What to do...
When you don't know what to do.
Hola!
You’ll be opening this on June 1… so, Happy June!
I had to double-check the date before writing that first line because all week, I’ve been doing the “What day is it?” routine. Memorial Day Weekend will do that to a person.
While the three-day weekend was awesome (I’m definitely not complaining), they sometimes can be too much fun. For me, I get a little carried away with all the free time and really step up my procrastination game. This meant that while I was out golfing and galavanting this weekend, I tricked myself into thinking I had “all this time” to work on some writing projects with approaching deadlines… including what you’re reading.
I kept defaulting to the enormous amount of time I had until it was 8:30 on Sunday Monday night, and my inner voice asked me, “Yo. Slacker. How’s that weekly newsletter coming? Got a good subject yet, punk?”
Because there’s nothing like starting a project at 8:30 any night, much less a holiday weekend.
Am I right?
Yes, I had some ideas for content (the podcasts, etc.)… but you know, I always like to greet my newsletter guests with some conversation. Kind of like inviting people over for dinner - you don’t open the door and lead them to the table. They need to be wooed.
How was I going to woo you guys?
I thought about making this letter focused on summer. Because, after all, it’s June 1.
Clever, right?
But it was getting late, and I was tired… so, I asked my assistant for some help.
“What are 10 fun facts or products to use in a newsletter about summer?”
(In case you’re wondering, my assistant prefers to remain anonymous, but her initials are A.I.)
It turned out A.I. was having trouble getting back into the routine, too, because the list she came up with was LAME and #obvio.
Some highlights:
“Head to the beach with some friends a rent a kayak.” (Wow, I never thought of that.)
“Get some blue tooth speakers and have an outdoor bbq.” (Gee, cool, I can find speakers that go outside? How novel.)
And my personal favorite (and one that still has me perplexed):
“Relax on the beach (ok, that checks out, but wait for it…) on a towel with built-in speakers.”
So while I considered just writing about how weird and stupid it sounded to have built-in speakers on something that gets wet, I decided to hit the hay and pray for Divine Inspiration. (You know, Divine Intervention’s helpful second cousin.)
And it did come.
Around 4:30 a.m., when I woke up and thought maybe I could write a newsletter about being a newsletter writer and not having a topic.
The concept worked for Seinfeld, right?
This leads me to What I’d Rather Be Talking About:
Sometimes ideas (or solutions to problems) aren’t supposed to come to us at the snap of a button or the touch of a keyboard.
My… “What the hell am I going to write about this week?” is the next person’s “What the hell am I going to do with my life?” (Which, if we’re getting picky, is also the second question I asked myself last night, but that’s another newsletter.)
The sandy truth is that even though we live in an instant world (with assistants and information available at the click of a button), sometimes we must let things percolate and gel.
With that, I can’t wait to see what you’ll find below in this newsletter.
Abbey
(Do you think they’re listening to music?)
LISTEN
Who doesn’t want to Feel Better & Live More? You can, thanks to this fabulous podcast that takes a deep dive into How Your Brain Creates Your Reality: A Neuroscientist’s Take On Consciousness, Near Death Experiences & What it Really Means to Be You with Professor Anil Smith. (So, basically, some light listening and perhaps the world’s longest podcast name.)
Because after that one, I think we need something light… how about Jenna Elfman on Keeping Hamsters Alive on this week’s episode of Best Friend Energy? This podcast is always a fun listen, I promise.
Finally, I just LOVED this episode of SO Money, “Becoming Your Boss’s Boss with Margie Fox and Meghan Flood,” & wish I could work with Margie and Meghan. The back story? Margie was Meghan’s first employer out of college. Today, Meghan runs her own design agency and hired Margie as her partner. It’s a genius arrangement that benefits both Margie and Meghan. Give it a listen - this is one of those conversations where you wish you could meet (and/or work for!) the guests on the show. Margie sounds like a total hoot.
WATCH
Inspo for getting lots of greens & fruit… is always found on Chanty Marie’s channel. Here she shows us this week’s haul, which makes me wish I lived closer to Trader Joe’s.
So, sometimes when I’m doing dishes or other stuff around the house, I play YouTube in the background. I randomly select a video based on a theme - travel, recipes, woo-woo afterlife stuff, or home decor - whatever I’m in the mood for. Last week, I played this one because the title, A Spiritual Journey is Full of Signs from Loved Ones, caught my attention. Give it a watch, and I think you’ll see why I was so surprised.
This week I’ve got a bunch of projects, but I also want to get my house in order. According to this video, I can get my entire house decluttered in one hour. Sounds good to me. I’ll let you know how it goes.
BUY * MAKE * TRAVEL
I love salads all year round, but especially in summer. If you’re the same, check out Incredible Summer Salad Recipes that are Actually Satisfying (Vegan), or who doesn’t love a Greek Salad?
Another great food for hot summer days is Salmorejo… a cold tomato soup with just a few ingredients. Important to note that nobody makes salmorejo like my friend Rodrigo, but let’s see what Omar of YouTubeland says about the soup. I may try to re-create it on a hot summer day.
Speaking of travel. If you really want to head somewhere this summer or year but aren’t sure where… here are 23 possible trips to consider. Or try these budget-friendly ideas.
Finally, did you know there are 15 weekends in summer? As I write this, it’s too late to check the math, but I’m trusting that the folks at Reader’s Digest aren’t lying about it in their article on the 15 Best Summer Getaways You’ll Want to Book This Second.
Finally, if you’re going to be traveling, maybe it’s time for new luggage. (A.I. recently told me they make suitcases that charge your devices.) Rolling Stone (yes, Rolling Stone) came up with some great recommendations on luggage here. Personally, I’m holding out for luggage from Monos or Away.
ON A SERIOUS NOTE
Just as I like to woo my guests when they enter my house, I don’t like to kick them to the curb after they eat their last bite of dessert, either. We need an after-dinner drink or something.
So, instead of just sending you off to your newsletter car, I’ve got a bit more for you.
Sometimes ideas do flow. Problems are solved easily. Life trucks along seamlessly.
Other times… not so much.
And at those times, it’s easy to freak out and worry about what you’re not doing or what you should do next.
This puts you in a frenzy, wanting to solve your dilemma even more. Good thing it’s super easy to work through things when your mind is in a tizzy.
What I’ve learned is that when you feel like this, sometimes it’s best to go to bed.
If it happens to be daytime, you can always head to the beach and lay on your new questionable beach towel with melodies playing softly in your ears.
Just be careful of the water.
Until next week,
Abbey