✨The Dos✨ Lucky 3: A values exercise and Jennifer Aniston salad
(with a side of Kacey Musgraves on repeat)
Hi, hello, greetings, welcome to ✨The Dos✨. If you don’t know how you got here (but you’re enjoying yourself), here, subscribe!
Happy Lucky 3 Friday! Thanks for spending a bit of your (very valuable) time with me.
A values exercise: On a recent weekend retreat with my writing group, my friend led us through a values exercise à la Brené Brown. People often talk about values at a high level, but when you stare at this extensive list and run through the worksheet — your values might feel blurry before they become clear. I like the way Brené frames values as, “beliefs that help you find your way in the dark, that fill you with a feeling of purpose.” When whittling down your list to two key values, she says to ask yourself:
Does this define me?
Is this who I am at my best?
Is this a filter that I use to make hard decisions?
I’ve found myself thinking about this exercise a lot over the last couple of weeks. One of the most salient questions for me: “What does it feel like when you’re living into your values?”
Kacey Musgraves on repeat: My college roommates have PTSD from my quarter-long obsession with “No Air” by Jordin Sparks. I’m only a little sorry because, well, it’s an excellent song and I couldn’t help playing it 42 times per day! When I discover a new favorite song, let’s just say I tend toward repetition. And while I’m very late on Kacey Musgraves, this beautiful song hit me at the exact right moment. Give it a whirl:
An Aniston salad: The parsley-mint combo in this “Jennifer Aniston salad” packs a bright punch. The internet says Aniston ate this salad every day for ten years, but I mostly recommend it as a way to introduce bulgar to your lunch lifestyle. Jokes aside, when depressing headlines and to-do lists loom, I find the process of chopping vegetables and putting them in a bowl quite centering.
Thanks for reading! Keep your joy alive amid the grief in this world.
Dos ✌️