Wise Words I Came Across

I am tired. I think 2021 has been a better year than 2020 but so far, it's been a better year buuuut I'm tired. I am probably burnt out. I just want to sleep all the time except there is not enough hours in the day to do that. 

I came across this Nigella Lawson interview and she isn't someone that I know a lot about but I really enjoyed her interview. She is 61 and chockful of life experiences. It's so crazy the layers everyone has as they experience life because - life is a bitch.

She talks about how she embraces lounging now. Rarely wearing makeup, dressing in comfortable wear and eating chocolate in bed. She does this and revels in it because she didn't want to repeat her mother's mistakes. Her mother was 48 when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and that's when she finally started eating what she wanted without worry or guilt (she died two weeks after the diagnosis). 

She goes on to say "Being thin is not and should not be the goal" because she can feel guilt about a lot of things but not eating. A lot of people in her family have died of cancer and you can't witness that and equate thinness with health.

This resonated because sometimes I feel most people have an eating disorder/unhealthy relationship with food and don't even know it. So much anguish, so much "food is the enemy" mindset and it's irritating and frustrating because in case anyone hasn't noticed, a lot of things don't matter - we die in the end. Not saying don't eat healthy or be aware or desire to be thin/lose weight - just don't let it consume you and the people around you.

Lawson says that "you get to a certain age and your designer for comfort is much greater than your vanity". After losing her mom, she lost her sister and first husband - both, to cancer. These losses made her deeply aware of the fragility of life.

When she was younger. she worked in publishing and was climbing up the ladder. But then she realized that she was on the wrong ladder, one more promotion and she would be a department head and she realized she had no interest in having power over people. After a while, she felt like she was being paid to worry  not to think.

Oh the truth in that. I have had one job that has scarred me for life and that job made me realize that I am over the whole career dance and the effort it takes. I now want to coast, get paid and go home. In case you missed it above, I am tired and I don't have the mental fortitude - and this is me without kids to add to the busyness. Sometimes, it helps to define and know what you want and it may not be what every one else wants - and that's okay.

Last thing she talks about that resonated was about grief - "A loss doesn't magically go away. The wound is always there, but it's not as raw. And it's not linear. You go up and down and some years can be harder. You don't know why it is that you can be plunged into lowness or why some things don't upset you. Just know that you are not really in charge"

I really don't have anything to add because she said it perfectly.

I like finding words of wisdom even when it's things that sound so common sense because we always need a reminder. This made me like Nigella Lawson so much, I think I am going to buy one of her cookbooks. 

I found this on The Modern Cedar's blog -  "There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing. "The absence of mental illness doesn't mean the presence of mental health. Even if you're not depressed or burned out, you might be languishing—feeling a sense of emptiness and stagnation. Meh"

Before I leave you, Ms Sassy has a tiny letter thing going on that's pretty good. She writes a lot about tiny habits that can improve your life. Think of it as a gentle drag that could get you back on track in life. If you'd like to - and I encourage you to - you can subscribe here. Just drop your email!

I hope everyone is doing well and hanging in there. Until next time!