I know it’s been kind of heavy over here for…a very long time, so this is going to be an entirely superficial post of things that are making me happy lately—and I’d love to hear what’s making you happy!

I usually hate any kind of “your mom would have wanted you to ____,” but yesterday I remembered that, when I started taking antidepressants years ago, my mom said, “I miss my happy little girl.” And I miss my lightheartedness too, so am trying to remind myself that I deserve to be happy, amidst and in spite of pain. I’m trying so hard right now to embrace those dualities, despite my brain wanting to keep me in pain.

Things Making Me Happy Right Now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Concerts!!

I like music as much as the next person, but I’m not a Music Person, you know? Singing and dancing my heart out, though, has been way too much fun lately! Last week, the night before leaving for LA (with a 7am flight, to boot), Meg and I went to see 30 Seconds to Mars at MSG. She’s obsessed with Jared Leto, and I am obsessed with fun so I tagged along. Well, we bought GA floor tickets, sang our hearts out, and I might have bruised a rib when we scaled the barriers to try to get on stage for the last song. (It’s a thing, he calls people on stage for the last song.)

This Wednesday, we went out to Coney Island to see the Barenaked Ladies! (NYC friends, pay attention to the subway posters! That’s how I found out about this one.) I love the amphitheater out there, because it’s a really small venue, so all seats are good seats! I was OBSESSED with BNL in high school and was so psyched that they were playing…even when I realized that I first saw them in concert nearly 20 years ago, and I’m old enough to make a statement like that. They played more newer music than I would have liked, but it was so so worth it for the old school jams.

Yoga

I first discovered a love of yoga during a “tough” time a few years ago, and it was my salvation. I still don’t have a studio I’m obsessed with right now, but I’ve been bopping around to a bunch of studios.

I’m not the most crazy about Y7—I don’t love the flow-on-your-own or that with the dark, they don’t move around much to correct alignment, but I do love their convenience to my apartment…

AND THAT I TOOK A BEYONCE CLASS THIS MORNING. The music was pretty quiet other than during the flow-on-your-own sections, but still, Beyonce.

Related, still obsessed with my Lilly Swell water bottle. I still think they are super overpriced, but, also, Lilly.

Books I’m Loving (/Recently Bought)

OK OK, I was reading a lot of deep and dark shit earlier in the year, but I’ve been listening to Grace’s podcast, and getting lots of good light recommendations, starting with The Royal We, lightly based on Will + Kate. Next up was Marriage Vacation. It’s this crazy meta tie-in with the show Younger, and it was a light easy read about a woman finding herself through separating with her husband. Even if you don’t watch the show, the book is still good on its own. I’m currently reading When Life Gives You Lululemons, Lauren Weisberger’s new book.

Other books on deck:

The Art of Memoir: and I’d love to hear about your favorite books on writing!

Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Loving Yourself: because I need it.

How Emotions Are Made: I’m just fascinated with how the brain works (or, uh, doesn’t.)

Death Benefits: How Losing a Parent Can Change an Adult’s Life—For the Better: I clearly bought this one for the subtitle. I’m trying to step away from grief books, as I said, but this one looks really productive. Still, not reading it yet.

Wild: To say I am OBSESSED with Tiny Beautiful Things (read it, then read it again. then read it one more time) is the understatement of the century, so I really want to read Wild, as it’s a tale of how Cheryl Strayed found herself after losing her mother to lung cancer and getting divorced, hiking the PCH. (Stay tuned for my own epic journey coming up?) I started reading it, though, and I haven’t been able to get past her talking about losing her mom without getting triggered, so it’s on hold for now.

(What’s on your reading list???)

Work Stuff

I’m still really enjoying not going to an office every day, but I’ll admit that my productivity certainly waxes and wanes more when left to my own devices alone. I’ve been doing Croissant, a service that allows you to try out different workspaces in your city (and it’s in quite a few cities now.) I hate the construction “it’s [this service] for [this industry]”…but. It’s like ClassPass for coworking is the easiest analogy here. I’ve done KettleSpace, which is cafe spaces, but I had a harder time concentrating there than in a traditional office.

Speaking of work, even if I am working at home, by myself, I still need to wear headphones. After 13 years in offices, old habits die hard. Even though I’m clearly not trying to avoid anyone, I’ll still sometimes have my headphones on with no music? Either way, I am glad I have my trusty Beats, which are totally a security blanket for my ears.

And you? What’s making you happy lately?

It’s been a while since I’ve done a links I love post (here, that is—I do them on the regs at work), and I found some particularly awesome reads this week, so I thought I’d share. I also have been trying to make a point of letting the author know, via email, tweet or comment, when I’ve really enjoyed something they’ve written because it’s nice to show a little appreciation for their work.

Have You Met My Life Partner, Low-Grade Anxiety? This read was GOOD, and I think unfortunately, far too many of us can identify with it. (ELLE)

The Cult of Busy I will fully admit that I’ve definitely glorified busy too much as well as made myself unnecessarily busy, so this article resonated a whole lot with me. Over the past year, I’ve been actively trying to de-busy my life. And it’s awesome. (Medium)

F Yes or No I found this one via Grace’s blog and it builds on the “hell yes or no” principle of saying no if you’re not fully enthusiastic about something and applies it to dating. Still searching for that hell yes! (Mark Manson)

Nutrition Labels for Alcohol, Explained Or, rather, their lack thereof and the complicated reasons behind it and the potential public health implications of consumers knowing how many calories they’re consuming when they drink. (Vox)

Stupidity Virus Apparently, that’s a thing. (ABC News)

On the book front, I finished Amy Poehler’s book and started the galley of Andie’s book. I enjoyed the first 75% of Amy’s book, because it was freaking hysterical, and then it kind of fell off, and I finished it just to finish it. She writes about penning a book being difficult, and you can kind of tell she just wanted to be done, too, by the end. Still, I love her super-sarcastic voice. I’m only a few chapters into Andie’s book, but I love her writing voice, too. (Totally different.) These two books—and reading my coworker Amanda’s output—just make me want to be a better writer.

What were your favorite reads this week, and do you have any favorite reads (books or online) on writing?