Let's Make a Deal: Giving Yourself Permission to Cut Corners

So, as you may have noticed, my most recent blog posts have either been seriously delayed or outright non-existent. In fact, I even had to change my post date to Sundays. I take responsibility for my lack of professionalism but, at the same time, I'm still not famous enough to care too much about it, and I suspect none of you really do, either. And I figure I'm already a disappointment to most people who meet me; what's another 20 or so blog readers to the already mounting pile of evidence that I consistently fail to meet the expectations of the world I live in?

Yikes, that got dark. Quick, bring out the puppies!

There we go.

Suffice it to say that most of why I haven't been around is because of some serious burn-out following the third shitty month of what's quickly becoming a shitty year. I won't bore you with the details but let's just say everything is on fire and awful but I'm hanging in there.

While I was putting off writing things last week, I got to spend some time thinking about my better methods of dealing with burnout. The problem with burnout is that, if you want to cure it entirely, you need time and freedom from obligations, and most of us have neither of those things, let alone both at the same time. I've literally been too tired and frustrated to handle my most basic needs. I didn't go grocery shopping once in March. Not even once. My diet exclusively consisted of fast food and whatever leftovers I could steal from my parents without them noticing.

This, of course, only added to my growing sense of exhaustion and despair, because fast food is really fucking bad for you. I knew I had to go grocery shopping. But then I'd have to cook food. I don't mind cooking but I do find the things that must take place around cooking--like cleaning up whatever mess my parents left in the kitchen beforehand, cleaning up my own messes as I make them, and chopping fucking vegetables--utterly exhausting. I would honestly rather slit my own throat with a box cutter than dice a single onion.

But I'm also poor as fuck (I think that's the technical term) and doing things like buying pre-cut vegetables, getting groceries delivered to you, or--offended gasp--subscribing to an online meal kit are all ridiculously expensive. So, what's a broke, depressed loser to do? Eat ennui for breakfast?

No. I'm a practical person. I needed a practical solution. I needed... to make a list.

The Three Currencies

Money may make the world go round, but there are actually three currencies: Money, time, and energy. There's a lot of overlap between them regarding spending but, generally, if you don't spend one, you're likely spending at least one of the other.

Of the three, I probably have the least amount of energy. Call it laziness, burnout, lack of ambition, or whatever else you want, but I'm a very low-energy person. I'm hard to excite, I sleep a lot, and I have no stamina when it comes to doing things. Any things.

I don't watch this show but my mom does and I sure do relate to this guy.

I also don't have much time these days. My job is only part-time but I also live with four family members, two of whom are primarily my responsibility right now, especially regarding their transportation. I've driven 883 miles so far this year and I'd wager more than half of that has been driving other people to places. That may not sound like much, but when you consider I never really venture beyond a 10-mile radius of my house, and that I literally work from home, those miles add up to hours of time wasted doing easily one of my least favorite activities, which is also a massive drain on my energy stores.

Plus, when you share a kitchen with four people, two of whom are prolific cooks and bakers, my access to the kitchen is rare. I may have the time, energy, and ingredients to make a meal, but there's not much I can do if my stepdad is ass-deep in flour while preparing for yet another bake sale at the high school and won't be out of the kitchen for another four hours. Who knows what body blows I'll have received from this bitch called life in that time?

In other words, despite being broke as a joke, the resource I actually have the most of right now is money. Not enough to even remotely solve the problems that have put me in this dumpster fire of a living situation in the first place, but at least enough to help me not eat quantum garbage every day. This was an important revelation. 

Let's Make a Deal

Armed with this knowledge, I returned to my original problem. How was I going to acquire some decent food while also being realistic enough to know what I absolutely will not do, no matter how much I might want to or think I should?

As it turned out, the answer was in the question: Figure out what you want to do, subtract all the things you won't do, then go do what's left. 

I wanted to eat more vegetables and cook my own meals. I like doing those things! But if I bought whole ingredients, even if they were cheaper, I knew damn well they'd simply rot before I could get a chance to prep them, if for no other reason than I really, really hate prepping. Something had to give. 

So, I reached deep into my subconsciousness and extracted a game my mom used to play with me when I was a kid and she needed me to do something: Let's Make a Deal. In other words, let's find a compromise between what must be done and what you're able/willing to do.

The Compromise Chart

When it comes to figuring things out, I'm at my best when I either talk out loud to myself or write things down. So, naturally, when it came time to figure out my food problem, I busted open a Google Keep note and started free-writing some quick and easy meals I could throw together in big batches and munch on throughout the week. With that, I included the ingredients I'd need. Every step of the way, I was looking for compromises. I may not be able to budge on the pre-diced onions debate, but I don't really mind chopping a few potatoes here and there. The meat department might make me squeamish, but even I can deal with handling strips of steak or a raw chicken breast or two. Maybe I can't use the oven because my parents are holding it hostage, but you can make just about anything in a slow cooker with enough patience and imagination.

From this, a grocery list was born. A realistic and practical grocery list that, yes, ended up being pricey relative to the amount of food I got, but what I lost in money I more than made up in time and effort. Besides, what's the greater waste of money: Buying pre-cut onions and actually using them or buying whole onions and letting them sit until they have to be thrown out?

Know Thyself (or Suffer Agonizing Constipation)

I'd wager that being a helpless and lazy asshole about food for one month wreaked more havoc on my health than four years of smoking cigarettes ever did. I gained weight in spite of concentrated efforts to keep my calorie intake low, I became even more tired and depressed, and I stopped shitting. I literally took zero shits for over a week. I was so constipated it physically hurt and required medical attention.

I'm positive that the vengeful resurgence of my physiological and psychological problems stems at least partly from my irresponsibility with my own body because I'm here now, on the other side of the struggle, with a fridge full of food I made myself and a belly full of homemade chicken salad and carrot sticks. I'm making better choices because I gave myself the permission and ability to do so, even if it meant cutting corners in places. I stopped feeling sorry for the fact that I couldn't manage to do things the normal, responsible people way. I stopped worrying about what the people of the internet would do/think/say if I didn't buy the cheapest things at the market, or used disposable containers. And I stopped deluding myself into thinking there was no solution to what turned out to be a very simple problem.

So, I bought the damn pre-cut meat and vegetables. I pre-portioned meals and snacks into tiny Tupperware containers and Ziploc bags. I brought the metaphorical hairdryer to work. And you know what I got out of it? Some bomb-ass curry and stir-fry and all the carrot sticks I can handle. And I'm ecstatic about it. 

And I'm pooping fabulously. Thank you, fiber!

You're Allowed to Take Shortcuts

The point of my spiel today is that you, too, have the power to make good choices too. Your story is likely very different from mine. As such, your problems and their solutions will also be vastly different. That's why I went ahead and made a worksheet to help you find your own compromises:

In the wise words of the Letterkenny crew: "Figure it out."

You can also find the pdf here. It's free! But I'm always accepting tips.

One final thing to keep in mind is that nothing in life is set in stone. What works for you right now may not be relevant next week or even tomorrow. But by observing yourself, you'll learn to better understand your needs versus your abilities and you'll get better at finding ways to compensate for your shortcomings. That's not shameful; it's practical.

With (objective) self-awareness comes self-confidence. It's okay to suck at some things, even if you suck at them forever. It's equally okay to not want to get better at those things because you have more important shit going on in your life right now. We are not defined by our struggling, but by our ability to overcome those struggles. Even if it means taking the lazier way out of a problem so you can free up your mental and physical energy for shit you actually care about.

That's all for me. See you next week. Be good. Make art.

Ghost Malone's DEFCON 1 Self-Care Survival Guide: Part 2

So last week I posed the first part of a self-care guide for when you’re at the bottom of your personal Pit of Despair and just need a metaphorical log to keep you afloat. Hopefully, now that you’re here, you’re reading to move onto part 2 of our multi-part Pit of Despair Escape Plan. Hooray!

If you’re not ready, though, don’t beat yourself up. Just keep handling Part 1 stuff and feel free to read this as a means of looking ahead. Getting better doesn’t happen overnight. Even the common cold stays with you for at least a week.

Once you’re fed, watered, and rested, you can start turning your attention to tackling things that actually feel as beneficial to your well-being as they are. It’s understandably hard to see how a glass of water can cure your depression (spoiler alert: It won’t because mental illness is more nuanced than that) but the activities I list below have measurable, quantifiable benefits to your health. They’re the next stepping stone out of the Pit and into Functioning Adult Land.

Easy Mode

The first batch of suggestions I’m making are things that cost relatively few spoons. Your mileage may vary regarding how much you can accomplish but the bare minimum versions are a perfectly fine start.

レッツ スタート!

Good Hygiene

When you’re rolling in the dirt of your Pit of Despair, you could likely not give a single fuck about how you look or smell, and understandably so. You have more important things to worry about, after all, like not dying.

But now that you’re beyond the tyranny of the moment, you might want to hop in the shower, because you probably do stink.

I’m not trying to say that you need to be prim and pressed at all times in order to be a functioning adult. As if! What I am saying, however, is that you’ll feel better after you rinse all that residual Pit of Despair grime off of you.

If showers are beyond you right now, find the middle ground. Wash your face and brush your teeth. Run a brush through your hair. Hell, hit your Tits, Pits, and Naughty Bits with a couple of baby wipes.¹ Do what you can with what you have. That’s the lesson I really want you to take away from all this.

Stretching and Massages

You probably haven’t been moving around too much between all the resting I asked you to do and all the the time you had to spend in bed with The Sads™. That’s okay! Your body probably needed it. Taking time to get that rest is part of what all those hippie self-care gurus call listening to your body. You were tired, so you rested. Good job!

This isn't the pic I wanted but now that I know it exists it sure as hell is the pic you're getting.

But you’re probably sore and stiff now. You might have even been sore and stiff before your rest period. That is also completely understandable.

Full-on exercise might be out of the question but I highly recommend you at least start moving your body around a little. Stretching is perfect for this; you don’t even have to leave your bed to get a couple good stretches in. I’d even also recommend massaging yourself to help loosen up all that stiffness.

Or, get someone else to massage you, I guess, if you’re of those fancy assholes with money or friends.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Artists and writers are especially susceptible to wrist and elbow problems due to the nature of our work! Please please please, for the love of Satan himself, make wrist stretches a regular part of your daily routine. I highly recommend starting with this Allegiance Health video that shows you a few basic moves. It’s part of a larger playlist that addresses all your joints, so if you have other joint discomfort-related needs, check out the other videos, too!

Hobbies

One of the worst obstacles I’ve faced while Freelancing While Sick is figuring out how to justify my personal time while knowing I could be working. I feel like I should be hustling 24/7 because I’m not in a financial position to slack, even for a second.

But the “hustle or die” culture we live in is a bunch of unsustainable bullshit. It’s a mindset we’ve collectively cultivated due to everyone but a couple dozen people being completely fucked by the modern western economic model. All of us unlucky bastards are stuck scrambling for better and more efficient ways to get the few crumbs we’re offered while people like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos hoard more money than their entire family could reasonably spend in one lifetime like the crusty old (and white) (and male) dragons² they are.

It’s cruel and unfair but this reality makes it that much more important that you carve out time for yourself. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: You need rest. Your body, your mind, and your spirit (or consciousness or whatever you wanna call it) all need time to unplug and decompress from the demands of your life, now more than ever.

So, do something you love. And fuck everyone who tries to stop you. Especially Jeff Bezos.

Meditation/Mindfulness

Let me stop you before you can fire up your angry comment soundboards. I’m not stupid and I assume you aren’t either. When I say you should consider meditating, I’m not saying it’s going to cure all your problems and I’m not saying it’s got anything to do with spirituality or mysticism or any bullshit like that.

When I suggest meditation, I’m suggesting it from a psychological and physiological point of view. Taking deliberate time to relax your mind and focus on your breathing is good for you. And the best part of meditation is that it’s highly customizable. You can meditate in silence, to music, to a guided meditation program, or to the sound of your Tibetan singing bowl if you’re that person. If you have no idea where to start, I highly recommend Palouse’s 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course. It’s 900% free and will teach you everything you need to know.

If meditation specifically isn’t your bag, try just injecting some mindfulness into your everyday life. Try to put yourself into the present moment 100%. Engage all your senses the next time you do the dishes or work on an art project. The most important part of mindfulness is getting out of that dark corner of your mind where all the bad thoughts are and into a calmer, more productive mental space.

Expert Mode

For this tier, I’ll recommend things that might require more time, energy, and money than what may currently be at your disposal. If you can do these things, however, you absolutely should.

Exercise

Our bodies were made to move. We evolved in the African savannah to walk and run long distances, swim across rivers, and throw rocks at predators. We needed those things to survive.

The good news is we don’t really have to throw rocks to scare off threats anymore (though sometimes I wonder if we should start again). The bad news is your body still wants to move around on a fairly regular basis or it will get fat and sad. Trust me. I’m sedentary and I am also fat and sad. I also thought there was no way exercise would make me feel better emotionally until I tried it and it worked. Fuck me, right?

A hard but satisfying workout floods your body with feel-good hormones like dopamine, a powerful weapon in your fight against Despair. It also increases your overall health, which will make you feel physically better in the long run. How you choose to work out is up to you. Go for a run, lift some weights, or just dance around your room in your underwear while screaming along to Kim Petras songs. The best exercise routine is the one you’ll stick with. So do what you love.

Outside/Nature

Did you know the Japanese have a word for nature walks? They call it shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” and the Japanese government popularized the practice in the late 80s to early 90s as a public health initiative.

The simple fact is that spending time in nature is good for you. Tiptoeing through the tulips can lower your blood pressure, reduce the amount of stress hormones in your body, and even boost your immune system. All of which are magnificent stat boosts to your mental health.

But don’t be mindless about it. Don’t just get into nature, engage with it. Listen for birds. Smell the air. Take your time with it. And maybe knock back a couple of antihistamines before you go if you’re, like me, allergic to every plant and animal.

Medical Assistance

This is going to be another one of those instances where I suggest you do as I say and not as I do. When you’re suffering, getting medical help can be the most effective way to alleviate that suffering. A therapist can help you unravel all those bullshit thoughts in your head that are keeping you down. A psychiatrist can deduce the perfect cocktail of drugs to keep your brain chemistry on the up and up. Hell, even a routine visit from your primary care doctor might reveal an underlying physical health problem, like an underactive thyroid.

So, if you have the means, please see a doctor, if for no other reason than I am not a doctor and can’t help you the way a medical professional can. Just because I have an experience-based distrust of the doctors in my particular area should not dismiss all the actually good doctors and nurses out there that genuinely want to help. It might take a while to find a doctor you feel comfortable with but try not to let that discourage you. Like finding the perfect Tumblr theme, it’ll be worth sorting through all the bullshit in the end.

What Now?

This concludes my DEFCON 1 Self-Care Survival Guide. Next week, I’ll be doing another roundup, this time of self-care resources that I personally use (or have used). Because I am both broke as hell and a cheap bastard, these resources will either be free or close to it.

If there is only lesson you learn walking away from this guide, it’s that the quickest way to getting better is playing the hand you’re dealt to the best of your ability. There is no one-size-fits-all cure for mental illness because we are all unique in our circumstances and our problems. What works for me might be completely useless for you. The suggestions I’ve listed in this and last week’s posts are, in my experience, universally beneficial, but they’re only the beginning. Remember, this is DEFCON 1. This is the bare minimum you need to achieve basic human functioning. Beyond this point, your self-care needs are going to become highly individualistic. It’s also going to change over time.

Just remember to do your best with what you have. That’s the secret to getting better: focusing on what you can control and working within the guidelines set by the universe.

I’ll see you next week. Be good. Make art.

Footnotes:

1: I very recently found out that this is called an Ohio Shower and as an Ohioan I have never felt so seen and so called out at the same time.

2: Leave it to rich old white dudes to somehow make dragons gross and uninteresting.

Ghost Malone's DEFCON 1 Self-Care Survival Guide: Part 1

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a bit of background in personal development. My day job is writing a blog for a personal development app. I mostly do self-help book summaries these days but I’ve written articles about everything from cognitive behavioral therapy to the nutritional virtues of bananas. Really.

One thing that’s awesome about writing for a personal development company is that you learn a lot about… well, personal development. This couldn’t have come at a better time for me, who upon gaining this job was fresh out of college and, frankly, not developing personally. I felt lost and stuck and, in true scientist fashion, began testing everything I wrote about on myself. I’ve tried all the hippy-dippy self-help advice from all the hippy-dippy self-help books. I sifted through tons of dirt to extract nuggets of insight profound enough to be worth the trouble. And I discovered that I don’t really like bananas. It’s a texture thing.

Most importantly, however, I’ve learned—or at least am learning—how to deal with what I call the Pit of Despair. I think everyone has one, though the feelings it evokes might vary from person to person. Having been dealing with my own mental health demons for most of my post-pubescent life, I’m intimately familiar with my own Pit of Despair. It feels like being trapped at the bottom of my emotional well. It’s dark and dirty and smelly and there’s no way out. Not even passersby to hail for help. Not even Lassie.

The thing is, though, is that there is a way out of the Pit. It’s not always easy but it can be done. You might fall back in again (I do on the regular honestly) but climbing out will get easier with practice. So will making sure you have tools and a plan in place when you do.

This post is the first of a several-part series I’ll be writing (because I’m too wordy as it is and I’d hate to make you read like 5000 words all at once) on how to do just that. I’m calling it the DEFCON 1 Self-Care Survival Guide because chances are, if you’re here reading this, your personal alert system is either at DEFCON 1, or it should be. You, like me so many times before, may have found yourself face-first at the bottom of your emotional well and are sensing no way out. I hope with this post to roll you onto your back and show you the sky above because it’s out there.

We’re going to be tapping into your Lizard Brain this week. I’m going right to the absolute basics. If you’re starting from absolute zero, this is the post for you. If you want to feel better and climb out of your PoD, the following four items are required. Learn them. Study them. Love them. Appease the Lizard Brain.

Fluids

You will notice here that I do not say “water.” Water is one of the best things you can do for your body that requires virtually no effort. It’s relatively easy to access and unlikely to make you sick when consuming it (although your mileage may vary in America). And whether you want to hear it or not, good hydration is the most basic survival skill you need in your toolkit. Dehydration kills in a matter of days. Your body is 60% water. You need water.

But here’s the rub: Water is boring. And some water is unpalatable at best and flat-out gross at worst. My aunt had well water that smelled and tasted like actual sewage. Some people have tap water so toxic they can light it on fire. I begrudge no one the right to refuse a glass.

Luckily, water exists in more than just its natural form. Broth or tea,¹ both hot and iced, are cheap, fantastic, and relatively non-threatening ways to get your hydration fix. Vegetable broth in particular can add some much-needed nutrition to your diet, which can be useful if you have no appetite or are having trouble keeping food down.

Look, I’m not your mom. It’s not my job to police what you put in your body (frankly, I can barely police myself most days). The cost/benefit analysis ultimately falls upon your shoulders. I’m not going to judge you if the only thing you can stomach is purple Kool-Aid or Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper.² You probably know as well as anyone that sugary drinks are not ideal. But it’s a hell of a lot better than drinking nothing at all and fucking dying.

The easiest way to tell if you’re hydrated is to check your urine. Aim for light yellow to clear. Anything darker than a glass of lemonade and you better drink up, punk.

Rest

This is one of those suggestions people who suffer from anxiety or burnout tend to balk at the most. As someone who’s been struggling with burnout since they graduated high school a decade ago, I sympathize. When you feel like you’re working 25 hours a day, 8 days a week and you’re still not getting by, being told to stop and do nothing is like being told to unplug your own life support machine.

I’m sorry to be that guy, but I have to be that guy. Unplug the life support machine. Go to bed.

The thing about sleep is it’s the one healthy habit that has no shortcuts. If you’re an average person—and believe it or not, most of us are—then you’re going to need seven to nine hours of nightly sleep. Sorry. Them’s the breaks.

There are ways to improve the quality of your sleep, though. Minimizing your exposure to blue light, which messes with your circadian rhythm, is both one way. Making sure your room is dark and devoid of distractions when it’s bedtime is another way. Finally, try to minimize the number of things you do in your bed. Beds should be for sleep and sex. Or, if you don’t do sex, feel free to substitute with cuddling stuffed animals, listening to soothing podcasts, or meditating.

If you’re still tired when you wake up after 9+ hours of sleep or sleeping during the day, there might be something more sinister at play. It could be a sleep disorder. It could also be a bad mattress. Both are worth looking into and, if possible, fixing. My grandpa Joe Courtney was a hardcore Tough Blue-Collar Manly Man, the kind that seemed to enjoy suffering. He hated a lot of things, especially spending money. But he always believed you should invest in a good pair of shoes and a good mattress, because if you’re not in one, you’re most likely in the other.

Nutrients

I’m going to use the same disclaimer I used above: I’m not your mom. Eat whatever won’t make you want to throw yourself off a bridge. But please eat something. Preferably protein and vegetables.

Protein will help you feel fuller for longer, which means you can eat less of it if your stomach is hurting or you’re queasy. Vegetables are not only nutrient-dense, they contain carbs, which your brain needs for functioning. A little bit of unsaturated fat, like an oil-based salad dressing or some kind of nut butter, will also help you feel full and make your brain happy.

But start where you are. Find the compromise between healthy and manageable. For me, that’s standard lunch fare: Soup, salads, and sandwiches. They’re the perfect union of easy for me and healthy.

Another thing that’s saved my bacon more than once is the almighty slow cooker. Between my volatile energy levels and having to share a trailer-sized kitchen with four other people, I rarely have both the time and ability to cook proper meals. However, I can easily sneak into the kitchen first thing in the morning, toss a bunch of ingredients that I prepped earlier into the slow cooker, and have a hot meal by the time I get home from whatever I have to do that day.

Finally, do what you can to avoid highly-processed foods. They’re easy and they last forever but they’re not going to make you feel any better. In fact, you’ll most likely still feel hungry. If you’re absolutely stuck with processed foods, try to add healthier supplements to them. Crack an egg into your instant ramen. Mix some salsa and taco meat into your Kraft mac and cheese. It doesn’t have to be Instagram-worthy. Hell, it doesn’t even have to look or sound appetizing. If it’s nourishing and you’ll eat it, that’s all that matters right now.

Company

I’m a pretty solitary person by nature. My social habits are not unlike a standard house cat’s. I’ll seek out attention when I want it and, when I feel I’ve received enough, will swat everyone away, retreat to my high shelf or cat tower, and judge whoever walks by from a safe and comfortable distance.

When I fall into a Pit of Despair, however, that quality amplifies itself a hundredfold. I don’t just retreat, I flat-out isolate. I won’t respond to people talking to me in-person. I’ll stop answering messages. I even have a hard time reading books because a real person had to write them and I don’t want to acknowledge that other people exist. For some reason, cognitive dissonance kicks in for video games. Maybe it’d be the reverse if I were a game designer.

Let me be clear here: Do as I say, not as I do. Isolation is unhealthy. Humans have evolved over tens of thousands of years to interact and cooperate with each other. It’s why solitary confinement is considered a form of torture. We need other people to be happy and well-adjusted. That’s a fact, Jack.

So, go find some. You don’t have to dump your feelings onto them (unless you want to and they wanna hear it). It doesn’t even have to be a meaningful conversation. Chat with your local Starbucks barista about the weather. Engage in friendly banter with strangers playing your favorite online game. Hell, shoot me a message on Twitter. Remind yourself that you’re not alone. Other people exist and even if we can’t fix your problems, we care about you. That’s a fact, too.

What Now?

For the very first time in Pro Creator history, I’m giving you homework, dear reader. Your homework is to work on these four elements of DEFCON 1 self-care to the best of your ability. Experiment with how to align these cornerstones of health with your lifestyle. Find the compromise. There is always an acceptable compromise. And you can always change as you change. Maybe all you can choke down is Gatorade and Cheez-its right now but that might not be true in three days. Keep experimenting. Figure out your hurdles and plan ways to jump over them.

I ask you to do this even if you aren’t currently at the bottom of your PoD. In fact, I suggest you do these things when you are feeling good, because that’s when you’re going to make habits out of them. Think about it like this: If you’re an athlete, you practice outside of games, right? Or maybe you’re an artist; presumably, you don’t just make professional work all the time, you practice your craft with life drawing or still life studies, yes? Because you know that training in a controlled setting will help you for the real thing later. The same thing applies to self-maintenance.

I’d like to leave you with a clip from the West Wing that I was thinking about as I wrote this blog post. Josh Lyman, the younger man in the clip, has recently suffered a traumatic experience, and during this episode he is diagnosed with PTSD. Leo, the older man, is a recovering alcoholic who had been nudging Josh toward recovery for a while. This clip takes place after Josh’s first therapy session.

Next week, we’ll move beyond the absolute bare minimum and into things that require more effort but also reap greater rewards. Until then, be good, and never stop creating.

Footnotes:

1: Fun fact, I almost started a blog about tea because I enjoy drinking it so much. I was going to review teas I could find at the grocery store (mostly my favorite brand, Celestial Seasonings) and post little history articles. But I didn’t have my heart in it and it never took off.

2: I worked with a woman who could only drink this when she was pregnant. Everything else made her sick. She was a woman obsessed, too.