Newsletter SampleI’ve got some good snacks for your brain to chomp on this week while you're waiting for your vaccine appointment. I hope it inspires some yummy contemplation, inspiration, and courageous implementation.
The one email that spawned a six-year friend group
Lauren Capelin had a common problem with a simple solution. She didn't like the structure of typical book clubs, so she tweaked the format and invited a short list of acquaintances and friends to try it with her. Six years, eleven babies, and 20 new friends later, they are still going strong. If you tend to have 1-on-1 friendships but crave the belonging that comes with having a friend group, you'll want to check this one out.
Let’s try something new
"How are you?" can be a hard question to answer when a multitude of positive, exciting, hopeful AND scary, sad, disappointing things are all happening at the same time, a.k.a. life right now, a.k.a. life all the time. It's also worth acknowledging that a lot of times, the question "how are you?" just flies out of our mouths via habit as if it's the only way to start a conversation. Sometimes we ask "how are you?" when we don't actually have the time and energy to truly sit and listen to the reality of how someone is doing. Sometimes people aren't in the mood to explain the complicated internal world inside them, nor to brush their truth aside with the compulsory answer “fine” or “good”.
It's high time we gave those three words a rest and checked in with each other with different questions that give a better indication about how much listening we're really ready to do — or better yet, replace that question with a simple statement that conveys the care that you think “how are you?” is conveying. I've put together this list of alternatives to “How are you?” for light check-ins, and deep check-ins, and text check-ins here on my blog. And big thanks to Austin Kleon and all the folks that have been sharing this post on social media. Let's please give this old question a break and meet each other with a little more intention.
How to start a friend group; introverts who want to stay in lockdown, and the national parks of emotion
Meet the introverts who are dreading the end of lockdown
This tidbit from the Washington Post was sent in by Connection Club member Grace. (Fun fact: At our most recent Connection Club session, we accomplished what physics claims isn't possible: a gathering consisting of 100% introverts).
It's tragic that attaining a slower, more peaceful lifestyle had to come courtesy of a deadly virus. And it's also true that a formidable ~40% of the population found pleasure in the calmed-down version of this game called Life — and they're not looking forward to the version that's noisy, busy, crowded, and flush with extrovert-biased social demands.
If you're one of my introverted kin, you'll find catharsis in this piece. And if you're an extrovert who doesn't understand introverts at all, it'll give you a peek behind the curtain into what our minds and feelings are like.
For when you want to go outside but have no idea where to go
Do you want to get out of the house but bars and restaurants still feel like a giant #NoThanks? Are you stumped because your city lacks Third Places? If you've already worn a well-trod path through your favorite local park and neighborhood sidewalks, check out what other folks are doing to to experience life sweetly and safely outside their own four walls. This poll is the work of Sara Campbell, who included in in her also wonderfully readable letter this week (and which accurately captures the cat-bonkers-vibe of wanting to sprint through an open door, only to have no idea what to do once you get on the other side of it. 😹)
The National Parks of Emotion
If you're having a LOT of feelings lately and could use a new creative prompt for how to express them, you might enjoy the National Parks of Emotion, a project by Mindy Stricke. In this participatory multidisciplinary writing and art project, you're invited to imagine your emotion as a national park, and write a guide for what it's like to be there.
Liked this letter? Share it with a friend! Wanna buy me a latte macchiato for my birthday month? I'm @katvellos on Venmo, PayPal, and Cash app. :) Have a beautiful week!
XOXO,
Kat
