It’s been over a year since the word ‘Covid’ impacted us all and, so far, it’s showing no signs of disappearing. In my little pocket of the planet, we’ve been locked down again this past week. That has meant home schooling, small businesses drowing (when they were already so exhausted), lots of confusion and the early arrival of a cold and cloudy winter making everything even more depressing. I can’t even summon the energy to crack open a jigsaw puzzle box again.
Of course, I did discover a few things before all this happened and my brain capacity was reduced to Grade 3 maths and English content. So if you’re looking for something to fill your head space, here’s what I can recommend…
3 things to read: – Wow. This book. I read it over two days in three sittings (and given my reading habits lately, this is akin to ‘not being able to put it down’). Set in a fictional 2026, the human race is coming to terms with a fast-acting, killer virus. Often the hosts are asymptomatic and don’t even realise they’re carrying it. Sound familiar? This incredible book was written before Covid (and elements of the story are so realistic, it’s almost hard to believe) and each chapter is via the point of view of a different person who has been affected. The major difference between this fictional virus and Covid? The only people affected are men. 90% of men, in fact, die within two days of contracting it. As the main characters all grapple in their various lives with this impact, it’s fascinating to think how things would change if something like this ever were to happen.
– Is it shameless self-promotion if I flog my own book here? Possibly, but I am going to do it anyway! My little Listing Life book is out in the world now, and that’s always a bit scary. The thing is, this book came about initially as a series of worksheets. I was working with small business owners and creatives and quickly realising that it was hard to get them to answer questions about what they enjoyed, what they found easy and what they were good at. They were so busy being all things to all people – a good wife, mother, partner, employee, employee, daughter, sister, carer, etc – that they had totally lost all sense of what actually made them feel good, and how their life could be more enjoyable and better suited to their sense of truth. Sounds simple, but being honest with yourself is hard work. Well worth it though, I promise!
– As someone who ‘came of age’ in the ‘90s, I found this article so interesting. The debate of ‘if you wore it the first time, you’re probably too old be wearing it the second time’ has recently just hit me (hello Doc Martens and floral spaghetti strap dresses and high waisted, wide leg jeans).
2 things to listen to:
– I haven’t been doing a lot of podcast listening (see the beginning AND the end of this post for more of that), but I do want to share one of my favourites. Reply All (and their production company, Gimlet) is going through some weird and complicated stuff at the moment, but this episode is the one that got me hooked. It’s awesome, and will have you both smiling and humming along at the end.
– I love musicals (I know a lot of people who don’t though…’breaking out in song for no apparent reason, no thank you!’). If you’ve ever watched a stage show and hummed a song for weeks on end afterwards (I dare you to watch Wicked and not have both Popular AND Defying Gravity infiltrate your brain) you will know that it’s often the songs that tell a story all on their own that particularly resonate. I’ve had a few mates tell me they’re feeling a little lost and not themselves of late. Most of them are mums of little ones (solidarity, sister, remember you are deep in the trenches right now…it’s not forever, I promise!). If you happen to be feeling a little like you don’t know who you are, this song – from the musical Waitress – might make you feel less alone. It will probably also make you cry, but that isn’t a bad thing either.
2 things to watch:
– Ah, the beauty of nostalgia. Have you watched the Friends reunion yet? I was worried it would be a bit of a disappointment (and, let’s be honest, the fashion show was absolutely ridiculous) but on the whole, I absolutely loved it. I thought this post by Clemmie Telford was positively bang on (actually, I think I need to check out her book also). I especially loved the points she made about fame, and about Matt La Blanc. Then, speaking of posts on Instagram, I saw this video after I’d watched the reunion and smiled big, big smiles. I recommend all of this.
– I was recently chatting with a mate about humanity and the idea that all people are intrinsically decent. It is often poor choices, lack of education or awareness, or doing dumb things for people we love that sends our moral compass sideways. Humans Of New York is such a wonderful space to be reminded of this and this fairly old TED talk with its creator, Brandon, reinforces all of this. It’s easy to get despondent in a world where bad and/or shocking news is pushed to the forefront. People aren’t so bad, and we do actually want to hear those stories.
1 thing to think about:
Through the course of these lockdowns over the past year, I’ve found that my reading and watching ‘diet’ is completely off track. I only want to read action/thrillers that hold my attention and provide a ‘bad guy gets caught’ ending. I only want to watch things I’ve already seen, or things I know will provide a resolution or decent finale. I’ve been switching off podcasts when I walk the dog and letting my scattered brain jumble about. I seem to have a limited attention span (more so than usual). I don’t know what this means, or how long it will last, but I am doing my best to simply live in the moment and not question anything too much.
Elizabeth George is quoted as writing: “Expectations destroy our peace of mind. They are future disappointments, planned out in advance” and Dr Steve Maraboli said: “Expectation feeds frustration. It is an unhealthy attachment to people, things and outcomes we wish we could control; but don’t.”
I think the entire Covid experience has reinforced this is absolutely true. It’s easy to be disappointed when our expectations are not met. When we feel we can’t control things, and I find it curious that my way of having expectations met is by counting on ‘story’. I will also lower my expectations in that I might not have lots to recommend in the way of reading, watching and listening because of this. Then again, I might. Who knows?
I will see you again whenever I do!
