Chocolate is Good For You
Take that to the Easter Bunny Police. I've got medical proof. That, and other fun links are all part of this week's edition.
Feliz Thursday~
Starting things out this week wondering where you all are. Are you traveling for the Easter holiday? If not, where are you reading this? (Not, like are you reading this in the bathroom. Yuck. Talking geographic location. Por favor.)
At any rate, would love to hear.
I’ll be actually talking about Easter in a second, but before then, another serious question.
In case you’re wondering, I used to be Team Reese’s, but I seem to have developed a sensitivity to peanut butter. (My throat starts to close a little. Not a lot, but enough to squash my Reese’s Easter Egg addiction. That’s one way to do it.) Now, I’d say I’m either Team Cadbury (the little ones) or… Team Hard Boiled Egg.
Getting back to the Easter…as in the holiday, not the candy part of it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Spain, and the importance of Holy Week (Semana Santa) throughout their country. While Holy Week is sacred around the world, in Spain, Semana Santa traditions are elevated, taking place day and night, with thousands of people participating together, for many days and nights.
Spain takes Semana Santa very seriously.
In fact, if you were to go to nearly any city or village in Spain this week, you’d find processions with religious floats and statues, music, ceremonies, and incense. In addition to the processions and ceremonies, it’s a time for introspection, prayer, and reflection during this last week of Lent leading up to Easter.
I had the opportunity to experience Semana Santa in Zamora, Spain two years ago. If you weren’t a reader back in 2023 when I was writing “Zamora” in every other sentence, you may not be familiar with it. (I was definitely on a high following my wonderful experience there.)
Zamora is a beautiful city in northwestern Spain known as “the City of Romanesque Art.” The people of Zamora are absolutely lovely, and it’s an off-the-beaten-path spot you should definitely add to your travel list. Speaking of Easter, Zamora is said to have the oldest Semana Santa celebration in Spain.
Well, you can tell it impacted my life because here I am, two years later, still wanting to tell the world about my experience. Being part of Zamora’s Semana Santa was hands-down one of the most moving weeks of my life.
You have to experience Semana Santa to fully understand what I’m talking about - but it’s basically a week straight of processions, day and night, with marching bands, chanting, singing, and also, silence.
For the thousands of Spaniards and tourists who come to participate, the experience goes far beyond witnessing an event - you become part of it.
An interesting fact about Semana Santa festivities throughout Spain is that they look and feel different, depending on the region where they take place. For example, while Zamora’s processions are somber and intimate, featuring dark colors, Semana Santa in Seville has a completely different feeling, with vibrant colors and larger crowds.
How do I know this? Well, first from conversations with Spaniards.
But as I was writing today’s newsletter, I decided to do some fact checking and in the process, I actually answered my own questions.
WHAT?
Below are a few photos from my time in Zamora.
When you look at the above picture, you might be alarmed at what the individuals are wearing - but it doesn’t mean what you might think. The individuals donning robes and capirotes (pointy hats) are called “penitentes.” The capirotes were worn as a symbol of penance - their faces are covered for the purpose of anoymity and their caps point upwards, symbolizing their prayers and confessions going to heaven.
I highly recommend attending Semana Santa in Spain at some point in your life - regardless of your religious affiliation.
It’s a time to pause and be part of a deep display of human connection, emotion, spirituality, and reflection.
Which leads nicely into What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week:
This newsletter comes to you as we head into Easter.
But the thing is, whether you celebrate Easter, Passover, Ramadan, or any other religious/spiritual/personal ritual throughout the year…
they all share a common element.
These introspective times give us a day, week,
or longer
to step away from daily life,
and do a bit of reflecting.
And this reflection time is What I’d Rather Be Talking About.
Because the hard truth is,
in the hustle and bustle of life,
we’re probably not reflecting
as often as we should.
So maybe this is your sign to go inward,
do some reflecting,
and see what you uncover.
Light a candle, burn some incense, go to church, take a walk, hit your yoga mat… do whatever you need to do.
Just be still.
On that note, I’ll leave you to your thoughts.
When you’re ready, you can jump down a bit and take a look at the links I’ve put together for you this week.
You might want to pay close attention to the links - there’s one with the medical proof that chocolate is good for you. You’ll want to find it, as there’s another food or drink many of us love that’s also been deemed “good for us.”
Links to simply your life
Want to have more energy, think more clearly, accomplish more, and feel better? Then sleep more. This meditation will help. PROMISE.
Also, I’ve mentioned The Honest Guys before for their meditations, and this 10 minute recharge sure does the trick.
Spring cleaning… your mind… might make everything easier and better. Here’s how to do it.
How Stoicism and Reflecting can take your life to the next level - getting a bit deep, but this is good.
Slow Living could be the key to living a more simple life, and also making the most of every day.
Links to make life and work more efficient
Take these tips from producivity guru Jeremy Caplan - use Snipd to finally remember those significant podcast takeaways, catch up on articles with Readwise Reader and get a handle on your overflowing emails with Superhuman’s email app.
Also from Jeremy, give TIMEBOXING a try.
Note: Jeremy’s content is gold. As a paid subscriber, I highly recommend his newsletter Wonder Tools.
Links to update your wardrobe, linens, or towels
Not going clothes or shoe shopping anytime soon, but if I were, these bags would be on my list, as would this shirt (and really anything) from Evereve, but these shoes though trendy would not. (They remind me of my piano teacher, who wouldn’t let me quit and made me play songs from the Leila Fletcher Piano Course #torture.) But I do love these clogs any day of the year and I cannot unsee these clogs or