Edition #10: A Defense For Quitting
Plus, London's top-rated (fake) restaurant, you should buy more art, and a coffee/toast consensus
A Note from the Editor
If you looked at my life as a series of decisions, you might be inclined to call me a quitter. I quit art school in the tenth grade, then I quit the competitive dance team at my studio a year later, and then my collegiate dance team a few years later. At 24 I quit my six-figure job to move to New York City, with no prospects waiting for me on the other end of the move. Despite what it sounds like, I’m a far cry from impulsive— every decision was thought out of the point of excess, the potential repercussions of my choices carefully considered several times over before I made a move.
"You have to finish what you started" is a command we hear from childhood when our parents forced us to do things like continue to show up at tee-ball practice even though we didn't enjoy it and weren't good at it. The sentiment naturally bleeds into adult life. After all, you don't often hear the word "quitter" used to describe a "winner". Winners persevere against all odds, when they fall down they get right back up again up, and they certainly don't quit.
But what if quitting opens a previously invisible door? What if it brings you closer to yourself, closer to what you really want? It's true that I lost something every time I chose to quit, but I also gained something of far greater value. Quitting gets a bad rap, and this collection of stories about quitting-- from the priesthood to Yale to dating apps — made me think about how we frame the notion of being a quitter, usually from a place of fear or misdirected willpower rather than one of personal empowerment.
Cheers my dears. I’d love to hear about a time you quit something and how it turned out.
Three Piece of Content Worth Consuming
The #1 Rated Fake Restaurant in London. This one's an oldie, but in our era of misinformation, I found myself revising The Shed at Dulwich, a hilariously recounted tale of how one man turned his shed into a fake restaurant that eventually rose to the number one rated spot on TripAdvisor-- out of 18,149 other (real) restaurants. He eventually allows a few guests to come in and dine on frozen food, and the ridiculousness doesn't stop there. Consider this a case study on why I don't make dining decisions based on customer review sites.
What's Actually Holding Women Back? Time is our greatest commodity-- we need time alone to facilitate self-discovery, to explore our passions, and to blueprint the sort of life we want. But like most things in society, time favors one gender over the other and it has nothing to do with the biological clock. An exploration of how women have historically had less time to themselves, and how that lack of time creates a cyclical handicap.
"I feel such a sense of loss when I think of the great, unwritten poems that took a backseat to polished floors."
Let Them Eat (Impeachment) Cake. The impeachment trial is well underway, an if you haven't been keeping up with the drama here's an update: the Republican ruled Senate doesn't want to allow witnesses to testify in the trial against the president, but this week a manuscript of former National Security Advisor John Bolton's book leaked-- and it alleges that Trump did exactly what his lawyers are claiming he didn't do. The pressure is mounting for the Senate to allow Bolton to testify, and one of my favorite NYC bakeries sent these cakes to all 53 Senate Republicans.
Perhaps You Should...
Buy More Art
Make it a priority to decorate your living spaces with more art-- and not the kind from Crate and Barrel or HomeGoods. The prospect of collecting art feels intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Sure, there are dream pieces that I can't afford yet (like anything from Ashley Longshore), but there is also plenty of accessible art out there. Try starting at Society 6-- they've got a bunch of beautiful, reasonably priced pieces and every purchase pays an artist directly.
(Silly But Important) **Bonus Content**
Is anyone a 6F? Or even worse, a 1F? In the land of distracting internet content, this toast and coffee census is exactly what I didn't know I needed. I'm a hardcore 4B, what are you? And does anyone actually drink their coffee as light as F? If so, if it actually coffee, or is it just a mug of milk? I don't know whether to be offended or intrigued.
A Quote From a Book You Should Read:
" Let the healthy people toss out whatever comes to mind, the way you throw out garbage. When an asthmatic says "I love you," and when an asthmatic says "I love you madly," there's a difference."
-The Girl on the Fridge by Etgar Keret
This newsletter is best served with a side of conversation, so drop your opinions, reflections, and thoughts in the comments below and let’s get to talking.
Or, share the most thought-provoking piece from today’s edition with someone you love, then call them up to discuss, debate, and percolate. As a wise woman once said, “Great minds discuss ideas.”