13 Things Thursday: 18

Requesting your feedback, politics, unsexy skincare, and other random things

This edition is going out a little later than usual, because I forgot to schedule my post after I finished it last night. Better late than never!

For the skimmers: I’ve included a poll about a shift I’m thinking of making for these Thursday newsletters. I’d love your input!

---

1. Lately I’ve been thinking of shifting from 13 to 3 Things Thursday to put stuff out more often and make posts more digestible. I also might be able to go deeper with the 3 Things that I share, since I usually try to keep my 13 Things somewhat shorter to be mindful of space. What do you think? What would you like to see?

2. It’s amazing how much the political environment has shifted over the last month, and my attitude along with it. As a left-leaning voter, I feel reinvigorated by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. I have a ton of respect for President Biden, his dedication, and the humility it must have taken to step aside. I will say that it feels so nice to have a choice that feels more representative of the future than the old guard, or at least a nice transition into the next phase. I know a lot can happen between now and Election Day, but for now I’m enjoying the hope and excitement that has replaced the anxiety and indifference.

3. I recently came across two Substack posts by writers I admire that followed a similar theme: Sharon McMahon on the scourge of moral narcissism and Elise Loehnen on the politics of expulsion. I believe it isn’t a coincidence that these posts came out around the same time, and there’s a reason these themes are being brought to light at this moment. Both of these posts highlight how a sense of moral superiority drives intense division in our politics. Now more than ever, we need to be willing to see ourselves clearly, acknowledge our judgement of others, and confront how we may unwittingly perpetuate the very things we claim to abhor. We all have a tendency to fall into these traps of projecting our politics onto our spiritual beliefs (or in some cases, merging them) to avoid cognitive dissonance. This is a very human thing to do, but the key is to be aware of it and give grace to ourselves and others.

4. Speaking of giving ourselves grace in our humanness, I recently almost ruined a chair in my office after panic-spraying a wasp, not realizing until after the fact that the spray contained mineral oil. Ooof. I could have just used a fly swatter, but there’s something about stinging/biting insects that makes me lose all common sense.

5. Thankfully, this happened right around Prime Day, so one of my purchases was a small upholstery cleaner to salvage my chair. It actually worked really well! I initially used a stain removing spray, baking soda, baby powder to absorb the excess oil, and then used plain water to steam and wash the chair and get rid of any leftover residue. I have a feeling this will come in handy to refresh our furniture and get rid of tough stains in our carpets.

6. Recently I let Della out for her evening potty break, and she came face to face with a skunk! Thankfully it just hissed at her, and she ran away, then came back to me when I called her in a panic. I had COVID at the time, so I’m really grateful that I didn’t have to contend with a skunk spraying incident on top of it. Just to be safe, I’ve been taking her out on a leash at night so I can quickly drag her away in case of another encounter.

7. Whenever I come across an animal I don’t see much, I usually look up the spiritual meaning. Skunks can symbolize protection, confidence, fearlessness, or a need for finding balance and setting boundaries. I also learned that skunks are pretty non-confrontational and usually won’t spray unless they feel threatened. Talk about setting a boundary! You sure know when you’ve crossed it. lol

8. I saw a somewhat recent trend on social media called “Unsexy Products that Work.” Since I’ve been craving simplicity in my skincare routine, I’m here for it! Here are some of my recent favorites:
   ~ Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser (Fragrance Free)
   ~ La Roche-Posay Purifying Foaming Facial Cleanser
   ~ Thayer’s Witch Hazel Facial Mist (Rose Petal): I love this as a toner, but it’s also great to prep your underarms before applying deodorant. We love a multi-purpose product. Credit to Abbey Yung for this tip!
   ~ Sebamed Clear Face Care Gel Moisturizer
   ~ SilvrSTAT Antibacterial Wound Dressing Gel: Great not just for wound care, but also as a spot treatment for blemishes

9. I noticed that some drugstore brands have recently reformulated their products, partly in response to consumer demand for safer ingredients. I love to see proof that voting with our dollars really can change things over time. I’m thinking of writing an essay on my updated skincare routine and how my view on personal care products has changed over time.

10. Lately I’ve been enjoying learning about some of the lesser-known aspects of Human Design. Knowing your type, strategy, authority, and profile are amazing to start, but I’ve been digging into things like the Incarnation Cross, Strongest Sense, Motivation, and what our undefined centers can teach us. Similar to astrology, there’s so much to uncover beyond the basics, and you can keep learning the nuances for a long time and never get bored.

11. To learn more, I recently joined the Thriving by Design Live Your Design membership. I’ve talked about Alexandra Cole’s HD resources before, and I’ve been really enjoying the community so far. I think the price goes up after this month, so if you want to nerd out on human design with me, it’s a great time to join to lock in the current rate. :)

12. This year I’ve been keeping track of my tarot/oracle deck usage so I can make sure to use what I have and eventually sell or gift any that aren’t getting as much love. It’s interesting to observe the trends, and I haven’t used nearly as many decks as I thought I would by this time of the year. My tarot practice has been more on-and-off this year, but I also noticed that I tend to work with the same deck for a while before switching it up. The more you know!

13. I came across a Substack in my weekly stack email titled: You’re Not Just an Extravert or Introvert. I think most people already know this to be true; I affectionately refer to myself as an ambivert. However, this article clarified Carl Jung’s original intention. It’s not about where you get your energy and how sociable you are, but rather where you direct your energy: towards external factors and the outer world (extravert) or the individual and the inner world (introverted). So it’s less about the action or behavior itself, but rather the motivation behind it, which is more similar to the Enneagram types. Mind. Blown. It should be noted that all parts of the Myers-Briggs typology exist on a spectrum; they’re meant to ebb and flow, though we may have a preference towards one end over the other. The author then breaks down how introversion and extraversion modify the 4 cognitive functions (Thinking/Feeling, Intuition/Sensation) into 8 varieties, how those distinctions play out, and how you can use them for better awareness and personal growth.