Things of Beauty #8
Fall, fun, and fermented things-- plus a question for YOU! Also waffles.
Happy fall, to those who celebrate! š
And huge hugs and high fives to everyone who commented, emailed, or let me know in person that my post last week resonated. Seems like Iām not the only one in a season of transition in my creative work. And while I hate knowing weāre feeling stuck, I also know there is power in naming those feelings (and big power in knowing we arenāt alone).
And now on to my round up of tiny, lovely things . . .
Just a few things that felt particularly soul-nourishing recently (or maybe just made me smile).
š§ This podcast about fun! Such a great interview and I love the definition of fun presented here as āthe magical confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow.ā I also appreciate the practical tips for mining your past experiences for your personal āfun factors.ā (Thanks to Alexandra for sending this one my way!)
š¾ I picked up a can of UpDog Kombucha at a little market near me (while searching for the tofu I forgot to get for this recipe) and really, really enjoyed it. Iāve gone through phases of really enjoying kombucha and phases of it just tasting overly sour to me. I had the Jasmine Lavender one (called Happy Baby) and found it to be really well balanced. Also cool to learn that the company was founded by two women who started making kombucha together in their residence hall in college.
š Speaking of student entrepreneurs . . . I love this video that highlights some of the amazing student ventures that have graced the shelves of the Shift Retail Lab. Iām also super excited to see what our newest cohort (Shelfies, as we call them) will bring to life! (If you happen to be a student or alumni of Virginia Commonwealth Universityā you too could be on the shelves, check it out!)
š§ This video about waffles and failure. Iām always here for a good food metaphor, and this one is perfectā the first waffle is never the prettiest, but if you donāt keep going youāll never get that beautiful golden, crunchiness.
šIāve been following running coach Montana DePasquale on Instagram for a long time. Her straight forward explanations of things like the benefit of strength training and the importance of hydration and balanced nutrition feel really practical and resonant to me. I also really appreciate her constant reminders that running is not one-size-fits all, and that itās important not to just blindly follow someone elseās advice or those ever present ābest practicesā without questioning and investigating whether it will work for you. I recently bought her introductory strength training plan and swear I already feel stronger on my runs. (Plus every time I pull up the pdf, I sing this in my head, which is pretty fabulous).
The podcast about fun that I mentioned above is an interview with Catherine Price who wrote the book The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again - which is definitely going on my list of things to read. This got me wondering if anyone would be interested in a little Healthier Hustle book club.
This is a super early stage idea and I have no specific plans, though my guess is it would be a Zoom meetup or discussion thread type thing. Let me know below if youād have any interest in this:
Thanks for reading and weighing in on my book club idea!
Be well, find tiny joy-
Mary Chris