The amount of people telling me to “write that novel” or start “creating that thing” I’ve been talking about creating for years, is almost as stressful as catching the damn Corona Virus. I’ve been torn between doing the things I truly enjoy at the moment -binge watching all things Netflix & HULU, eating all of my quarantine snacks, and over indulging on social media. Versus what I feel I “should” be doing – reading, writing more blog posts, hosting online sessions.
If I’m honest, wrapping my head around doing any of the “creative activities” seems about as hard as running a marathon right now. I don’t have the energy, inspiration or motivation to begin. So with the idea of just beginning where you are, I decided to write. This is not some inspirational post about how to stay connected in the time of social distancing, but rather, how I am actually filling my time during this time of pandemic.
I got the template from my favorite blog Cupcakes & Cashmere and wanted to share my rec’s with you. Us uninspired couch potatoes gotta stick together after all.
At-Home Workout:
As much as I’d love to say I’m doing yoga in my lulu lemons for 30 minutes a day, the truth is I barely get out and walk. I did have a burst of energy during week 1 of quarantine where I made all of these promithes promithes (que 3LW) to move my body more.
I took an online cardio dance class with an instructor from my gym and in 30 minutes I burned over 230 calories! If you want to get your body moving to some pop and hip hop jams then Mo_B_Motivation is where you want to go every Wednesday and Thursday at 4 P.M.
Funny Movie:
A Simple Favor is about Stephanie a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate”. I wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I did watching this movie because of the above description , however A Simple Favor , starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively was literally LOL funny, intentional or not. While the storyline is pretty serious and had some intense story arcs, it still managed to be light. I think what I enjoyed most was the unexpected pleasure I got that I didn’t realize I needed, watching this movie.
Book Title +Author
I wanted to love “Where the Crawdads Sing” as much as everyone else has. I’d heard so many great things about how readers “never wanted it to end” and that Reese Witherspoon was thinking of turning it into a movie. So when I went to the library right before lockdown, I could barely contain my excitement that it was available for checkout. The story was beautiful and while it wasn’t one that I “never wanted to end” I could understand why this murder mystery written with incredibly beautiful detail and a controversial ending held readers captive. I’m mentioning this book here because after reading it I somehow felt like I’d accomplished something great in finishing a book not required for book club. Plus now I can feel free to join in the conversation when discussion of this book comes up.
Bingeable Show:
I began watching Tiger King one evening at around 9:00 P.M. fully expecting that I’d doze off before the first episode was over. When I looked up at the clock I was on the last episode of this 7 episode docuseries and hadn’t closed my mouth from the absolute shock. This series has to be the weirdest, wildest, most detestable profile of people I’ve ever seen on. I was intrigued, mortified by what I can only describe as an underground sub culture of people obsessed with the idea of domesticating wild animals namely tigers (hence the title of the show). Tiger King stayed with me even days later. Shortly after, someone on social media refusing to watch the show explained, “I just don’t want to invite those people into my living room.” and although too late for me, it summed up what I felt, and why it sat with me for so long. But since this post is about transparency and how I’m actually spending my days in quarantine… I binged it, couldn’t turn away from it and found it interestingly detestable.
Uplifting Playlist or Artist:
If there’s one good thing that has come from this pandemic it has to be all of the free couch concerts I’ve been able to attend. I’ve seen John Legend sing live from his foyer as his wife Chrissy Teigen sat across his Baby Grand Piano in only a bath towel. I’ve heard H.E.R play all of her hits songs acoustically from the comfort of my bed and for the last 4 weeks I have watched Tori Kelly sing her hit songs and those of others, personally requested by her fans on her Instagram Live at 1:00 P.M. PST. every single day! She even brings on a special guest and they do a split screen jam session. Past guests have included Jessie J, JoJo, H.E.R. and Amber Riley. Tori’s Instagram Live sessions are unplanned and off the cuff (which lets you know how truly talented she is) and her voice has given me something to look forward to each day.
Recipe (Name + Source):
I had plans to become a legit baker when this pandemic was all over and unfortunately I’ve not lived up to my own hype. I have however baked the kinda stuff that comes easy and involves only a box of mix and two simple ingredients. These Snickerdoodle’s while simple gave me much needed cooking confidence.
Guided Meditation:
I may not shower everyday during this pandemic but what I have yet to miss is my morning meditation. I take it seriously and believe that it is the one thing that has held me together on days where I’ve felt depressed and often times distraught. As a part of my self care routine it has made all the difference in the world. When I’m especially struggling and need a reminder about the absolute beauty that is the life we get to live, I turn to this guided meditation by Sarah Blondin called Honoring Life.
Longform Article (Title & Author):
I’m very fascinated by bartenders. Whenever I’m sitting at a bar alone I find myself studying them, how they fluidly move between making drinks and connecting with customers. I wonder what their personal lives are like and the kinds of stories they bring home each evening, so this article on New York Bartenders and their wildest stories was right up my voyeuristic alley.
Board or Video Game:
The longer the game the better during quarantine. We’ve been playing Scrabble on the roof of our Apartment and it’s really helped to pass the time and keep our minds sharp. We also up the stakes to make the games more exciting like the winner of each game gets a massage or doesn’t have to make dinner.
Podcast:
It’s easy to listen to podcasts like The Daily and form irrational fears around the Corona Virus so I’ve had to hold back on the amount of news I digest each day. I don’t however, want to bury my head in the sand and act like things aren’t serious so listening to Death Sex and Money is a nice balance of both. The podcast tells practical stories about people dealing with the virus in a way that is inspiring and entertaining. Plus when I heard about the death of Bill Withers, I re-listened to this interview with Bill from a few years ago and it was super comforting.
Non-News Website:
Way before the Corona Virus I logged into Cupcakes and Cashmere everyday. The site has smart, inspiring, informative and thought provoking content mixed with style. In fact, I got the idea for this blog post from Cupcakes and Cashmere. The site has also influenced my writing style and I love how it just sounds like a conversation between friends.
What are you reading, watching and doing during this time? If you’re interested I’d love for you to take these questions and answer them in the comments below. I mean you probably have the time 😉