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#WednesdayWisdom
"Stop begging people to see you. Stop begging people to honor you or award you. Your value is within.." — Amber Janae
Morning Musings
In case you haven't noticed, I've been on a bit of a Hamilton kick of late. It's my go-to soundtrack for writing because I know enough of the words to both sing along at parts and tune it out at others (similar to Watch The Throne back in the day and in case you're wondering, I can never listen to Beyoncé because my mind starts to wander to the video/concerts and I start doing the choreography).
But back to Hamilton...
I decided to listen to my good sis Eliza Schuyler and take a break. Like all of us, husbae and I have had our fair share of vacations and trips canceled this year. First there was our annual family trip to Outer Banks. Then my sister trip to Atlanta. Followed by EssenceFest in NOLA. So last weekend we took a quick getaway to Milwaukee for the weekend to celebrate his upcoming birthday.
And it was so necessary. I searched Airbnb ad nauseam for a place that met the following criteria:
within a two-hour driving distance of Chicago
a rental that had stringent COVID cleaning requirements and protocol
someplace fun with good food
Milwaukee was the winner! We'd gone last fall for a Jidenna concert and I've been wanting to go back ever since. My friends sent some great food recs (thank you Alexa, Marissa and Sarah!), then we were off.
But the best part was signing off for the weekend. As y'all know, I have both a day job and a side-hustle (hi, you're reading it). Jeff is also working full-time and pursuing his MBA. All that to say, we're tethered to our respective laptops most of our waking hours.
Leaving our laptops at home was SO. FREEING! And I'm super proud of myself because I left it powered down when we returned on Sunday. Usually I would pull it out to "get ahead" of the workweek and I thought to myself, the work will still be there -- the work will always be there. And I rode that vacation high straight into Monday morning.
You recharge your phone, your laptop, your [insert device here]. Make sure you also carve out time to recharge yourself before your own battery gets low. Your body, mind and soul will thank you.
Love,
L'Oreal
ICYMI
The July stories just keep coming. Here's what I've been working on this month:
This Black-Owned Yoga Studio Believes the Practice is for Every Body. I got to interview the founders of BK Yoga Club and let's just say once the world opens up for real, I'm booking a ticket to Brooklyn (after visiting my fam in Maryland, of course). (Shondaland)
'This Is My America' Breaks the Mold of a Typical YA Novel. Y'all know I love a good YA novel, and this debut from Kim Johnson is no different. (ZORA)
The Best Masks for Every Situation, According to Health Experts. In my debut for Medium's science-backed health and wellness site, I interviewed medical experts about what type of mask to wear from the office to the gym. You're welcome. (Elemental)
Virtual Happenings
July 30: FWD (For Women & Diversity) Town Hall. Join this community conversation and hear from keynote speaker, Ms. Queenie Johnson of School for Brilliant Thinkers. (Free)Â
Aug. 7: The Unapologetic Retreat. I'll be joining 40+ other phenomenal Black creatives, entrepreneurs and thought leaders at this virtual retreat. ($50 ... save $10 with the promo code LOREAL10)
Aug. 28: Mind Mapping to Heal From Impostor Syndrome. And another one featuring yours truly, this time in collaboration with Vanessa Flowers of Flower Girls Meet and Karen Spears of Kareacter Creative Studio. ($7)
Links I Love
1. Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman Saved Their Friendship With Couples Therapy. As a result of growing up in the 'burbs and attending PWIs, most of my best friends are white. I love Aminatou and Ann's candor around interracial friendships (p.s. their podcast is one of my faves, too)! (ZORA)
2. 'Challenge Accepted': Why Women Are Posting Black-and-White Selfies. I appreciate everyone's who tagged me, but it's a no for me, dawg. This article partly explains why. (New York Times)
3. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & The Damaging Myth of the "Fiery" Latina. We must protect AOC, WOC, and Black women at all costs. (Refinery 29)
My Latest Obsession
After seeing Indian Matchmaking trending on Twitter, I had to see what the hype was about. I'll be real, binge-watching Netflix shows is a form of self-care these days. I'm a sucker for reality dating shows (if you've been here a while, you'll recall I was also a fan of Love Is Blind), but that's not to say Indian Matchmaking is not without criticism of colorism and classism. At the end of the day, I'm always rooting for love to win.
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