OOH LA LA! #2
Did you know there are flowers that bloom in winter?!
I’m feeling philosophical today (is that a feeling?) and wondering about the dynamics between pleasure and pain. Whoa, buddy, that’s a lot for a Friday morning, but alas, welcome to my brain.
I think a lot, often, about the necessity of pleasure and the power of cultivating joy, even - perhaps especially - in difficult times. I started this weekly writing as a way to root myself in the practice of joy and invite you to do the same, in whatever capacity you can. That’s a big philosophical idea, sure, but I hope to add a lot of humor and play to this practice too. It’s about feeling good, baby!
Still, I know there is a wide world with loads of suffering right now (Gaza is heavy on my mind) and I can’t help but think about the revolutionary power of practicing naming what we love.
This week I watched a TED talk by joy-seeker Ingrid Fetell Lee who said:
“Joy is directly connected to our fundamental instinct for survival.
On the most basic level, the drive toward joy, is the drive toward life.”
In that sense, this silly practice is not just about feeling good, it’s about sustaining our collective survival. By cultivating joy, we are reminded of life. And when we feel our aliveness, we remember our interconnectedness, and can better open up to the fundamental truth that everyone deserves life, joy, and access to pleasure. I want this for all of us!
Thanks for being part of this practice, friend.
This week’s OOH LA LA! list includes: carbonated ginger ale, signs of life appearing from underground, and putting my face on my cat.
I want to know why carbonated ginger ale doesn’t ever taste as good as it does when you’re either on an airplane or when you’re feeling sick. The latter was true for me this week, and for those interested in my health details, you’ll be keen to know that my fibro flare from last week turned out to be food poisoning. Blah!! I’ll never look at grocery-store-bought veggie sushi the same ever again!
I couldn’t eat solid food for four days, so a two-liter of Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale became my saving grace. I’m a very beverage-forward person as is, so I didn’t mind the liquid diet, though I did miss putting salt on my food (that’s another pleasure!). The two-liter is still living in my refrigerator door with a glass or two remaining, but now that I’m healed up, the experience of drinking sugary ginger-flavored carbonated corn water simply doesn’t have the same magic. Why is that?
It finally feels like winter in New York City, and while I’m all for savoring the season, I’m honestly dreaming of spring. Yes, yes, I am a devotee of Katherine May’s wintering wisdoms, but I’m also seriously wishing for the feeling of sun on my skin. Because of this, I have been absolutely delighted by the sight of seeing signs of life appearing from underground! All around the city, green stalks are popping up around the bases of trees that line the sidewalks. When I see them, I stop and smile and bend down to say hello. I know the other pedestrians must wonder what the heck I’m doing. I always hope some unassuming stranger will bend down with me and admire the mysteries right beneath our feet.
I’m so enamored with these little babes because seeing them reminds me that there’s so much invisible growth happening all the time and that there’s still so much goodness ahead. What hope!
To me, there is nothing more comforting than putting my face on my cat. I feel sorry for you if you’ve never done this, because ooh la la, it is lovely to feel her soft fur on my cheek and to hear her purring. I feel even more delighted by this since learning that the frequency of the vibrations produced by a cat’s purrs is healing both to the cat doing the purring and to the person (me) putting their face on the cat! Omg, cats are magic.
Here’s a look at your OOH LA LA! lists this week:
From Lora: My current obsessions include soups that feature ginger and/or lemon (like this one), Jane Austen books and adaptations, and saunas.
From Emily: My OOH LA LA! moments this week included returning to candlelit hot yoga after a 5-year hiatus, reading a book that resonates so strongly that I put a post-it note on practically every page, and enjoying a fancy bottle of wine ‘just because’ (it’s a serious thing to be alive!)
From Ambi: Some of my current tiny pleasures are: Diagonally slicing my banana to add on my peanut butter toast (diagonals make it feel fancy), the sound of a Tibetan singing bowl being struck, and striking a match. I got an old matchbox recently, and I was using lighters for candles for so many years that I forgot how satisfying it was to light a match!
Also - because I know Ambi, I know she has a new coming-of-age book that just opened for pre-orders this week! Ooh la la! It looks really delicious!
Thanks for reading!
I’d love to know about your OOH LA LA! somethings!
Reply to this email with 1-3 sentences about your current obsessions, passions, and pleasures. You can send a list of things you are loving, or write a little blurb expanding on something you’re super into right now. If you’re cool with me sharing your reply in a future post, include a note like “consent to share” in your email.
Cheers to finding the good!
XOXO
Ok, here’s one more fun thing! I’m participating in a comedy game show called “Duty Live!” tomorrow with some really funny, cool people! The event is at 4:00 PM at Caveat, one of my fave NYC venues in the East Village. If you’re in NYC and like laughing, come to the show!