Hello, friends!
One of my kids is riddled with anxiety which, of course, stresses me out. So anxious is his entire little generation—these Covidians—that they named the new character in this summer’s Inside Out sequel Anxiety. But recently I stumbled upon a trick that helps calm his nerves at least for a bit. Since he’s most chatty before bed, he’ll start ticking off things that worry him right when I’m ready to clock out for the evening. So the other night, after he made his list of worries, I gave him a list of things to look forward to, making sure each one was happening within the week. And it worked!
Anyway, now I’m passing on this anxiety Band-Aid in case you want to give it a spin. Below are some non-anxiety-inducing links and have a lovely weekend!
Xo,
Toby
• As a fashion-y born and bred in Nashvillian, I thoroughly appreciated Libby Callaway’s report on Nashville style in the wake of Cowboy Carter. (Substack)
• Menswear, on the other hand, is … “a spindly glory hole that … tickles for a second but mostly makes you feel broke and sad” (Deez Links)
• Two shows that I recently discovered: Alphonse, about a French father-son gigolo team and Such Brave Girls, which is like a British version of Better Things. (Prime and Hulu)
• I worked in digital marketing for (too) many years and still like to keep an eye on that world, so I found this SXSW update of AI’s role in 2024 kinda interesting. (LinkedIn)
• A cause we can all get behind: Julia Hagen is elevating Chicago’s humble hot dog stands through fine art. (Block Club Chicago)
• We’re in the throes of baseball season, which makes Joy’s White Bean Kale and Sausage Soup a delicious solution for evenings when everyone’s eating at staggered times. (Joy the Baker)
• Anyone else want to start a banned book book club? (Katie Couric)
• “Only a few have been able to remain playful and light-footed as their public images have hardened into marble.” – Ann Powers on Cowboy Carter. (NPR)
• After Monday’s magical eclipse, I was curious about how moon scientists track eclipse dates. Also, get a load of this totally amazing shot. (NASA + Noah Kalina)
• The Jokermen Beach Boys podcast is required listening. (Apple)
• Rihanna’s recent interview had so many gems. (Interview Magazine, Twitter)
• My pal, Joy Netanya Thompson, shared a wonderfully written post on learning to hold multiple truths about Israel. (Substack)
• He spends his life/Believing there’s another/Standing on his own shoulders/Looking out to sea. (Poets.org)
• Life PSA: You can fly from Nashville to Miami for $53 on Spirit Airlines so long as you only bring a backpack. Wear this cutie as a scarf on the trip then a coverup around the pool. (Amazon)
• Finally, my trusty coffee machine of 10+ years finally puttered out so I joined the Nespresso movement. And, wow. Every morning I feel like I could lift a car. (Target)
4 Responses
Thanks for sharing the link to the hot dog story. The first image on that page is my “hometown” hot dog stand, Gene & Jude’s. It was a half mile from my grandparents’ house and we went there all the time. Best French fries I’ve ever had. My parents retired and moved out to California, so it’s been a LONG time since I’ve been there. I miss it so much. We are connecting through O’Hare after our trip to the Galapagos in December and I am seriously considering getting an Uber from the airport to get us some hot dogs on our layover.
So I may be the last person to learn this, but apparently eating something sour, like a warhead candy, will help pull you out of an anxiety attack. I also heard pulling down on the inside of your ear but havent had to try either out yet. But quite a few people have told me that both work…sorry that I’m late to comment, I missed ‘let it be” this wk. I just thought it’s always good to have ways to help yourself during these times.
Not to sound like a Basic B, but my Nespresso machine changed my life lol. Great list as always . . . and thank you for linking to my piece!
Oh my name is Tobie Rose also!