Hello friends! I am back from a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a fantastic way to spend Spring break โ wandering streets with old buildings that look like they’re straight out of a fairy tale, sipping coffee, exploring the endless green spaces near the city, browsing bookstores, and having fancy tea. All of the cliches about travel being inspiring and wonderful are true.ย
The other thing about travel is that it’s kind of a pain. Flying is uncomfortable. Being out of your routine and time zone can make everything feel out of whack, as can not having your normal food, navigating transportation, and being somewhere unfamiliar. And yet, I think that’s part of the magic of it: overcoming the difficulty.ย
For the past few months, I’ve been going to Orangetheory Fitness a few times a week and I sort of hate a lot of it. If you’re unfamiliar, the class is divided between a weight floor with different exercises each day (my favorite), time on a treadmill (mediocre at best for me), and a rower (my sworn enemy). It’s hard! And yet, when I feel invigorated when I’m done โ and not just in the “exercise endorphins” way. It’s because I’ve done something hard, and I’ve conquered it. Effort looks different each day, and sometimes, I need to move more slowly or lift lighter or modify things, and that’s okay. It’s the showing up and giving it my best anyway.ย
I certainly don’t want to wish challenge or difficulty on anyone, as life is hard enough already; however, I am curious about what would happen if we made efforts to do something a little scary: connect with a neighbor, go to a meeting about organizing, making the phone call that we need to make, baking something a little out of our comfort zone for the thrill of learning something new, or showing up to dinner with friend when we’d rather stay home, get Door Dash, and watch reruns of The Office.ย
Spring time always feels like hope and rebirth, but it also feels like everyone’s working extra hard: animals are being born and flowers are bursting and many of us are chipping away at long spring cleaning lists. It makes me want to put a little hustle into my own life. I hope that wherever you’re at this week, you do something a little difficult, just to remind yourself that you’re capable and you can. And if this isn’t the week, then I wish you the rest and comfort you need.ย
โข A surprising route to the best life possible. Spoiler alert: it’s about difficulty and trying hard things. (NYT Gift Link)
โข Everything I did in Edinburgh, and everything I wore! We had a such a lovely time and these are my best recommendations for what to do, along with what to bring (or wear in real life). Hint: more sweaters than you think. (Substack)
โข I ate SO MANY SCONES in Edinburgh and I am committed to making them part of my weekend life here, too. Some good options: peaches and cream scones, maple and blueberry scones, and for a lighter bite: tiny strawberry cream scones. If you’re a savory scone person, don’t worry! These feta and chive sour cream scones are exactly right. (Joy The Baker)ย
โข I feel like we hear a lot about empathy, and less about how to bring more of it to our relationships, so I enjoyed this read: The three types of empathy, and how to increase them in your relationships. (Nice News)
โข My Merlin Bird ID app got a ton of use when we were in Scotland, and now that the spring birds are chirping every single morning in my own neighborhood, I’ve become obsessed with these modern birdhouses! Also, someone showed me this piano squirrel feeder and I’ve thought about it every day. This is what happens when you’re over 40, I guess. Speaking of squirrels, this video about a man’s attempt to save an orphaned squirrel made me weep. I’M FINE. (Wow Haus, Amazon, Aeon)
โข Definitely considering adopting Graham’s handshake policy for my own three dogs. First I need to teach them how to shake though. (Substack)
โข I’m currently obsessing over redecorating my living room, and this post about how to decorate a mantel is bookmarked. (Vogue)
โข I love you more than anything, but I’d rather die than talk to you on the phone. I’m a fan of voice memos, and I’m slowly embracing the phone call, but this still made me laugh. (McSweeney’s)
โข I am getting my hair cut this weekend, in part because I had a sweaty neck ONE (1) time this week and simply will not abide it, and also to show off my cute spring earrings. Cupcakes and Cashmere sent me these snazzy gold beauties and these lovely pearl drop earrings and I can’t wait to show them off with my shorter (but not too short!) hair. By the way, you can use the code AE20 in that shop for 20% off! (Cupcakes and Cashmere)
โข If you’re wondering if the things you do matter, history shows us that individual actions do add up. A little encouragement in these times. (Time)
โข Harsh, but true: “We donโt really want a village, we want a free caretaker or cleaning crew who does things exactly the way we wish…but the village has traditionally meant โthe people around us,โ not a bespoke neighborhood you might curate in The Sims,” from I’m Starting To Think You Guys Don’t Really Want “A Village. I also loved our very own Joy’s take on this, and feel extremely jealous that no one has left a roast chicken or a pot pie on my porch recently. (Slate, Joy The Baker)
โข As I mentioned in the start of this post, I have become An Exercise Person. Here’s a list of my favorite workout and wellness items. (Substack)
โข The older I get, the more I focus on getting protein into my body. This article combines my two passions: pasta and protein. (Self)
โข The weather is getting warmer, and all I can think about is SUMMER FRUIT! Excited to try this strawberry pie and bring back this blueberry cobbler which has been a summer favorite. Or maybe I’ll do a peach crisp? Making all three seems to be the only option here. (Joy The Baker)
โข How to stop impulse buying. Posting this mostly for me, as my online shopping habits are in desperate need of help. (Self)
โข Help! All My Shows Are Over! I feel this cry in my bones. I miss Severance and White Lotus, and quite frankly, I’m ready for Great British Bake-Off to return, too. Here are some things to tide us over. Also, I was initially touched by Laurie’s speech about friendship in the White Lotus finale โ especially as a member of a long-time friend trio that has seen one another through some things โ this was an interesting take on how it was sort of a letdown. What do you think? (Vulture, Vogue)
3 Responses
Amy, your posts are always chock full of great information! The Best Life article (thank you for the gift to be able to read it, in so many links you get shut out without subscription) is inspirational, informative, and makes me want to take on a challenge, but probably not Orange Theory. Have only been to Target once this year to use up gift cards, used to be a weekly stroll, but also trying to curb my impulsive spending and put my dollars into small businesses and those that align with my values.
Packing list, travel synopsis, food info, all of it good stuff. Thank you!
Joy, thank you for your work and your amazing team!
The reality I think is that a lot of the village used to be created by wives and mothers who didn’t work. Even now, people who volunteer and do a lot of the “village” activities are most likely to be women who aren’t working, either because they have small children or because they are retired. It is another form of unpaid labor, obviously, and fewer and fewer people can afford to do that.
I think people are also just exhausted by their lives and the world. The salon author says people don’t work more than they used to, linking to an article in Money. Even if you take that at face value (I don’t), I think a lot of people have more stresses with their work, less security in their work lives, and less security in general. People also feel a lot freer to say offensive (at best) things in public. I don’t think any of this lends itself very well to any sort of a village.
OMG I’m the same. I recently became a running person and have the same thoughts about doing hard things. Also, because I run with the Nike Run app, where they tell you that as part of training, it’s super interesting. I really wonder who will I become and how it will impact me, but right now I need to slow down and work on recovering better.