I was gifted a glass frame in 7th grade from my English teacher with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Maya Angelou. I never threw it out (until it eventually broke) but till this day, if I close my eyes I can picture it standing on the top of my L-shaped IKEA desk, positioned perfectly between mismatched photo-frames, a stack of books collecting dust, and a miniature marble replica of the Taj Mahal.
“Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin, we can illuminate our paths or darken our way, it is a matter of choice.” You bet that quote went in my high-school yearbook senior year.
I had a severe “live, laugh, love” poster phase in college (every millennial did and don’t let them tell you otherwise). My Tumblr phase was out of control — hundreds of reblogs of quotes, pictures, sayings, literally anything that I felt spoke to me at that stage or aspirational for the future.
I truly am a sucker for inspirational content.
Every relatable Instagram text-on graphic quote paired with a pastel background or quote photoshopped onto a billboard with a fake sky gets saved via screenshot or in my collections. Call my cheugy (are we still saying that?) but I can’t help myself. Maybe it’s because I’ve needed it more over the past few years or because I love how words have the power to move you.
Yesterday, in a scroll session I came across the below from Delhi-based creative and writer, Freddy Birdy.
This is the kind of stuff that catches my eye. It felt so relevant to how I’ve been feeling over the past months. It made me pause and think. It made me feel safe. It made me feel excited and inspired. It made me want to eat a bowl of Maggi noodles.
I DMed it to a few people who I knew would relate to these words. I screenshotted it and texted it to family members and iMessage groups who welcome this type of inspiration. I included it in a post on my Instagram.
What surprised me the most was every single person I sent it to or who DMed me once they saw—responded with some combination of this sentence, “Wow need to follow this” or “Felt this.”
It hit home for everyone.
Millennials, parents, Gen-Z, no matter what age or what you’re doing in life — it’s becoming crystal clear that everyone is on the same journey these days.
We’re all looking to slow down. Finding (or re-finding) our way. Tired from our old ways of living.
“Hustle only when you’re dancing” really sunk my heart from Freddy’s post. The most immense joy I’ve felt in my life has been when I’ve danced — for fun, professionally, on stage—you name it. Reading that reminded me how I’ve been depriving myself of the one thing I know can bring me instant happiness. Putting all my time and energy into useless and sometimes mindless things vs. just dancing.
I was texting a good friend today who’s been going through a tough time. We’ve been checking in on each other over the past few weeks and today’s conversation, just by chance, was in theme with what Freddy Birdy’s post on Instagram was.
We discussed how we regularly have “good days” and “bad days.” On these “bad days,” especially when out of routine and feeling a lack of motivation— our first instincts are to beat ourselves up and feel guilty for not doing what we’re supposed to.
We’re conditioned to be hyper-productive, to be hyper-focused, and even if try not to be—social media and society sometimes fools us into believing everyone else is moving ahead without us.
Would it be the worst thing if we just gave in to the bad day? Allow ourselves to feel whatever we need to. To take a moment. To realize whatever needs to get done is really not that urgent. Take time to reflect. To watch TV. To eat an entire bar of HU Chocolate (ok just me).
We’re always running and racing and climbing, but do we really know where we’re trying to go?
What is your why?
What brings you true joy?
All questions I’m still answering for myself but I’ve found that sometimes these *sometimes* cheesy inspirational quotes serve a greater purpose in our lives. They alerts our brains to react. The next time you come across something that catches your eye, take note of the first thing that comes into your mind. That will likely tell you everything you need to know to start answering these questions.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and being here — sending you all of the good vibes.
PS - Please excuse any minor typos, this is a one-woman show.