Hi lovely friends,
It’s December already!! What. How. What is time indeed?
Rahul (from the Great British Bake-Off) sums it up nicely:
Image source: @netflixisajoke / The Great British Bake-Off
Yet, I found some comfort in reading gratitude lists from other people.
Yes, the “X things you are thankful for in 2020” lists will start making their rounds soon around the Internet, if they haven’t started already.
What’s the deal with gratitude lists? For the cynical and jaded, creating gratitude lists can come across as saccharine and insincere. Or it’s a reminder of people’s privilege in life that they’re remembering the good life they have. But maybe it’s a matter of perspective? I find there’s something uniquely human about reading what other people are thankful for.
Case in point - this monster list of 1,000 things this writer is grateful for.
Some of these things are incredibly mundane. Yet they range from the grandiose (hot air balloon rides) to mundane, yet profound things (Today).
Yet as I scan through the list above, I see things that I can relate to. Sharing gratitude lists can connect you to a person halfway around the world despite (at least on the surface), not having anything in common. But is that true though? There’s a moment of shared humanity at sharing and expressing what you’re thankful for.
What I’m thankful for: seeing a beautiful early morning cloud formation out of a window.
Question for you, dear reader, what are you thankful for today? Feel free to reply to share or leave a comment , I’ll love to hear them!
What’s new:
Frankly, I didn’t write much on my own platforms this week. A little micro-piece about the power of journaling that I wrote for myself on why this whole act of writing in a space that’s solely for yourself is it’s form of therapy.
As we near the tail-end of 2020 (what!) I hope you have your own safe space to let yourself be. Whether it’s drawing, working out painting, cooking, baking or even say, woodworking, I hope there’s an activity you can turn to for sustenance.
I’ve got some book reviews and jumbled thoughts in the queue when I can get back into the proper headspace for putting words on the page. I hate that I haven’t posted much or written much, but life gets in the way sometimes. Time to try again this coming week.
Awesome things I learned this week:
Stages of the builder’s journey: File this under an article that’s short, but dense with powerful ideas. This is something I can frame and in front of me as I head further into the builder’s life. Key lessons: get started today, follow your curiosities, add value to the conversation and keep building in public.
Coffee culture in 1970’s Singapore: Besides having one of the best Substack names (let them eat cake!); Singaporean food writer Tse Wei Lim is a recent discovery of mine and slowly becoming a favourite! This one exploring the ‘kopi’ culture of 1970’s and raises important questions. Why does a cup of Starbucks cost $6 whereas a kopi ; (coffee brewed by a hawker) cost maybe 80 cents to a dollar despite needing similar levels of skill and integrity?)
Questions to ask yourself when reading or after reading a book. A gem of a Twitter thread by Juvoni Beckford guiding a close examination of a book. Especially loved the questions asking which parts you disagree with. I’m a naturally agreeable person, so forcing me to think about the parts I don’t agree with was surprisingly challenging.
A bunch of smart rabbit holes on Twitter. I’ve been falling more and more into these insightful rabbit holes masquerading as a Twitter thread. So much amazing tools for thought and material to read, digest and think about
Examples:
Quotes I’m thinking about
“Sometimes abuse happens in small ways over a long period of time. Repeatedly minimising your feelings or experiences, invalidating your work or concerns, punishing or teasing you when you are struggling. At the end of it all, I always think “How did I let myself go through this?” But I must remind myself, abuse is a complicated thing. Sometimes, we love people who hurt us. Sometimes, it takes time and distance to see things clearly.” A wonderful illustrated comic series by Hong Kong-based Kaitlin Chan.
Thought: Abuse isn’t always about in the context of a relationship with others, although that is just as valid. Abuse can also be within the relationship with yourself and how you talk to yourself when you’re feeling down.
“You don’t have to be good at something for it to be good for you.”
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I hope you have a lovely week ahead, dear reader!
Joshua
The thing about reading gratitude lists
Insightful observation about abuse.