Hi! My name is Bree, and I write about how to have better days at work and in life. Subscribe for posts on everything from 20 short rules for better days at work to Grandpa Mornings. And order my new book, Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously)!
I was going to write about Grief Debt today, but that two word combination is about as enticing as Colonoscopy Taxes, and I’m just not in the mood.
I am in the mood for treats.
In fact, I think the cold snap in NYC has done something to my ability to resist sugar because although usually I will take chips and salsa over dessert any day, I’ve been craving pancakes, chocolate, cookies. Not to mention the cravings for Only Murders in the Building which we’re watching as a family, my flannel pajamas, and new home goods. I like to think of it as Beast Mode… if that beast were a bear gorging itself in preparation for a very cozy hibernation.
I thought maybe you, too, were in the mood for treats. So here are 10 things to enjoy, get excited about, and try out as we enter the coziest time of year together. (With apologies to my southern hemisphere friends… bookmark this post?)
Bunnies have long tails! Did you know this? This fact never ceases to delight Brad. Maybe it will delight you too. That puff ball I pinned to my butt that one Halloween? Lies!!
Try an 1800s evening. That’s what I call the nights we entertain ourselves with the technology/vibes they had in the days of yore. As a family we love to do a jigsaw puzzle while we listen to a podcast. Well, mostly I love to do it and then Brad and Arden get all up in my business when they see a puzzle section that looks fun and that’s how I trick them in to my old school ways.
My recent nightly treat is reading my friend Emma Gannon’s brilliant, soon-to-be-released, short-form memoir about her year of burnout recovery: A Year of Nothing. She has such a wonderful way of gently, generously bringing you into her world. A cozy, reflective delight.
My favorite is to read it by candlelight, and I’m aware that candle holder makes it look like I should own a nightcap and be eating porridge. I dunno, it really brings me joy. I love the flickering light on the page. Our cat has only singed her whiskers once. Also, that’s magnesium tea because now I think about my magnesium levels like a proper middle-aged person. Candleholder from Stella in NYC. They have the dreamiest things.
This Chicken and Rice Soup is now on regular rotation. You can even skip the whole make-the-garnish bit and the soup recipe is basically: put it all in the pot. Arden made it by herself this weekend was was so proud. It’s nourishing and comforting but still bright with all the lemon.
My friend Paul Millerd just launched this gorgeous hardcover version of his cult-following book, The Pathless Path. Such a good gift for anyone in your life who is rethinking if the “work 40 years, retire” model is for them. And more broadly, anyone thinking soulfully about what it means to create a life on your own terms.
I am very excited about this felt bin we recently acquired. Typing that I realize just how far away I am from my 20s. This is not an affiliate link situation, I am selling felt bins to no one. But it makes me really happy that instead of the junk bowl situation we had near the door, now all of our junk is hidden in felt. Do any of you look at your little piles of crap (←❤️) and wonder: “Here is a nickel. What do I do with this nickel? I haven’t used change in forever, and if I were to use a nickel, I can’t just spend a nickel, I’d need to acquire other cash and bring it to a store which would only result in more change. Do I drop it on the street and wish it well? Throw it away? I’m sure as hell not going to my bank to deposit it. I guess I will live with this nickel forever.”
For an evening treat, try showering in the dark. I’ve been doing this for over a year now, most nights of the week. This isn’t my shampoo, exfoliate, etc shower which I do in the morning. This is a recreational shower. We have a small vanity mirror which has an “evening light” mode that I turn on that gives a warm, moody glow. And then I just stand under the hot water letting my muscles relax and brain unwind. It’s like a DIY sensory deprivation tank.
When I’m all wrapped up in my own world, feeling overly important and huffy-puffy, the best thing for me is to travel—to walk around a new city realizing nobody knows me or cares about me, feeling small and unimportant in the best possible way; in the way that frees me to simply enjoy myself. The second best thing I’ve found to induce this feeling is WindowSwap. I hope you enjoy it too.
I might have had a bit too much fun creating my website with my friend Chris. For fun and relaxation, try minimizing, expanding, or closing the main window… (Oh, you found yourself on a page where you can buy Today Was Fun? Look at that! How funny. Might as well get it while you’re there?)
Of all the things I do (speaking, consulting, etc) my favorite is writing to you. It makes me happy. I hope it makes you happy. My goal is to share a perspective or idea or nugget of joy that helps you have better days at work and in life. I’d like to do more of it, and I hope you’ll support me in putting ever-more love here.
Writing is a weird profession in that it’s often expected that you’ll do it for free, for “exposure.” Or that it’s the “top of your funnel” to get people to buy your course or consulting or coaching. But I’ve always said of the book and of this site, that to me, the writing IS the point. It’s the beautiful part. My way of throwing thought seeds into the world, hoping they might take root in your neck of the woods and grow into something magical and sustaining.
I love this corner of the internet we have. And, I think I need it to love me back so it makes sense to pour ever-more into it.
Would you, could you, become a paid subscriber? I promise to delight your inbox. To read your comments. To do my best to inspire ever-better days. And if a paid subscription clashes with your financial sitch, email me and I’ll comp you one—no questions asked. todaywasfun@breegroff.com
Soon I’ll transition to once-a-season public posts and weekly-ish subscriber posts. I plan to not write for a month over the summer, for two weeks in the winter, and to skip a couple other weeks too. But most weeks, I’ll be here, having a lot of fun.
I hope you will be too?
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