I feel grateful to celebrate two New Years: the January 1st New Year of the Gregorian Calendar, and the March 20th Iranian New Year on the solar calendar. The three month time gap between the two holidays feels like a grace period. If I don’t get my things in order by March, I can always just start again. I encourage more of you to celebrate Iranian New Year for this reason (we also jump over fires beforehand to cleanse ourselves — 10/10 would recommend), or to find your own arbitrary opportunity to give yourself grace. You can always start again.
I haven’t been writing as much as I’ve liked to this month with a whirlwind of work, life, and cookbook editing on my plate. I’m spending most of January in East Asia, on a sabbatical from work. This is the first time in my life that I’ll be taking an extended break from work (sad!).
You’re getting a Friday Five from me one day late so you have some joy to ring in the new year with. For those who are new consumers (hi! thanks for being here), the Friday Five is my round-up of joyful, funny internet content that should make you feel lighter, breezier, and maybe even be a little cathartic.
Article: I’m starting to learn that I don’t quite know how to rest, and I don’t even know what activities would be restful for me. There are a number of reasons behind this that are too long to be stated here, but I found this article on rest, and this quote from a scientific journal cited in it, illuminating:
“The essence of rest is an experience of harmony concerning one’s feelings, actions, and motivation. This implies that there is a capacity for actions, which is carried out in accordance with a sensation of pleasure. Rest appears when one’s needs and longing correspond to the shape and character of the environment. Rest takes many different states, from calm, demand-free, and peaceful conditions to conditions where one is open and perceptive to pleasurable impressions. The essence of rest is characterized by a sense of confidence and trust in one’s own inviolable human dignity and in being loved.”
Song: If you have the energy to boogie at any point in the day or night, play this song. Or just listen to it as you go about your day, it is a Saturday after all. Lose yourself in the days of the week and in the excitement of an entirely new year, full of days and adventures and joys you have yet to discover.
Task: Look at your YouTube search history and have a laugh. Mine is deliciously unhinged, but also feels like an honest portrait of where I am in this moment.
A Reminder: This passage from Alice Walker resonated with me deeply. 2022 has been a year of immense change and growth, with a lot of big feelings. It’s been scary at times, and it’s been hard. If you’ve felt the same, I hope these words bring you some relief:
Joyful Internet Content:
Girl, move on. I love you.
Roya