72 - Reflection
Hey there, !
It's been an incredibly relaxing break - I know I haven't seen you for a while but hope you had a great holiday, and you're refreshed for a new year ahead. (The extra two weeks for me was mint 😉)
I've got a lot more in the backlog to come - look forward to another year of more great content (I've already translated the new year of Zodiac predictions :D)
As always, if you have anything you want to hear about, drop me a note! I'm always keen to learn about what's up in your world :)
A little thing I thought about reflecting on last year was the curious case of...well, how we've emerged from lockdown / a new normal of the pandemic.
The pandemic isn't over, of course, and it's an ever-present spectre that haunts our daily comings and goings. Watching the latest outbreak hot-zones spread from Cheltenham, to Chadstone, to Burwood; it kept creeping closer and closer, and the anxiety ratcheted up as well.
Not that terrifying, but enough to make you wary.
I think a lot of us are like that now, hey? Wary, that is. We're more cautious about how we go out and about; we're less...spontaneous, especially because there are so many restrictions on what we can and can't do. 50 person limits? 15 person limits? Masks?!
I don't know about you guys, but I'm much more measured about where I'm going, what I'm doing, who I'm with...the planning side of me is in full swing. Bittersweet - if only I could plan out the unpredictable nature of the virus...
The other thing about the lack of 'spontaneity' is that there's just so much fun to be had at home anyway. I think we all discovered that our homes could be much more than just somewhere we come back home to after work to eat and sleep at. I know that I deliberately mixed in a bit of novelty to break up the boredom (by buying different types of Asian snacks HAHA).
I saw many of us get pets, get plants, get into Netflix binges, have movie nights, play virtual board games, get into bread making, get into art and crafts, start reading again, explore local areas, construct great spaces at home, play video games, get into cooking - essentially, creating our own happiness and finding pleasure in the little things.
It's just really nice to see. I think about it as well, as I go out to see friends more now, that there's so much we've gained during the lockdown. We've found so many things to do and to experience, even in a year of such adversity.
The concept of the hedonic treadmill is one I've mentioned on the newsletter in the past - we adapt to our surrounding environments, no matter the positive or negative change, and usually return to a level of happiness that we had before the change.
We always return to an equilibrium, whether it's been good or bad times.
That's a pretty good thought, right?
How've you been feeling? What have you loved / hated about this time? Let me know!
Chat soon :)
Let me know if you have any feedback for the newsletter!
✔️ Real Life Recommendations
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Soul - the newest Disney/Pixar movie, that's out on Disney+. I recommend watching it if you have access to it - it's a brilliant film (as we expect from the Pixar crew), and seems much more targeted to adults than kids. A lot of really metaphysical questions about what life's purpose is and how to attain it; I love the metaphor about life being water, because it was something I talked about here.
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In Bruges - an exceptional, dark-comedy film starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. Tells the story of two hitmen who are hiding out in Bruges, and their boss has told one of them to kill the other - classic tension, built perfectly. The dialogue is fantastic - actually laugh out loud funny - but deals with some freakin' serious topics.
🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
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COVID-19 Houseplants - "Since when did people start naming their plants?" 👀 The value of naming a living thing creates a bond that can't be broken.
Don't worry guys, Feleafcia's doing very well! :)
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This is what the coronavirus will do to offices and homes - an interesting way of using storytelling to envision the future.
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What was fun? - credit: Bev - a really fascinating article reflecting on what we found fun pre-pandemic. Why hasn't 'fun' come back into our lives yet? Shouldn't it have, after lockdown? Are we missing something?
“Are you fun?” I wonder, staring at focaccia recipes on the internet. Is Emily in Paris fun? Is a Zoom birthday party fun, is ordering a pizza fun, are jokes fun, is wine fun? Have I ever experienced fun?