I’ve been examining a lot of my thoughts and behaviors lately, inspired by books and podcasts I’ve spent time consuming. The biggest question that I’ve come up with is: who made this rule for you? Why do you follow it? Gosh. What a big question. And the answer is equally big: I don’t know, it’s just something I thought adults did. I just thought that adults meal planned. I assumed adults didn’t rest unless everything on their to do list was done. I grew up seeing homes that looked a certain way, and though that’s not something I care about particularly, it’s what I did.
Dang. I’ve been played!
This week is a little bit about breaking the rules. It’s about eating an untraditional meal, watching reality television that takes itself seriously, and un-following diet culture. Because you get to decide. You get to make the choice. Adults don’t have to do or look a certain way. Maybe this is an old thought to you, but it’s been pretty radical for me.
Eat: You know how the best part of every meal is often the appetizers? Why not make yourself some appetizers to enjoy throughout the week for snacks or meals? I’m talking veggie platters, delicious dips, bruschetta, and maybe even some pizza bagels or pigs in a blanket. The joyful thing about having them in the fridge is that they are easy to reheat or enjoy cold, and you can make yourself a small platter of whatever you want. It’s a party for one! (Unless you live with someone else and you let them share in the abundance. Seriously, that’s generous.)
See: I am telling you that if you haven’t already that it is time to run to your television set and watch The Traitors on Peacock. Here’s the premise: it’s just like the games Mafia or Warewolf- and I don’t know about you, but Mafia took up 80% of my middle and high school hangout time. There are three secretly selected Traitors among the bunch of contestants, and they select someone to vote off (or, as the host Alan Cumming says in his delicious accent “murder”). The group comes together each day at a round table to vote off someone who they believe is the traitor. If you need three more reasons to watch, here they are: it takes place in a really cool Scottish castle, Alan Cumming is an incredibly fun host, and everyone takes it so seriously that the level of camp is off the charts. Tune in to take your mind off of… well, everything but this amazing nonsense.
Do: This past week, I finally went through my winter clothes for a clothing purge. I had done this back in the spring and summer, but didn’t touch my winter clothes. If you’re interested in doing the same thing, here was my system: I made several piles: keep, toss, donate. The keep pile had to fit two criteria: did I like it, and did it fit? This seems like a silly list, but really and truly, it was harder than it seemed, especially when I liked it and it did not fit my current body. Here’s what I kept reminding myself: you are not meant to fit clothing, clothing is meant to fit you. I opted to toss anything I wouldn’t offer to a friend: things that were stained, things with way too much pilling on the fabric to save, or things that had seen way better days. The donate pile was a list of things I was so excited to give a new life. There were dresses in the pile that had so many happy memories, and I couldn’t wait to offer these items to people who would like them as well. A church in my town offers a thrift sale every month, so I dropped the bags off at their door and felt a huge amount of pressure lift. I have to admit, the secret sauce was listening to music that made me want to dance as well as an anti-diet culture, spoonie-friendly podcast, Struggle Care with KC Davis. This kept me from focusing on how my body is different now, and it felt instead like I was doing this all with a friend in the room.
May you have a snack-led, traitorous, and pared-down weekend!
Christina
