Jen's Weekend Drafts: Shrubs, Pilates, + Sunglasses.

Jen Shoop

April 13

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What I Loved This Week...

+MOCKTAIL: Saw this mocktail recipe from one of the two food bloggers I follow on Instagram, Maddy de Vita of Hand Me the Fork (other: Caro Chambers) and couldn't get it out of my head. I absolutely love shrubs (vinegar-based syrup), and she makes her own and mixes with club soda. (You could also mix with sparkling wine for a twist on a spritz.) When I tell you that I careened to the grocery store to get all the ingredients...I did! (The video also inspired me to order glass straws for our bar.) Interesting, too - Brooks Reitz (a Substacker I now follow thanks to your suggestions!) just published a thoughtful little piece on the non-alcoholic movement. Interesting food for thought. I was taken by his comment that if he can't have the BEST, he's not going to drink alcohol. E.g., no bad airport wine or margarita. It really stuck with me!

+PRIORITIZING PLAY: I've been thinking about this beautiful interview all week. An older gentleman talks about how he wishes he could go back and spend more time playing with his family -- it deeply moved me. It reminded me of a great set of couplets from a Mary Oliver poem titled "Blossom" (full poem here):

In April
the ponds open
like black blossoms,
the moon
swims in every one;
there's fire
everywhere: frogs shouting
their desire,
their satisfaction. What
we know: that time
chops at us all like an iron
hoe, that death
is a state of paralysis. What
we long for: joy
before death, nights
in the swale - everything else
can wait

Everything else can wait. (I've written more about play, and the importance of seeking joy, here.)

+PILATES CULTURE: I laughed out loud at this SNL skit about Pilates culture. I attended one reformer class here in Bethesda and thought I was going to pass out. I was so intimidated (and in so much pain afterward) that I never redeemed the second two vouchers I'd bought for classes. I'm finding hot yoga to be a better fit. It's fast-paced, dark, slightly intense, but the instruction is much gentler and no one really cares what you're doing if you need to take a thirty second child pose break.

+SHOPPING: And just like that, it's 75 degrees out. I wrote about my recent sunny weather purchases this week, but I'm strutting around everywhere with my new shades and sun hat. Currently in my cart (likely to be purchased soon): this swimsuit, this eyelet cover-up set. I also ordered one of these COS t-shirts, this "glass hair" product, and some Sephora goodies this week. Fun shopping week! I always love the turn in weather for season-ahead shopping.

+LISTENING: On my ever-evolving running play list, I added some rough and tumble folk-Southern-rock-country ballads this week: "Cumberland Gap" (David Rawlings), "Whitehouse Road" (Tyler Childers), "16 Carriages" (Beyonce), "Heroes Are Hard to Find" (Fleetwood Mac), and "Last Child," by Aerosmith. I'm telling you, you will be flying with this mix. (Best running shoes here.) Also been enjoying Sidney Bechet for my Woody Allen moods (as I wrote earlier this week -- it is good to romanticize your life!), and currently have this podcast queued for my next school drop off. (Have heard it's excellent!)

+LEARNING: After writing about my worry nights, I came across this timely article from Goop, titled "Perimenopause Can Disrupt Your Sleep. Here's What You Can Do about It." In it, Dr. Baz Bhatia, an integrative medicine physician, observes that "When estrogen levels decline, serotonin production can also take a hit, affecting sleep quality. It's also often the culprit behind other issues that can keep you awake, like hot flashes, heart palpitations, and racing thoughts." A lot of her suggestions reflect my own conclusions (get to bed earlier! turn off screen!), but it just felt...good? reassuring? to connect some of these patterns I've noticed in myself to underlying physiological changes. Interesting!

+ZENDAYA'S THOM BROWNE LOOK: OMG, I couldn't stop swooning! She is SO chic. The makeup, the bow, the earrings, the dress, the look!

What You Loved This Week...

A little groundswell of love for this $14 hair tool this week! (I love it, too - several of you wrote me about it and chimed in via the comments section here to corroborate.)

Responses to my last round of icebreakers continue to trickle in and delight. It's not too late to share your own answers -- so many funny, insightful, vulnerable, brave comments to read. I was particularly bowled over this week by Kristin's comment that "Feelings aren't right or wrong, but can be a valuable source of information." Wow! Had to sit with that one for awhile -- I like the way she frames emotions as an input. Not the full story, but also not something to discard or ignore.

Finally, all of this week's bestsellers below...