Guest "DJ" Thais
1. Today’s Recipe:
March is a month for many birthdays in our family. My husband’s is March 23rd, then mine comes right after that on April 2nd, wrapping up a string of 5 birthdays total. This long intro is to justify the fact that we are now headed onto our 2nd sheet of Brigadeiro cake since we began this journey of staying in. Brigadeiro is a delicious sweetened condensed milk-based chocolate fudge, typically used in many different ways for birthday celebrations in Brazil. Be warned: I hold no responsibility for a) a potential brigadeiro addiction and b) the need for larger jeans once this is all said and done :)
2. Top Song Picks:
I don’t have songs, or a song, in mind. I’m usually all about exploring new indie stuff or digging into the vault of old country, rock and jazz with my husband Nate, but something about these weird times keeps me coming back to familiar sounds. A few of my favorite artists have performed live on Instagram, and that’s been the highlight of the past two weeks, musically speaking. Beach House, First Aid Kit and Bat For Lashes all serenaded their fans recently. I bet a bunch of your favorite artists might be doing the same, so look them up! This is such a silver lining in these strange days and I really, truly love it.
3. Good Kid-Friendly Activity:
Last night, our family decided to go “glamping” in the playroom. Well, our 5-year old Sam did, and we followed suit. We had a movie night - Princess Bride! - with popcorn, and had the teepee set up with sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. Sam had a blast. Nate moved on to our bed in record time, and I tossed and turned until the sun came up...next time I need to layer up on the “glam” in our glamping. Sam was psyched about it though, which justified any back pain I might be feeling today :)
4. Proud Moment:
I am proud of human resilience. We are surrounded by so many examples of it: in the health care professionals who continue to push against the challenges, the community workers who know their health might be at risk but take their jobs seriously with a smile on their faces. Proud of all parents juggling financial anxiety with home schooling and job pressure (or no-job pressure), and proud of everyone taking our reality seriously enough to be safely “stuck” at home for the greater being of their neighborhoods, towns and countries.
5. Not-So-Proud Moment:
Please see “Today’s Recipe” (I am proud of the recipe itself, just not of my behavior around it).
6. Whatcha Reading:
“The Upside of Being Down” by Jen Gotch. Jen is an entrepreneur from LA and founder of Band.o, a brand that is very vocal around women’s rights and self care. Jen is also a huge mental health awareness advocate, and I always loved how she shared her struggles via social media, waaaay before it was cool to share anything too personal or uncomfortable. Her autobiography came out this week - I was glad to see it arrive and am enjoying her sense of humor and inner talks.
7. Who was the Helper in your Community Today (Inspired by Mr. Rogers, of course!):
I am so proud of our neighborhood. A few years ago, we were new to Bedford and didn’t know many people in our street or surrounding ones. Slowly, faces became familiar and last fall’s block party introduced a lot of people to each other. Today, we have a Facebook group, a pretty active email thread for any needs and issues, and we all check on each other frequently. Another silver lining I’m keeping in mind :)
8. Movie/Show Recommendation:
Not sure if this is an actual recommendation, but we can’t stop watching Tiger King on Netflix. It’s a distraction for sure.
As for good movies we’ve seen recently, Jojo Rabbit was a favorite. It’s set during WWII, and it’s a great story about changing your perspective and seeing things differently despite of your initial take. Very, very fitting for a time like right now. Also, Sam Rockwell is an absolute Collins family favorite :)
9. Excellent Outdoor Activity:
Like many of you, we’ve been trying to get out once a day for a walk and explore trails. Yesterday was a gloomier day so we got in the car and drove to Manchester-By-The-Sea to look at pretty houses and take a walk on Black and White beach. On our way there, I realized Tartine, one of the best Beverly little cafes was still open for take out, so we grabbed coffees and pastries for the trip. We talked about doing this more often: exploring towns and neighborhoods to get to know them better and to peek at the beautiful architecture we’re surrounded by in MA.
12. Any Advice You Want to Share:
I always loved this quote on taking and giving advice from the “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” essay by Mary Schmich for the Chicago Tribune in ‘97 (also known to elder Millennials as the “Wear Sunscreen” video):
“Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.”
In days where everyone seems to have a different take on how to navigate our challenges correctly, it’s a good reminder for awareness, kindness and gut trust. It’s great, and helps keeping a positive perspective.
Click here to watch the video.
Hope you and your loved ones stay healthy, safe and as sane as possible as we transition into a new reality, together.
Would love to hear from you all as well!!! The more we engage, find humor, share encouragement and challenges, the stronger we can come out of this!!!
Stay safe and be well- signing off- "DJ' Thais