My heart has been filled to the brim with gratitude recently, so I'd like to share a bit of that with you!
Living in the sunlight
Loving in the moonlight
Having a wonderful time
It's important to me that I document what brings me joy, ease, peace, and fun. And as of late, I've been more aware of the things that are enhancing my life; that are making it a more enjoyable experience. I encourage you to do a similar exercise! It felt very good to do this.
Without further ado, please find below 3 things I've been grateful for recently.
My entire life changed on June 10, 2022, when I received my first Instacart order.
It was small because, frankly, I was very hesitant to try the service at all. The entire order itself was a result of circumstance: I was exhausted, the refrigerator was nearly empty, and there was a free trial of Instacart+ on the table.
I wasn't yet brave enough to ask a stranger to pick out my produce for me, so I started with ice cream, chicken, and Downy Unstoppables. I convinced (begged) my mother to pick up the produce on her way home.
And friends, hear me when I say, I felt such an incredible relief when I opened my front door to find my groceries placed carefully upon my door mat.
It was beautiful. I was grateful to the shopper who so kindly retrieved my items for me. I was grateful to the designers at Instacart that made it super clear to me what I was purchasing, how much I'd be charged, which stores up-charged on the app, and whether the store was out of the ice cream I wanted.
It's an incredible service, I'm so glad it exists, and I'm very grateful to everyone involved in creating and executing such a lovely user experience.
Also, if y'all do use Instacart, I hope you tip your shoppers well!
They're doing God's work fr!!!
NPR is probably one of the best publicly funded things we have in this country. It's a gift. It's a gem. It's like my favorite thing ever.
They make such incredible content and it's always so informative, accessible, and just amazing quality. Those wonderful people at NPR truly deserve the world and are responsible for creating the very podcasts I use for my intellectual wellness.
Wondering which podcasts I love from them? Life Kit and Hidden Brain are my go-to's. Life Kit is shorter, super conversational, diverse in topics, and just really well-structured. Hidden Brain is longer, also pretty conversational, has more psychology-based topics, and is the perfect companion for a flight or long drive.
What did Mick Jenkins say in "Truffles"??
My niggas all think different, ain't the same, see, I figured
If I wanna stay sharp-minded, gotta keep me some sharp niggas
No, but actually. Recently, I've been so, so grateful to God for blessing me with smart friends with different perspectives and insights. I'm surrounded by people I respect immensely, and am constantly learning from, and being inspired by. I know for a fact that I am a better, more layered person because I have access to people who don't think exactly as I do.
And these different perspectives allow me to experiment with approaches to problems that I wouldn't naturally use. Y'all know I'm trying to lean into my problem-solver mindset and through this experimentation, I'm creating solutions that are founded upon an array of considerations inspired by the people in my life! That makes me feel sooo good to say! Truly blessed.
I'm especially grateful for a comment a friend made recently. After my monologue on how I'd accepted my future as the rich auntie who takes my nephews out to Nice, they said something along the lines of:
"You can't give up on the things you want just because it hasn't happened. If you want it, you have to think, live, and move as though it's already on the way."
I am truly better because of each of my friends. And I've been extra grateful for them recently.
Anyway, cheers y'all! Walk in gratitude today! <333
