Protect your peace this 🤪silly🤪 szn
🔔 Bel Chimes In 🔔
Hi angels!! I am one hell of a Worn Out Woman today, so you’re getting a gift from me - more Bel!! And less me! In fact almost zero me!
Not that I have to explain it to you, but I’m going to bc I like having you in the loop of my life!! I didn’t get home til laaaate last night (we had our last band rehearsal - we’re playing at our office Christmas party today 🥺), then I got up at 5:30am to record an episode of The Shit Show with Squish, and literally just then I went out to move my car (we have a lot of construction going on atm) and I reversed over a bit of wood sticking out (where there isn’t usually) and ripped off half of my fucking bumper!!!
I know this doesn’t happen often, but life seems to have gotten in the way of the newsy this morning - AND THERE WON’T BE ONE TOMORROW AS I PLAN TO BE VERY HUNGOVER - but I’ll be lurking around in the Substack chat and singing my head off at the xmas party today with you all in my thoughts.
And as for my bumper??? It can wait.
🔔Bel Chimes In: On how to protect your peace in the most hectic season of the year🔔
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. You should check out more of her beautiful words here.
Wowowowow the year is nearly over! Light me on fire and throw me in the sea if you hear me one more time telling someone how tired I am or how much we’re all looking forward to a break! But at this time of year, don’t you feel like your soul is sort of.. hovering out of your body until you can fully stop?
I went to a gorge speaker event the other night, and aside from being super inspiring, each creative who spoke referenced Covid/lockdown in some way. Which had me like… wow yeah, we’re all still kinda revelling from it?? Even though most of us might feel like we’ve spent this year putting distance between now and that really gnarly time (note - I know this is NOT THE CASE for everywhere in the world and that a lot of countries within are still really struggling for vaccination rates), the residue of it’s still there. Like a dent in your skin or a tattoo from a drunken night out you run your finger over sometimes and remember its effect on you.
Whether you phoenixed out of the pandemic or not, all of this is to say that it’s been no ordinary time (and maybe, it never will be again? Both a daunting and unveiling thought). So it’s absolutely no wonder if you feel like ‘wake me up when December ends’ (special little shout out there again to my Grinches).
So how do you protect your peace in the December chaos?
Uhgggh, GREAT Q. Luce and I were talking about this as we desperately tried to schedule our final cute hang of the year, which usually involves us turning up in accidentally matching outfits (watermelon colour combo the highest ranking so far, j'adore, j'adore) and talking ceaselessly for an hour straight before running to something else, and finding a time was extremely difficult. All was resolved in the below:
OK so you’re busy, I’m busy, what are my tips? How can we get through this, besties? This is what I’m thinking:
Say no - no one is going to die if you can’t make the 9+ person lunch starting at 11am at a busy restaurant that’s an inconvenient distance from your house. Cancel, then write something sweet and genuine to apologise. Better yet, say no in the first place to avoid feeling guilty or flakey.
Schedule zen time - sounds a bit psycho, I know, but I've taken to blocking 3-hour chunks of time in my diary where I’m not allowed to hang out with anyone or make any plans. Best enjoyed, as previously discussed, in a soft pant with the phone on DND.
Drink less - being hungover this time of year just makes everything so much harder. Enter - my passion for fizzy water and Irish goodbye-ing. The best people won’t make you feel like shit for putting your body first.
Snack all the time - bringing in my celiac coping mechanisms here but often find if I’m running a hectic ship having a stupid amount of snacks on hand helps keep the blood sugars up and prevents me from having a menty B in an underground carpark trying to find my way out.
Find a musical vice to help your mind leave your body for a while- my gorge friend Han and I have this thing that if we ever get overwhelmed, we leave the office for 15 minutes, go and sit in a nearby park and listen to a select few of Julia Jacklin songs. There’s something so comforting knowing you have something that will calm you down, and even cuter knowing that one of your besties is doing the same thing too.
Send it (safely) - Lol, all of this said, this is also a top option. Last night I went to see Sharon van Etten and my friend Si bought me a bunch of pre-mixed G&Ts and said, 'fuck it, let's send it for Santa'. We cheersed to our collective vision to become grains of salt this summer and to give into the weird wash of time these next two weeks become. It was funny and liberating and I may or may not be somewhat dehydrated at my desk this morning but it's worth it and I'm pretty sure I won't regret that decision when lying on my death bed. We do what we can!
Stay peaceful out there besties! Love you, love us, love this. Hope you have a happy week, and, as always, thank you for your sweet, sweet responses to these Chimes. I simply just… j’adore them and you and this. XO
My only thought rn:
This Episode Was Written By AI (The Shit Show Podcast)
The Biggest Pop Culture Moments of 2022 (Culture Vulture Podcast)
Oh life is sooo hectic at the mo so I appreciated this short newsy to give me some pep in my step as I get into my day 🙏🏼
Gonna have to add 'menty B' to my vocab, absolutely incredible