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
Samantha Pritchard
I have done the Whole 30 plan twice. I now plan to do it twice a year. A great re-charge to get in touch with what works for your body and what doesn’t. I found it challenged me in the kitchen as well!
Theresa M.
I would say I need to haul my ice cream machine out from winter storage, but that would be a lie. I make ice cream all year round. Just because it gets to 10 below zero here, that’s no excuse not to have ice cream. That’s why God made HOT fudge sauce; for eating on ice cream in winter. Anyway, the toasted marshmallow ice cream cake looks wonderful! I’m thinking of making it using chocolate and vanilla ice cream and layering them. Have to have chocolate with marshmallows and graham crackers! Perhaps 2 layers of vanilla with chocolate in the middle for a fancy layered cake look to the ice cream cake. Love your Sunday posts, Joy! Thanks for all your inspiration!
Christina C
Always look forward to these posts! I say do it in regards to doing a Whole30 I would suggest doing a Whole60 though sounds nuts I know but I have done a handful of Whole30’s and I have done two Whole60 and felt much more in-control of what I was putting in my mouth after the Whole60.
Kate
The flip flop story made me laugh–just the other day I suffered though lunch sitting at an outside table next to a window where the guy at the table right inside had crossed his leg and dropped his flip flop on the floor, forcing me to stare at his ugly bare foot while I choked down my sandwich. Ugh!
joythebaker
Not a shoe!
Maggie
Hi Joy,
I am a longtime reader and have never commented but feel compelled to do so because of my love for Whole 30! I have always struggled with “dieting” because baking and eating allthefoods give me such joy! But it’s just 30 days and you can try anything for just 30 days, right? I’ve completed 2 rounds and am in the middle of my 3rd and I love what it does for my body, my sleep, my skin, and my mind – not to mention my confidence.
My advice is to get the Whole 30 recipe book because there are some gems in there. I make the meatballs every single weekend. You really can eat delicious, wholesome food (plus salsa and guacamole on absolutely everything!) on the program and after a while you don’t even miss the sugar. It’s crazy what a response your body has when you feed it real food – and crazy when you start reading labels and see how much junk is in literally everything you buy at the store. By Day 23ish of both of the 2 rounds I completed I had people at work tell me I was glowing. Your body/soul will thank you, give it a try!!!
Maggie
sarah
Loved the Whole 30! Super hard but very eye opening. I’ve attempted multiple second rounds, but none have been as successful as the first.
Kathryn
I did Whole30 (and am trying to maintain now as much as possible) and it was really eye opening. I felt the best I’ve ever felt in the last week of doing it and it’s very empowering to learn how much sugar is added to EVERYTHING. My sugar cravings are totally different now and my body thanks me. Also – turns out black coffee is delicious.
mollysusie
I looked into Whole 30, because I really truly eat horribly, and my big hang-up was what do you drink? You can’t have dairy, juice, alcohol, caffeine, soda, artificial sweetener … what in the hell do you drink? Herbal tea and water? I can’t live that way. I first heard of Whole 30 from the blog Judy’s Chickens (https://judyschickens.org/) and she adapts a lot of recipes to be Whole 30 compliant. I definitely need to change my eating habits, and possibly my drinking habits, but for me it has to be a slow introduction or I won’t stick to it. Baby steps.
Lucy
Your Sunday round-ups are always so wonderful to read. I have done the Whole30 mostly as a challenge to myself and to see if I could really wake up with that “i can’t wait to start the day” mentality. I don’t regret doing it, but it’s SO restrictive. I did like how the book and the challenge made me think about what I eat and cook from home much more. I found it quite difficult to go out to eat so therefore I cooked at home A LOT. You could totally make it work at restaurants, but I just didn’t want to constantly question the ingredients they used. By day 20, I finally felt like it was a little easier to wake up, but it wasn’t life changing enough to do again.
Amy L
A Whole30/Paleo diet works great for me. It’s been an integral component in healing from chronic fatigue/asthma. It isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely worth a 30-day trial. Besides, lots of nutrient-dense veggies, fruits and proteins are a happy thing. Good luck!
Mighty Nourishing
I wholeheartedly believe you/most people should take on a whole30 and proper reintroduction – I feel closer to my body knowing how different foods make me feel. Its so much more than just 30 days – also once you do one, its great to know its always there as a reset (and each round does get easier!)
Jessie
I made vodka gummy bears once. Except I let them soak too long and they got kind of gross and slimy…but I’m all about learning from my mistakes and champagne sounds like an excellent alternative.
My husband did whole 30, he needed a radical overhaul on his fast food habit, and he ended up down 16 lbs in those 30 days. The key, I think, is keeping things SIMPLE, and doing meal prep. I loved Mel Jouwan at Well Fed’s meal plan, because it wasn’t super structured and you still had choice and options. We could get everything made in 2-3 hours on a Sunday and spent zero brain power during the week.
Valentina
I know that people who complete a whole30 (or multiple) end up with so much enthusiasm that they sound like they’re in a cult, but it’s because it is REALLY. THAT. AWESOME. I’m on my second round right now and I couldn’t speak more highly of it — my meals are more diverse than ever, tastier than ever, and better for me than ever. Having completed one whole30 already, I have a much better sense of which foods make me feel sick/bloated/uncomfortable, which ones impact my skin, and which ones makes me feel extra great and able to take on the world. I’ve lost inches and pounds — but that’s not really the point. The point is that I feel better physically and I feel better about myself. As someone who loves you and your blog, I’d be so, so happy to see you take on a whole30 and arm those of us with a new and improved arsenal of compliant recipes!
MegElyse
Already wrote this, but my phone had a heart attack on me!
So, I’ve done three whole 30’s and eaten whole 30-ish for about a year now. It can be difficult when it comes to social situations, but I find it very easy to eat this way at home. In that time, I’ve lost 33 lbs and my skin cleared up( surprise! You’re allergic to dairy).
I still eat treats every once in a while, but it certainly has to be worth it. If I’m going to have ice cream, it better be Ben and Jerry’s or a really nice gelato. This makes it that much more special though.
Anyway, it’s only a month, and all of the foods they recommend are healthy. If you’re really curious, I’d give it a shot.
Meg
I’ve done three whole30’s, and have tried to eat whole30-ish for over a year now. Yes, it’s difficult ,particularly when it comes to social situations; but I’ve lost about 33 lbs in that year and my skin cleared up (surprise! You’re allergic to dairy). I still allow myself an occasional treat, but am very happy with the way I feel.
Give it a shot for a month. It’s not too long for an experiment.