weight. You obviously don’t have a weight problem. It is only 30 days and does encourage more plant consumption. I don’t think it is realistic as long term solution for most people. Me, I’m working on listening to my body’s intuition, it will tell you what it needs. The hard part is to always listen. ???? Thanks for another great Sunday read!
Abi
Day 6 of whole 30 today!! There are some tasty recipes in that book. Oh and get a spiralizer if you don’t already have one.