Hello lovely lovely people - it’s me again sending love and hugs through your screen whilst telling you things you didn’t ask about! 💜
I hope you’re as well as possible as you read this, I know January felt like the longest month that’s ever monthed for a lot of people, I’m hoping you got enough sunlight, rest & care to make your way through it unscathed?? 🌞
My Jan has been quiet in the work department but full in the friend department - birthdays, catch-ups etc. I’m someone who’s generally quite hard on myself for not being a ‘good enough’ friend (when actually I’m just an adult trying my best to function within capitalism whilst maintaining my mental health as well as tending to all my relationships to the best of my ability), so clocking in quality time with some of my faves has been lush.
I’m writing this from my sister’s, ready to spend another weekend eating pizza, painting nails and dancing to 00s pop classics (always the MO at Gemma’s house), but for now, here’s a few highlights from the last month…
Starting with the first date night of the year! 👩🏽🤝👩🏾
Bae booked for us to have dinner on a boat that only serves cheese. Which is basically a cheat code to my heart. We giggled and held hands and ate until I had to take my belt off. 12/10 excellent date. 💖
The same week I got all dressed up and went to a screening of the new Mean Girls movie!
I went with my bestie who shared my pre-teen obsession with the original film, we drank pink cocktails, made friendship bracelets and soaked up the nostalgia. The film? Very entertaining, true enough to the original (relieved that lots of the classic one-liners were still there!), some of the casting didn’t totally hit the mark for me, but definitely worth watching! I’ll still be reaching for the original when I need my Mean Girls fix, tho.
But you know what’s really fetch?
The amount of joyful jiggles I managed to squeeze into Jan! 💃🏽
I hosted my very own twerkshop with my amazing teacher Nana and a bunch of beautiful competition winners - we wiggled, we meditated, we hugged it out. It felt so amazing to be around the energy in that room and also just like a really natural thing to be doing?
Nana and I then did a mini version of that workshop at iWeigh’s first ever Move For Your Mind event - a day filled with inclusive and diet culture-free movement sessions! Again, it was a fucking joy to behold all the different people shaking off societal standards of what exercise should be and just embracing feeling good!!
I’m not sure what’s next when it comes to twerk teaching, but I’m loving everything that’s come so far 🥰
Next up… a birthday!!
I woke up to a flat filled with balloons and fresh birthday pancakes made by bae 💜we went to see a musical in the afternoon and in the evening a few of my favourite people came along to belt Hannah Montana songs in a pink karaoke room and eat salted caramel birthday cake. It was gorgeous.
I got a little sad at points because most of the people I invited to karaoke couldn’t make it in the end (the ‘oh god do i even have any friends’ thoughts were rife!), but the ones who did make it brought enough enthusiasm to fill the room 🤗 and I’m extra extra grateful to Char for going above and beyond to make the day special, she really does love in a way I’ve never experienced before 💖
The next week I caught a bit of culture with this cutie! Joeley & I went to an exhibition exploring the concept of cuteness, with lots of adorable cat-themed rooms and a banging giftshop. Going from living together to living 127 miles apart means we don’t get as much time, but what we do get is always golden. 🌞
And last but not least…
This is Gilbert. He is my neighbour’s cat. I’m not sure if I’ve introduced you to him before but basically he comes to see me every day (the neighbours are aware) and brightens up my world.
Most of the time I’ll just be tapping away at my laptop, trying to write or make content and may not have had any contact with the outside world that day and then MEOW his lil face pops up at my window demanding to be let in, we have a smol catch up and then he leaves. It is especially wonderful when he shows up on days my brain isn’t being so nice to me. I love the cat distribution system. 🐱
So here we are, at the part of the newsletter where I ask how YOU are - what’s been happening in your world? What were your highlights/lowlights of Jan? The comments are always open and I’ll always do my best to reply (usually a few days later!).
Thank you for sharing this space with me, wanting to know what’s happening over here and always being the kindest, most genuinely supportive bunch. I appreciate you massively 💜💜
Love,
M
Yes! We made it through January 🦑🦑🦑
I had the kindest January yet… cosy pyjamas and lots of space and allowing and jourrrrnaling, my first time ever of living alone, and finding I’m not as terrifying as I thought 😃
Thank you for all the pink wonderousness you bring to the world, darling bean 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
This was such a lovely newsletter! My January was busy but fun, I started climbing for a bit of joyful movement which I loved, fell off and injured my knee which I didn't love, but it's finally feeling better now so I'm going again today! Aside from that I made a lot of steady progress in my PhD while also getting more rest than last term so I'm taking that as a big win. Love to you all!