This Friday, as for many others, feels like my 120th day of quarantine. It has been ages since I have been in a coffee shop, like Café Verlet pictured above, which feels very alien to me. I am grateful for the safety of the space around me, and extremely thankful to the brave people who are fighting this disease on the front lines each day.
For the fellow restless souls looking for inspiration this weekend, in between watching the news, occasional pedestrians outside your window, and Netflix, here is a list of a book, a recipe, and an Instagram video series to enjoy.
A Book to Inspire
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
“What the world needs is more women who have quit fearing themselves and started trusting themselves. What the world needs is masses of women who are entirely out of control.” – G.D.
I am a person with a lot of self-control. The past two years for me have been about resisting this control and shifting to fulfillment. This has spurred me to move to a different country, write a book, and take bigger risks even where the outcome was uncertain.
I don’t think there are ever enough reminders in society for women to get out of control, return to themselves, and trust in their intuition. Glennon Doyle’s memoir is a tell-all, hold-no-details-back description of how she “burnt” down the foundation of her life to live a happier, more authentic, and untamed version of herself. For her, it was exiting her marriage, rejecting all of society’s ideas about who she should be that she had internalized, and finding love again.
I listened to this book on audio because I love hearing words in an author’s voice when possible. Some memorable sound bytes Glennon often repeats are, “We can do hard things,” (very useful to remind yourself of right now) and “Be a goddamned cheetah.”
The second quote relates back to her anecdote that opens the book, reminding women that as children we knew how to be untamed, until society, family, teachers, neighbors, cultures, etc. interfered with their own ideas and expectations of what it meant to be a woman.
I recommend also checking out Glennon’s daily Instastories, as she chronicles her book release during quarantine. She is not only a talented writer, whose quotes hit you between the eyes and pierce the core of your heart, but she is also very funny.
A Recipe to Accompany You
Kitchen Sink Cookies by David Lebovitz
As you’re reading Glennon’s words, you might want to nibble on some delicious cookies by Californian, turned-Parisian pastry chef, David Lebovitz. He shared his recipe for kitchen sink cookies on Instagram, and I immediately added the ingredients to my shopping list.
I had been craving chocolate chip cookies, but this recipe makes them slightly more exotic and simultaneously homey and comforting with the addition of cherries, oats, nuts, and coconut.
You should also check out his daily Instagram stories where he live streams from his Paris apartment cocktail ideas from his new book, Drinking French. Join his daily toast, and say “Santé,” as you raise your glass in pajamas.
A Video Series to Escape With
Kitchen Quarantine by Massimo Bottura
Transport yourself to Italy with Massimo, as he cooks for his family and live streams it from his home.
I am a big fan of Bottura’s efforts around Europe to set up community kitchens to inspire, nurture, and feed people in need, which I wrote about here. He has a large and entertaining personality, and he does not hold back. Bottura has been voted the top chef in the world, but the recipes he shares are simple and geared towards quarantine cooking.
Today he is making tiramisu. Tune into his series and prepare to crave a mouthful of mascarpone!
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