Introducing 13 Things Thursday!

AKA the Expanded Edition of the Overshare Zone

Inspired by the 12/13 Things Tuesday posts I’ve seen from Jordan Younger, I decided to make my own 13 Things Thursday series. 1) I like the alliteration because I’m a nerd; 2) I’m typically inspired to write earlier in the week and publish on Thursdays; and 3) I like the idea of bringing a loose structure to write more consistently while also sprinkling in a bit of randomness and fun. You may see this format mixed in with long-form essays to break it up. We’ll try this out for a while and see how it goes. :)

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Welcome to the inaugural edition of 13 Things Thursday! This format will explore random things I’ve been thinking about, learning, and loving recently. (Side note: All links are purely informational and not affiliated or sponsored.) Let’s get into it!

1. Because Pockets of Joy recently turned 1, I decided to look up the astrological birth chart of this newsletter for fun, because I’m a nerd like that. I used the date and time that I created the Substack space and my first “Coming Soon” post was published. Pockets of Joy is an Aries Sun, Taurus Moon, and Gemini Rising. I’ve included picture of her birth chart below. I was immediately drawn to the concentration of planetary energy in the top half, but mostly top left quadrant, which deals with awareness of others/greater society. This tells me that she is here to shine her light, explore curiosities, and bring grounded ideas to the collective. *chills* I’d love to hear more observations from my fellow astrology enthusiasts!

   

   I’m curious, if you’re into astrology, do you look up birth charts for your business, pets, or significant events, like weddings? Let me know!

2. Speaking of special events, we recently celebrated Della’s 3rd Gotcha-versary! I’ve often told the story about how she came into our lives at just the right moment. I was planning a girls trip to Italy in April 2020, but since COVID was blowing up there, we were debating whether to cancel. When I got the email about a litter of mini sproodles born in February 2020, I knew the trip probably wouldn’t happen, so I went with my gut and put down the deposit. As fate would have it, the day we brought Della home was the day I was supposed to leave for Italy. The moment I picked her up and cradled her in my arms, I knew she was ours. She’s our soul puppy, and we can’t imagine life without her.

   

   Our fluffy little baby and her Easter bunny Lamb Chop on gotcha day <3

3. Tarot and oracle decks I’ve been using lately:
   ~ Align Heart Affirmations Oracle by Kimberly Tsan
   ~ Journey of Love Oracle by Alana Fairchild (Fun fact: This was the first deck I ever purchased! Tarot felt intimidating at first, so I started with oracle cards and was struck by these beautiful images.)
   ~ Sasuraibito Tarot (Tiny Traveller edition) by Stasia Burrington
   ~ The Biddy Tarot Deck by Brigit Esselmont
   ~ And of course my old faithful, the Smith-Waite tarot.

4. You may have seen this on my Instagram recently, but I recently dipped my toe into the world of deck modifications. This is something I never thought I would do. I’ve mentioned before that I like my tarot decks to be pristine, and how imperfections and signs of wear bug the crap out of me more than they should. While I typically like the appearance of most of my tarot decks as they are, I also hesitate to modify because I don’t want to screw it up and ruin a perfectly lovely deck. However, my Reflective Tarot that comes everywhere with me was already getting banged up with stained edges, so I decided to stop being precious about it. I found a bright blue highlighter and edged my deck, which brought a whole new life to it. Then I got even braver and rounded the corners of one of my favorite oracle decks, Aliza Kelly’s There Are No Coincidences (TANC), which makes me want to use it even more! I’m thinking about edging it next, but I may sit with it like this for a while before taking the plunge.

5. I decided to incorporate some essential oils into my skincare routine again recently, and I thought about how my usage has evolved over time. I used to use them often, diffusing or mixing them into my skincare. Since getting Della I took a break, since some essential oils aren’t ideal to be used around pets and their sensitive little sniffers. I just recently started mixing a drop into my moisturizer or body butter at night and am really enjoying it. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions about EOs and the industry around it, but I’m trying to keep this relatively short and sweet. Maybe I’ll write a full-length piece about this someday. Let me know if you’d be interested to hear what I’ve learned!

6. Random crap I’ve tried: Making my own laundry detergent. Back when I first discovered Pinterest and was creating a mood board for wedding planning ideas, I found myself immersed in recipes and DIY projects. At the time, Bryan was working night shift and I had A LOT of time to myself, so when I found a recipe for super laundry sauce, I went for it. There’s something about making something yourself that is super satisfying to me, and it happened to work really well, so I kept it up for years. Then I found a brand that met my criteria of being both safer and effective, so I pivoted to save myself some time. 

7. I recently realized that I have a perfectionist mindset with exercise, which keeps me from sticking to anything with real consistency. When I was really consistent with working out, I was following exercise program as written, doing weights on weightlifting days, cardio on cardio days, stretching on recovery days. You get the idea. Thing is, I despise most cardio, unless it involves dancing. I mentioned this to Bryan, and he said, “You know you don't have to do cardio if you don't want to, right?” Well, duh. Part of shifting my mindset means rediscovering joyful movement vs. the punishing “no pain, no gain” mentality. So recently, I decided to start doing only stuff that I like, which is walking, weightlifting, dancing, and yoga/stretching. I’ll let you know how it goes!

8. What I’m reading lately: So much non-fiction and personal development! Need more fiction. Haaalp. (Seriously, drop your favorite fiction recs in my comments!)

   ~ The Book of Boundaries by Melissa Urban: A must-read, especially if you’re a current or recovering people-pleaser. Clear, kind boundaries are a huge part of maintaining healthy relationships, and this book gives great scripts to help you set and hold boundaries and escalate as necessary.
   ~ Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World by Rutger Bregman: I’ve always been liberal and love the idea of better social safety nets for people, but what makes me moderate is my question of, “But how will we afford it?” I’m hopeful that this book will give me a new perspective.

9. Shows I’m watching:
   ~ How I Met Your Father (Hulu): As a huge fan of the original HIMYM, I was super skeptical. To my surprise and delight, I’m really enjoying it! It’s a similar premise with a modern twist and a new cast of characters that I love. It’s safe to say I’m thoroughly invested.
   ~ Ted Lasso (AppleTV+): I know I’m late to the party on this one, but we are thoroughly digging it! We watched a good chunk of the first season with my parents when we went to PA for Easter weekend, and they’ve already passed us up and finished every episode! 

10. YouTube channel I’m digging: Ask a Mortician. No, I haven’t gone full goth on you. Even though our mortality is inevitable, it’s a sensitive subject for many people. Caitlin Doughty presents information about death, the funeral industry, and related topics in a refreshing and—dare I say—funny way. Her organization, The Order of the Good Death, is committed to death positive education, affordable and equitable death care access, and advocating for the legalization of more sustainable options like water cremation and human composting.

11. Interesting article I read: Is There Life After Influencing? This was a fascinating read in the NYT about a former influencer who recently transitioned to a regular ol’ corporate job and is  *gasp* absolutely loving it. You often hear about the “golden handcuffs” that keep people in stable 9-5 jobs. But the new world of influencer marketing takes this to a whole new level. The normal anxious energy we all experience with social media can be amplified in the influencing profession: stress, burnout, losing joy in the creative process, hustling to get the right brand partnerships, feeling like you’re always “on” and can never take a break for fear that you’ll lose followers or viewership, etc. For those who crave the freedom of being your own boss, it’s worth considering that there are tradeoffs and traps there, too. Your social media strategy needs to work for you, not the other way around.

12. I’ve spoken a lot about Melissa Urban’s XOMU Newsletter, and I loved her recent piece about micro self-care, which means taking care of yourself in little ways that don’t need to cost a lot or be overly extravagant. My recent micro self-care: doing my nails again. I have a collection of unused Color Street nail polish strips. During Della’s puppy phase, I got out of the habit of doing my nails. Doing them this week made me remember how much I enjoy having my nails done, which I could do at home for very little time and money.

13. One Good Thing: Spring *finally* looks like it’s here to stay! Thankfully we’ve had a pretty mild winter around here, but it’s nice to see more consistent sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Thanks for joining me for 13 Things Thursday! What do you think about this format? Let me know in the comments.

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