I really love... (for Cyndi)
Yesterday my friend Cyndi gave me some advice to live by, citing her yoga instructor [with a sense of irony in her voice]. This yoga instructor was telling an end-of-class story about an interview with Amy Sedaris (notably of Strangers with Candy) she'd heard on the radio, during which Sedaris listed, with child-like wonder, all the things she "really loves." The yoga instructor, and then Cyndi, and then I reflected on this for a while, and took from the story that no matter how grim things get, and how lacking in wonder and excitement and happiness the days may seem, there are always the things we "really love."
Well, I'm going to give the exercise a shot, starting with this weekend. I really love:
* my new apartment. We moved this weekend to our beautiful new spot in Carroll Gardens, and boy am I a happy camper. (And camping is what it feels like in my massive room with little furniture.) It's a little spooky for an apartment-bred Manhattanite like me to be living in a big old house, but I'm sure I'll adjust just fine. Pictured left, my coworker Cindy (a different Cyndi than "I really Love"-Cyndi) sitting on the newly lacquered floors.
* Feist. I went with Eliza to see her play at Central Park Summerstage yesterday afternoon despite forecast thunderstorms, and it was a great concert, with some beer drinking, running into new and old friends (from my days working at the festival), and a solid hour+ of my favorite vocalist.
* office buddies. They'd probably kill me for posting this photo, but these girls constitute some of the executive assistant corps (read: my life support at the office). Last week the company hosted the annual Spring party on the roof deck of our Chelsea office location where we drank white wine sangria and made an informal rule not to talk about work. It [sort of] worked.
What else?
* getting snail mail (This should be at the top of the list.)
* cotton tees and linen pants
* friends who tell me uplifting anecdotes on Sunday nights
* house plants
* staying cool when it's hot out
* Hainanese chicken rice
If you're ever down, do try this exercise. It does make things seem not-so-bad after all.
Well, I'm going to give the exercise a shot, starting with this weekend. I really love:
* my new apartment. We moved this weekend to our beautiful new spot in Carroll Gardens, and boy am I a happy camper. (And camping is what it feels like in my massive room with little furniture.) It's a little spooky for an apartment-bred Manhattanite like me to be living in a big old house, but I'm sure I'll adjust just fine. Pictured left, my coworker Cindy (a different Cyndi than "I really Love"-Cyndi) sitting on the newly lacquered floors.
* Feist. I went with Eliza to see her play at Central Park Summerstage yesterday afternoon despite forecast thunderstorms, and it was a great concert, with some beer drinking, running into new and old friends (from my days working at the festival), and a solid hour+ of my favorite vocalist. 
* office buddies. They'd probably kill me for posting this photo, but these girls constitute some of the executive assistant corps (read: my life support at the office). Last week the company hosted the annual Spring party on the roof deck of our Chelsea office location where we drank white wine sangria and made an informal rule not to talk about work. It [sort of] worked.What else?
* getting snail mail (This should be at the top of the list.)
* cotton tees and linen pants
* friends who tell me uplifting anecdotes on Sunday nights
* house plants
* staying cool when it's hot out
* Hainanese chicken rice
If you're ever down, do try this exercise. It does make things seem not-so-bad after all.
posted by brad board babe at 5:20 PM
4 Comments:
On Feb 23, in a blog entry entitled "Lost 4-ever", I did this exact exercise (on my blog, so no one here would know since it was in Swedish). It IS a good exercise, and it generated some interesting responses. I wrote at the time that I love Lost (duuuh), vinegar, the winter olympics, going to bed early when I've just washed my sheets, living in a student dorm, the Eurovision Song Contest, buying new electronics, and ginger. Looking back at it today, I realize that it's a pretty weird list. Gabriel loves horseradish on cheese, red flashing lights, and throwing away food (amongst other things). And my brother loves curling.
Another thing that I've quite enjoyed while celebrating midsummer (a holiday that I wouldn't hesitate to add to my list) is the new Feist album of "remixes and collabs", entitled "Open Season". Well worth a listen.
i think you forgot chicken with cashews!
I'd like to add one thing: painting things white.
"Uplifting anecdotes"?
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