Welcome, world-weary (wary?) friends. News got you down? Sometimes it’s the little things that can help us all feel better when life seems especially tough…
First, have no fear, readers: You are safe here. This is a politics-and-news-free post. Sadly, there’s no way of getting around the fact that this past weekend, some of us went to bed with–or awoke to–the news that we are suddenly involved in a war.
We Chicks are not ostriches (obviously–they’re a completely different bird of feather). We know the world is spinning off its axis. But it’s possible, Readers and Authors, that we may be the luckiest people on the planet. The universe. No, the MULTIVERSE. We have other worlds we can escape to, however briefly, in times of trouble. But if you aren’t feeling it right now, maybe a few of these ideas might help you feel chirpier. (Warning: Some are pretty silly, starting with the first one):
Remember all those cat-hanging-from-a-branch posters–different versions for different decades–that said, “Hang in there.” ? You can still get them. https://www.redbubble.com/shop/hang+in+there+posters
Go to the IMAX. Recently I saw the latest Mission Impossible movie with the miraculously ageless Tom Cruise. (Yes, I had sworn off of him.) I hadn’t been to an actual theater for a while, since Barbenheimer, I think, and WOW. Now I plan to see Formula 1 (Brad Pitt!) and the new Superman. (How to Train Your Dragon looked good, too.) Bonus Tip: Splurge for popcorn. And for the love of Mike, WITH butter.
Take your dog somewhere. Even if it’s just a ride in the air conditioning. They make other people happy, and the doggos will be VERY happy–the joy is contagious. My dog loves the brewery. Don’t worry about your grooming.
Sing and/or dance in your kitchen to some old faves. Or turn them up extra loud and really annoy your partner or neighbors. (The Go-Gos’ Head Over Heels works for me. Belinda will help you get the hand-clap on the right beat in the video.)
Shake up your reading: Buy or borrow something you know you’ll love–and another one in a genre you were sure you’d hate. (At least you’ll know–or try another different genre.)
Also on the reading front, re-read your favorite middle-grade book. (Hello, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.) Or go to YouTube and watch some childhood faves. (My go-to: Bewitched.) Introduce them to a kid.
Get a mani, pedi, or both. (JC and Mark, this is for you, too!). Hey, it always worked for Elle Woods. And me. Just so happened there was a nail place around the corner from my office at Random House. The art director and I practically lived there at lunch every Friday.
Call, text or email that friend you’ve been meaning to get back in touch with. (Or write them a nice note and send it snail-mail.)
Make the world feel smaller: Learn a language (or brush up on one you used to know). Maybe you can plan a dream vacation or at least understand the locals in Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy show. I use Babbel for Spanish and watch French movies. I’m also learning Irish from a language teacher/influencer I found on Instagram. @irishwithmollie.
Clean your fridge. As in, detail. This will not only make you feel virtuous, but everyone will tell you how amazing you are. Then stock it with healthy food. And maybe a few, um, treat items.
Find other readers and authors to talk to–in person, if you can. Stalk bookstore and library aisles. Join a bookclub. Or go to a summer book festival and make an author’s day. (This was my table at the Natick Farmer’s Market on Saturday. We shared our Beach Reads event with an ice cream social put on by the Rotary Club. There was also a band covering Jimmy Buffett.)
Watch a fun video of people you love on your phone (somewhere). I just viewed my grandlittle joyfully dancing at his Pre-K graduation to…Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes. Cap and gown and flying tassel and all. The Kids are All Right.
And we will be, too.
Readers, how do you brighten your day when things are looking not-so-bright? Share in the comments and help someone else feel better!
Chicks on the Case 
I like to watch old TV shows (thank you Pluto for being free)
I’m also watching shark movies (I’ve seen them all and the new ones they are making are so dumb)
The other day I was bopping to “Borderline” by Madonna and harmonizing with Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road”
I did call my friend Ellen 🙂
I plan to see Jurassic World Rebirth in July
But mostly I stopped watching or reading the news.
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Dru Ann, How could I have left out Jurassic World Rebirth? That one is first on my list (even before Brad Pitt). Madonna works for me, too (I love “Into the Groove” from her Desperately Seeking Susan movie). And wise call re: the news. Trying to imagine Brian WIlliams slow jamming it.
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If we lived closer we could see Jurassic World Rebirth together.
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That was my immediate thought, sigh. We’ll have to trade reviews!
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Oh, Lisa! This is such a great, joyful post. Thank you! My go-to is a walk in one of the many nearby beautiful parks with my husband. I need movement to help me relax. Hugging you really hard, Lisa. Thank you for this post
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Aw, thanks, Patricia! Hugs back. Moving is key. I miss going to parks (used to live across from Prospect Park in Brooklyn). I guess NH is one big park, but it’s not the same.
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You lived across the street from Prospect Park?!?!? Oh, my goodness! My siblings and I used to run in that park all the time. Well, they’d run. I’d jog. Very slowly. Mor of a “wog.” Anyway, LOL! We’d start at the Eastern Parkway entrance. I might have jogged right past you. Ha!
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I lived right by the entrance at Bartel Pritchard Square (near the movie theater). I’m a terrible runner, but I did love to roller blade through the park (those hills UGH).
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Roller blading on those hills? Oh, my word. That takes strength and courage.
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So many great ideas! Much like Dru Ann, I quit watching the news. I get enough in so many other ways. Am heading to my local bookstore on Sunday for a multi-author event and sometime this week off to the other side of town to meet the two newest members of my extended family, twin boys a cousin’s daughter just had, so life affirming! Might be time for a bit of bubble wrap and the dance of the wild woman…choice of music up to the dancer. My choice, maybe something from Mamma Mia.
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Now that’s an awesome lineup of activities! Multi-author events are the best–and twin girls–double the fun! Mamma Mia is a great choice–I’ll add it to my Spotify. (I loved the first Mamma Mia movie, too–all that color (blue!) and brightness.)
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Lisa,
Good tips. I have some go-tos when I’m feeling down.
#1 watch you-tube with silly Steve Harvey Family Feud videos. Especially the whopper/hammer and UPine
#2 listen to rock/pop music, especially Elvis, Barry Manilow, and David Soul
#3 cook/bake something. Although usually something cheap that can be afforded to put in the trash or garbage disposal.
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Today I’ve decided is a great day to “make” ice cream sandwiches, Hestia. (I happen to have some homemade oatmeal cookies I bought at that farmer’s market, and plenty of ice cream in the fridge, heh heh). And game show videos are awesome. My favorite are the fake-celebrity SNL clips on YouTube. (“Sean Connery” repeated response to host: “Suck it, Trebek.” Phrase is also the team name of our team’s nemisis on Thursday trivia nights.)
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Love ice cream sandwiches made with my cookies! Thanks for the shout out to fav MG novels. Wonderful new mysteries out there by our Agatha nominees: Winners Kate Jackson, Elizabeth C Bunce, plus Frances Schoonmaker and new books by James Ponti, Taryn Souters, and Lindsay Currie coming later this year!
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Thanks, Beth, that’s an awesome list! We’re on it!
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If you’re looking for some cozy fun while getting in some foreign language experience, check out Lupin on Netflix. Great fun and even I was able to follow along, with English close-captioning, of course.
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Ooo, yes, JC! Lupin is on my list but it had somehow fallen down there due to volutme. (like my TBR pile) Will definitely check it out immediatement.
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Thank you for the joyous post, Lisa! Right now, I can see Robin lazing in our spa in the back yard, her happy place. For me, it’s sitting in the sun in the back yard reading–I just finished “The Secret War of Julia Child” by Diana R. Chambers.
Other activities I recommend: playing tug-o-war with your dog, popping your own popcorn and popping a bottle of bubbly to go with it, singing with a choir or some friends, and going to a thrift store and spending an hour prowling through their wares.
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Super ideas, Leslie! I don’t think I’ve ever had champagne with popcorn, but sounds amazingly light and fluffy. Maybe I’ll sneak some of that popcorn into the movies (the champagne, maybe not–everyone else at the IMAX would be so jealous). And I’ll go with you to the thrift stores (I could have spent more time in that cool store in Denver.)
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Popcorn and Champagne were made for each other!
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I like popping our own popcorn, too. And recently, my youngest is into thrifting, so I’ve been hopping around stores & browsing.
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Jen, my oldest used to buy clothing by the pound at thrift stores. The thrill of the hunt…and a bargain to boot!
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Thanks for this uplifting post, Lisa! And I didn’t know you could still buy those posters…
I like getting outside, sometimes joining in on our community events. We had a local arts festival the other day, which was fun and inspiring. I’ll also go on Yelp, check out any cool new restaurants, and make a list of places to visit in the near future.
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Ooo, a restaurant list! I hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe I should starting one for New Orleans…
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What a great list, Lisa! I’m going to add indulging in a girls’ outing. This weekend my daughters and I went to a town about an hour away. We poked through shops, went to the bookstore, wandered the streets, had lunch, grabbed a coffee, and came back to my house for a sleepover. We played a couple of board games, then hooted and hollered over 1990s music trivia where each player took turns singing a line of lyrics. The rest of the players had to try to come up with the next line. I hadn’t laughed so hard in weeks.
-Paula Charles
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What a perfect weekend, Paula! Girls’ outings are the best! (And for our guy readers, I’m sure the equivalent weekends are a welcome break. Come to think of it, my dad went on a lot of fishing trips. Alaska was a fave.) Adding to the list…
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Thank you for this, Lisa! Very uplifting. And your booth at the art festival + picture with puppy look like so much fun.
Like Patricia, mine is also taking a walk…and looking at the mountains. 🙂
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You do have those gorgeous mountains, Cynthia! And a very cute pup, I might add (our special Chicks correspondent).
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Lisa, what a fabulous list! I guess the only thing I’d add is do a form of exercise that gives you joy. For me, it’s dance. I love long walks but my mind can wander to dark places on them. But in a dance class, it’s all about concentrating on the steps and losing yourself in the music.
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You’re such a great dancer, El! In my case (other than in my kitchen, where no one but the long-suffering dog and kitty can see me) the joy comes from the completely ridiculous #fail when following any actual steps. It’s hilarious, though. Ask me about Step Aerobics (remember that?).
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I ration my news, so I avoid a lot of angst. Reading, watching ridiculous TV, and being with my dog are always good ways to decompress. And picking weeds in my garden – and checking on my sunflowers, which don’t seem to want to sprout!
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Liz, I agree that weeding is cathartic.
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Don’t worry, Liz–once those sunflowers sprout, they’re soon unstoppable!
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I’m hoping they didn’t drown in all the rain we’ve been having.
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This heat will slurp all that rain up in no time.
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What fun ideas! Also useful, I think, when men are using sawzalls and other tools to rip the rotting deck off the front of the house — right outside my office window!
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Our deck is in bad shape, too, Leslie, from all the weird rains and ice melts. Guess I’ll count myself lucky we can’t find anyone to fix it, ha.
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Eek!
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Great post, Lisa! It’s pretty much impossible for a news junkie like me to go cold turkey, but I have cut back considerably by watching HGTV instead of my favorite talking heads while on the treadmill. I also find losing myself in my characters and their problems keeps my mind from fixating on what’s going on in the world. And when all else fails, there’s always wine and chocolate!
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Lois, I have trouble staying away from the news, too! If I do (or try to), I’m always worried that something major is happening and I won’t be prepared, lol. Losing yourself in your characters and their problems is a great idea–and a lot more productive!
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This is the post the world needs right now! Thanks, Lisa, for a little shot of inspiration!
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Aw, thanks, Marla. I’m still inspired by your talking bee (see previous post, everyone!).
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POSTING FOR AUTHOR TOM BURNS (WordPress posting issues have stuck again): Believe it or not, I like to write. It’s the only way I
can create a world exactly like I want it to be.
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Tom, apologies for this late posting of your comment. So sorry that WordPress is giving us all fits again. But you are entirely right–the act of writing can be the perfect antidote to troubled times! Love the idea of “fixing” things by creating the world we want–and that our readers want to join.
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