Tiny Revolutions №69: New Beginnings
look, marvel, swoon
Greetings from Los Angeles, where the weather is uncharacteristically misty and no one’s really sure when to wear a mask anymore. I guess this is one of the final stages of the pandemic, a liminal state where the vaccinated have been given permission to go maskless in many settings, only no one’s really sure whether it’s appropriate, socially. This is, from what I’ve observed, because people seem to want to make sure everyone else is ok with it. Which is nice to see! I’m guessing it will be like this for at least a few months as we adjust to yet another change in social norms.
All awkwardness aside, I must say that I *really* enjoyed hanging out inside a coffeeshop this week, as that is basically my natural habitat.
I’m also enjoying the return of the jacarandas, which I have seen referred to as “the cherry blossoms of Los Angeles.” Here’s a gratuitous pic of my friend’s puppy lounging amidst the blossoms.
All of this is to say that it’s spring! And it’s a time of transition and renewal and rebirth, and as such, I really didn’t get much writing done this week.
But how about some links ‘n things?
“We often tend to think of influence as conforming or imitation, people doing the same thing as others. That happens sometimes, but just as often people differentiate themselves. People don’t just do one or the other, they do both simultaneously. They want to be optimally distinct, or similar but different.”
Relevant on many levels to this particular moment in time: How Other People Influence You and Why That’s Ok
“In 1979, an Italian psychiatrist observed this phenomenon often enough among tourists that she gave it a name: Stendhal Syndrome, typically a short-lived condition that strikes people while they behold art or other forms of great beauty.”
Loved this essay by novelist R.O. Kwon about the sensations that await us as we emerge from the pandemic: The Unbearable Lightness of Post-Pandemic Beauty
“Research this for too long, and you start to sound vaguely stoned. Is Reiki real? Does it matter whether Reiki is real? And whose definition of real are we working with: Is it real according to the presiding scientific and medical framework, which tells us that phenomena need to be measurable to be taken seriously, or is it real in the looser, unquantifiable way of spiritual practice?”
Really interesting read: Reiki Can’t Possibly Work. So Why Does It?
Came across this quiz for identifying Your Greatest Sources of Pleasure in the Recommendo newsletter. (Which is a great Sunday read!) Use it figure out what to do more of?
I love it when people use social media to induce a feeling of wonder. Here a few tweets that did it for me last week:
Sometimes it really is this simple.
It’s On.
OK, at long last, I’m going ahead with the in-person meetup here in Los Angeles. It’ll be next Sunday morning, 5/23, at 11 am in Elysian Park, and I’d love it if you came out. Details here. RSVP, bring a friend, etc.
A Tiny Assignment
Find a small way to enjoy yourself this week. A sensual pleasure that is just for you.
😘
Sara