Life of Leah - January 2020
What I'm thinking about...
Resolutions.
People kept asking me what my new year’s resolutions were and I told them I don’t make any. I have a few reasons, one being the evidence that the best time to make a lasting change in your life is the Summer, not the middle of Winter. Hibernation is not a time to switch to an active behavior change.
I’ve also realized an arbitrary date isn’t going to bring about a completely new me. The biggest difference between December 31st and January 1st is that New Year’s Day is a paid holiday at work, which makes it undeniably better. I did attempt to start my new year off right by showing up to yoga class along with 7 other folks, but then the instructor skipped class and we were left contemplating our resolution in the cold. Thankfully, January 2nd is just as effective of a date to take a small step towards success.
The truth is, I don’t want to set myself up to fail in the new year. My best bud, Perfectionism, kicks in and convinces me that if I make a goal and don’t complete it, I am the worst human to ever walk the planet and should not even try to be successful. I know, melodramatic, but the stakes are apparently very high and one missed resolution could result in my whole life falling apart.
With all that in mind, I do have two things I’ve tried out this first month of the new year. One is a daily writing challenge from Find Your Voice. I lasted about two weeks but instead of berating myself for my failure, I’m taking comfort in the fact that I can pick up where I left off anytime whenever I’m ready to. Second new thing is this newsletter. I want to write more in 2020, and I want need some accountability in that, which is why I’m sending this to you. Congratulations, you’re now my accountability partner!
On the last day of every month, I’ll send you a couple paragraphs on what I’m thinking about, and share some of the things I’ve enjoyed over the past month. If you like it, keep reading, if you don’t, unsubscribe like you would from any other email and I'll stop bugging you.
What I watched…
At TRIFF, I saw the full version of Look at What the Light Did Now and was incredibly moved by the stories told. You can see a few on the same Vimeo page you’ll find the trailer at. The film reminded me of what I learned in 2019 about narrative work and intuitive movement as therapeutic techniques, allowing us to move through the pain we carry in our bodies whether we acknowledge it’s there or not. Seeing this piece pull these concepts and stories together is truly beautiful, I hope the full length version will be on a streaming platform we can access in the future!
A few months ago, I heard some friends discussing the final scene of Slave Play and was intrigued by the complex racial, sexual, and emotional dynamics it left them sorting through. I’m so glad I got tickets before they closed the show this month, watching the play was provocative, tense, thrilling, hilarious, and more. I want to dig in to the list of resources they drew from, but a quick look at it should give you an idea of the material they cover. If you missed it while it was in NYC, you can imagine it by reading the play.
What I read…
A book club assignment for this month was The Memory Police and I’m haunted by it. Up until the end, I wasn’t sure how the author was going to leave the world she created. It’s a steady page-turner, and makes you consider how you would live if you had no choice but to forget certain memories. I’d recommend the read!
I’m about halfway through Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle and it’s a nice blend of narrative, science, and pop culture analogies to acknowledge and work through the stress women face. I especially like the authors' guidance on how to work through stress (hint: you have to complete the stress cycle) while giving strategies for dealing with the stress factors outside of our control (spoiler alert: patriarchy is one of them). The book includes lots of worksheets that I tell myself I will do later but then forget to because I don’t actually want to deal with my stress. Self-sabotage for the win!
What I ate & drank…
Have any loose leaf tea recommendations? My new daily ritual is brewing something from Tea Xotics (thx Janae!) in this teapot (thx Dustin!) out of a lovely boob mug (thx Esther!).
Sorry, Mom!
What I’m proud of…
Teampay made Built in NYC’s 50 Best Small Companies to Work For in NYC 2020 list and even though we eked out at #49, it’s nice to have a badge that says your job may be an attractive option for someone who didn’t want to work at the top 48 best small companies to work for in NYC 2020. I kid, I kid, I’m happy to be there.
What I'll leave you with…
You’ve reached the end of my first installment. Stay tuned for more of me spouting words on your screen.