the sunday short stack, vol. 2
Happy Sunday, friends! I won’t lie: this week was a tougher one. I went into much more detail about why in Wednesday’s post, “on being clinically depressed in an increasingly depressing world”, but I basically came to the realization that I’ve been in a low spell for a lot longer than I’d thought and that I need to get serious about taking better care of my physical and mental health.
But even during weeks that are this mentally and emotionally exhausting, there are still fragments of joy to be found—you just have to put in a little more effort to notice them.
Let’s dig in:
THIS WEEK, I’M GRATEFUL FOR:
Dinners that make you feel closer to home. My parents used to make turkey tacos pretty regularly when I still lived with them in my early 20s, so on Tuesday night, I decided to make the spread in the same way they always do—ground turkey with a Cholula seasoning packet, guac (my mom’s recipe), refried beans mixed with salsa, diced bell peppers, and gluten free corn shells. The husband (I’ll refer to him as R from here on out) helped with the meat prep, and I did the rest, and they turned out even better than I’d expected. We stretched the ingredients for two dinners and combined the last bits of it into a sauce over pasta for lunch on a third day!
When I’m having a hard week and missing my family, eating meals I associate with them is immensely comforting. Next up: trying my hand at making shepherd’s pie so I can master it ahead of St. Paddy’s season.
THIS WEEK, I’M PROUD OF MYSELF FOR:
Practicing vulnerability. I still have a very hard time talking about mental illness while I’m actively experiencing it, but as soon as I had my “epiphany” earlier in the week, I was upfront with both R and my mom (who is my best friend and gets worried with me living so far away) about it. We talked about action steps I plan to take to help myself get out from under it, and a big part of that is going to be putting myself out there more socially and starting to try to make friends in Atlanta so I feel a little less isolated. I could easily put those two wonderful people under my “grateful” list this week too, but something tells me they and the rest of my family would start showing up there every week (which might get a little boring for you to read).
THIS WEEK, I DISCOVERED:
(Speaking of boring…) “Boring” Christmas presents when you’re in or approaching your 30s kinda rule. This year, R got a sous vide, and I got a red light mask. I’ve used the mask a few nights this week and already feel like I notice a little bit of a difference in my skin’s inflammation, which could be a GAME CHANGER for my acne if I’m good about using it consistently. R made steak and chicken on two separate nights with the sous vide—definitely very time consuming, but holy shit. Both turned out so moist (ew)/tender/flavorful and were some of the best meat that my already-culinarily-gifted spouse has ever made us. I think an 18 year old Bridget’s mind would be a little blown that we were both this unironically excited about these gifts, but hey, interests and passions evolve!
THIS WEEK, I ENJOYED:
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. This is a movie I’ve been wanting to see since it was first released (I’m a huge Pedro fan, and R and I both love Nic Cage), and it did not disappoint. It was bizarre and meta and even a little heartwarming, and the LSD scene had us both in tears. It also made me want to rewatch National Treasure (but to be fair, it doesn’t take much to get me in the mood to watch National Treasure).
NEXT WEEK, I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO:
Valentine’s Day! R and I aren’t super into the holiday, to be honest (we both feel like it’s a holiday that too many couples use as a sort of make-up day for showing each other love and appreciation when that should be something that’s just innately part of your everyday relationship), but I did schedule a hair appointment to get my ever-graying roots back in order, so between that and us having dinner somewhere together, it’ll still be a nice day for making myself feel good! (And of course I still got him a sappy card. I’m a writer, I have to get the big feelings out onto paper whenever I get the excuse to.)
A QUOTE (LYRIC) TO TAKE YOU INTO THE NEW WEEK:
“and when you feel the world /
wrapping ‘round your neck, /
feel my hand wrapped in yours.
and when you feel the world /
wrapping ‘round your neck, /
don’t succumb.”
~ Marcus Mumford, Broad-Shouldered Beasts (a song I love and have a tattoo referencing)
Enjoy your pancakes, be good to each other, and I’ll see you here next week!