A monthly homage to the little happenings in life. This was April in photos and links.
Hearted Phone Pics <3
^^ Shadow Play… One blessing in disguise with working from home these past six weeks has been reclaiming my time with golden hour in our home. Typically between 6-7:30pm, I would be commuting from work by metro, which runs mostly underground, and get home after the sun sets. But now, I get to experience the sun’s rays from 5-7:00pm and watch the light move, grow warm, and make shadows. It’s provided a daily form of catnip to my inner feline.
^^ Locked Out In The Hallway… That one time we went grocery shopping (which now all stores require facemasks to enter) and both forgot to bring our house keys with us. Rookies. Luckily, we only had to wait about 20 minutes for security to verify our id’s and color of our couch (random, right?) and then we were home sweet home.
^^ Early Mornings… Since working from home, mornings have become “my time” since Charles isn’t usually up until 8:30am. I’m up at 7:00am, 30-45min. workout, shower, breakfast, and in front of my laptop by 9:00am. At least that’s the goal… How bad is it when you’re late work while working from home ’cause that may have happened a few times.
^^ Sips. Been drinking this tea almost every evening. The direction say to steep for 5 minutes but I’ve been letting it steep for 10 minutes to get the full ginger tea effect.
^^ Multipurpose Room… Our guest bedroom which is currently serving as a laundry dump and makeshift office space for Charles.
^^ Recent Pick Up #1. Cloth napkins to offset paper towel use which, when I think about it, we should’ve been using cloth napkins. And also, Burt’s Bees handsalve has been a life saver for our dry, cracking hands since we’ve been washing our hands so much.
^^ Recent Pick Up #2. Boxed Wine. Reverting back to college standards out of practicality and bang for buck. This little box has lasted us the whole month since we don’t really drink like that.
^^ Selfies… Work from home fits. PJs, activewear, leggings and oversized shirts galore. As for jeans, slacks and blouses? I haven’t worn them in over 5 weeks and it will be one of few things I won’t enjoy bringing back when things ever go “back to normal”.
Hearted Links <3
^^ Sounds. Been listening to alot of emo, inspirational, sometimes gospel-ish r&b music to keep me thankful and hopeful despite the turmoil I’ve been feeling inside these past few week. In particular, “Blessed” by Daniel Caesar has been on repeat. The one line “yes I’m a mess but I’m blessed to be stuck with you”, I imagine singing that line to myself in the mirror whenever I listen to this.
^^ Visuals. This illustration by @tarnellisart. To me, it’s a reminder that my mind is a garden and it must be tended with self-love and positive thoughts in order to grow and thrive. What’s also dope about Tarn Ellis is that she takes commissions… Would love to have her take a photo of mine and turn it into a a work of art. One day.
^^ Movement. Dance has been my most effective method for releasing anxiety out of my body. Every day for at least 2 songs, I don’t think about anything else besides wiggling around our home to the music. And if I’m lucky, sometimes Charles’s joins me. So glad I decided to record this particular freestyle session and captured this moment.
^^ Recipe Referral… First time making Tomato Basil Shrimp and Grits, recipe via Pinch of Yum. I followed every single step as listed and would make no changes to it in the future. Shrimp and grits is super pricey when eating out in the DC area (hello $17/18 per one single plate). But now, having made it at home for about $12 for 3 servings… I may never eat out for shrimp and grits again. It’s a super simple, quick and easy dish to make.
Hearted Reads <3
– “Habits and Self Care Rituals for Dealing With Career Anxiety” via Creative Mornings – some really great tips for lifestyle adjustments to make in the midst of chaos. One tip I’m currently working on is developing a personal slogan to keep myself anchored to my purpose no matter how the world changes.
– “Mark Morris, One Of The World’s Leading Choreographers, Takes Dance To Zoom” via the Washington Post – Hello, I’m Setarra and a huge Mark Morris dance fan. He is one of the last living dance legends from the golden 80/90’s modern dance era in America. I auditioned and attended his summer dance program in NYC while an undergrad and have seen his dance company, Mark Morris Dance Group, perform 8 times in my lifetime (so far). I thought this article did a great job of providing a behind the scenes look of how his dance company has been adapting to social distancing and that it also captured his personality and drive perfectly.
– Speaking of Zoom, “Show But Don’t Tell: Why Silent Zooms are Golden for Focusing the Mind” via the Guardian. A “virtual monastic retreat”, “try to imagine it as working in a library” together but silent. I feel like I would appreciate attending a Zoom in this silent format.
Hearted Happenings <3
I turned 33 in April and, the day after my birthday, I found my first gray hair growing out of my right temple. I’ve had two gray hairs growing in my right eyebrow for the past couple of months but this is the first time I’ve found a gray hair on my head. And surprisingly, I wasn’t upset about finding this silvery thread. I kind of think it’s pretty.
And that’s April in a nutshell.
Overall, I’ve just been trying to maintain, stay positive, and be thankful for what I have.
Reality, right now in the midst of a pandemic, has not been and is still not easy to adjust to. I’ve experienced many low and high moments while trying to adapt to new norms. Days of extreme productivity followed by days where I have no motivation to get out of bed.
The one thing I keep reminding myself on daily basis is that we are all TRYing. Trying to make the most out a situation no one anticipated, trying to cope and thrive as best we can and the action of “trying” looks different for everyone based on what their realities and struggles/privileges are.
With that said, as we start a new month today, my goal is to simply give myself and others the space and grace to “try” however we/they can without judgement, whether self-imposed or externally placed.
We may be all in the same storm but we are NOT all in the same boat.
April showers bring May flowers and I’ma be on the lookout for allll of them. Wishing you a restorative weekend.
xo, Setarra
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