December 2020: Self-Care, Sunny Days and Redeemed Suffering

 

This month's title only captures some of the goodies I have for this month, so dig in!

It’s not that you don’t care. It’s that you’re mentally exhausted. I'm sad I even have to post this article, but this is what life is like right now after so many months of Pandemic Life. Remember, stress and exhaustion don't usually hit all at once; they incrementally build up slowly over time and take over without us realizing it. This article is a good start in assessing how you are doing.

7 Questions You Should Ask If You Are Applying for a Remote Job. Remote jobs are the "new black" in 2020. BUT... not all jobs are created equal. I have worked remotely since 2009 and I vouch for the 7 questions in this article. 

Sunny Days Protect Against the Flu (and COVID?). I don't normally post health tips here as it is a realm beyond my expertise, but I am one giant fan of self-care (and the benefits of Vitamin D), and we need to seek self-care all the more aggressively as we move into winter. Should a sunny day offer itself, don't miss out!! 

Time Magazine's 100 Best Inventions for 2020. In the past two months I've offered these other links for mental health breaks: Oddly Satisfying and Amazing Fact Generator. This month's offering will not disappoint.

Mary Karr — The Master of Memoir on Creative Process and Finding Gifts in the Suffering. Spellbinding podcast interview from start to finish, on the process of writing. If you want a masterclass on creativity, especially in light of personal trauma, look no further. I could have listened for many more hours. (P.S. I'm not the biggest fan of Tim Ferriss, the interviewer, but the guest, Mary Karr, more than makes up for Ferriss.)

What am I reading / watching / listening to? Oh GOSH, where to begin...

• Almost Everything: Notes on Hope by Anne Lamott. I am a HUGE fan. She makes me laugh out loud, and tells it like it is.
• Where the Past Begins: Memory and Imagination by Amy Tan. Part memoir, part how-to on writing. A little rambling at times, but overall very moving and intriguing in its exploration of how we remember our past.
• The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. I don't even know how to describe this. It's a little bit like a Wes Anderson movie, but it's also sort of a thriller. Who knew chess could be exciting?!
• Song Exploder: How Music Gets Made. Just watch it on Netflix. SO GOOD.
• Louder Than a Riot. This is a podcast -- I am 3 episodes in and I am HOOKED. If you liked Serial, you'll love this. It covers the "interconnected rise between hip-hop and mass incarceration," but even more than that.
• Distributed. Another podcast, by the founder of WordPress, on remote work, AKA, being a "distributed workforce." Might sound nerdy... AND it is. But super interesting as we continue the WFH thang.

I'll end with this:

“And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home.”

―Wendell Berry

Hit me up with feedback or questions at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Thanks for reading.