What in the world is happening? This week has been one of the worst of my life, and as I was just now preparing to send this to you, an earthquake hit New York City. I was sitting in bed writing and the bed started jumping. This is how my life has felt this week too. Like a great force has come and lifted me off the ground and turned me upside down.
In both cases, I am physically safe. And I know I’ll be okay, because I’ve been okay before. But right now, I’m not okay and I thought maybe I wouldn’t write this week. I thought maybe I would hide under the dining table of my life and wait for the shaking to stop.
But for me, not writing feels like not breathing. All week, despite it all, there have been beautiful moments, tiny pockets of grace, and observations of wonder. This is the power of practicing joy and play and pleasure. Even though the ground has trembled beneath me, I stand secure in my decision to actively name what is good here. I got to this place because I’ve endured so much shit and so much pain, and I know if I don’t hold onto the good, as tiny or transient as it may be, I absolutely will lose my grip and be harmed.
In that sense, there has perhaps not yet been a more important OOH LA LA! to send. This project is one way I am making my contribution to the world I want to live in, and I thank you for being part of this practice with me.
(Read to the end for a poem treat.)
This week’s OOH LA LA! list includes: the sound of birds singing, reading in a cozy space surrounded by strangers, being recognized by a Taco Bell employee.
I’ve been walking around the city without my headphones. I started doing this as a safety measure, but I’m finding that without them, I’m feeling more awake to the world and present to my own mind. Even more than hearing the delicious overhead snippets of conversation, my favorite sound is the sound of birds singing. I just learned that when we hear birds singing, our parasympathetic nervous system is activated, which is the part responsible for promoting relaxation and reducing stress levels. This is because birds only sing where there are no predators around, so we naturally evolved to associate this sound with safety. How cool is that!
There is something so soothing about reading in a cozy space surrounded by strangers. I have ADHD so I often have a hard time focusing on books, but when I’m in a room with other people where things are happening, my brain noise gets quieter. Shoutout to the shared sofa where I sat reading my book in a coffee shop open late on the Lower East Side this week and felt so much peace.
The Taco Bell near me has a sign on the door that says they are open until 2 AM or later. To me, this is like a friend saying I can call anytime. I know Taco Bell will always be there for me. This felt especially true this week when, after placing a late-night online order through the app (for two hard tacos with beans instead of meat, made fresco style), I walked to the back by the big purple sign, and before I could say anything, a smiling employee spotted me and said, “Oh! Hi Lj!” and handed me my bag. LET ME TELL YOU, being recognized by a Taco Bell employee made me feel less alone and less invisible, and that my friend, is a real gift.
Thanks for reading!
I’d love to know about your OOH LA LA! somethings. Share in the communal laughing walk by the river.
Reply to this email with 1-3 sentences about your current obsessions, passions, and pleasures, big or small! It feels good!
XOXO,
LJ
Here’s another poem for us from the incomparable Mary Oliver. I’ve been thinking of it all week and it now feels more relevant than ever. She writes: “We shake with joy, we shake with grief. What a time they have, these two housed as they are in the same body.”
It is always both/ and for me. The joy and the grief. The uncertainty and the calm. The violent upheaval and finding peace within the home inside myself. Hoping for this for you too.
The Taco Bell employee also hooked me up on tomatoes! Yum!
Holy mole tacos! That eq was wild. I hope the worst of whatever ails you is past. 🤍