It is important to take cafe of yourself but, also the world around us!

The Weekly Poll Results! 🎈

We are 2 months into 2023 and have you all started getting into your Good Reads goal for the year? I got cracking and started reading through my goal! Even though this is about books, it is about types of books. Looking at that, what kind of book do you identify as? A picture book? An audiobook? Paperless? Well, it appears that the most common type of book someone has identified as A PAPERLESS BOOK! Personally, I would pick this one too!

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In The Headlines! 

• 7 pm Sunsets start in 10 days! Here comes the sun!!!
    

• Australia becomes one of the first countries to recognize psychedelics as medicine! A step towards more progress! Read more here!

• A Dutch supermarket has created a "Slow Checkout Lane" for people who want to chat in a way to combat loneliness. How lovely! Read more here.

The news here might be small but, it was good news! If you want consistent good news updates, follow The Happy Broadcast on Insta! Want to be featured "In the Headlines" or have an article that you want to feature? Share your good news here to have it featured in the next newsletter!

Friendly Reminders and Affirmations

• Preparation + Luck = Opportunity

• In order to connect to others, you have to share. If you don't share, it can feel isolating. You will be surprised by who resonates with what you have to say.

• Take it one step at a time. Start with Step A, not Step Z.

Alex's Book, Show, and Music Corner

• The Art of the Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker - This book was a really fun and interesting read for me. Reading about some psychology around gatherings and events was fascinating as someone who loves building events. It also gave me an interesting perspective on how to create the conversations that we all strive to have but don't know how to approach and more! Would definitely recommend this one if this is your ish!

What's Alex Working On?

Other Thoughts - Firsts

I dreamt of the life I am living yet when I look around I am not as content as I thought I would be. On paper, all the things I am doing now would give old me so much excitement and hope but yet, I feel emptiness. It lies in the idea that the experiences that were once novel are no longer that, novel. 

I remember the feeling and image of myself walking into a queer club for the first time and it was transcendent. It was a homecoming moment. Now, the novelty is gone. I know the bars and I know what to expect. The excitement that I could just be queer is gone and now the questions of “am I the right type of gay” run through my mind. On those first nights out, you didn’t know what was about to transpire. It was a story writing itself. 

As we get older, we experience less firsts and more repetition. We know what to expect and we know what is coming next. There is always room for chaos to enter but, it somehow feels like controlled chaos. I miss feeling the excitement of my first kiss, my first queer club, my first queer relationship, my first time having sex, my first time in drag, my first time getting deep with a friend, my first moment I came to be me. The first moments are electric because there is nothing else to compare it to. It exists all on its own. 

Now, I look around and feel sadness because those firsts that were once life giving feel life taking. I feel myself reaching to find the high of that first which makes me want to run. I want to run to find a new first but I know it can only last so long. 

Even in the sadness of experiencing less firsts, there is still beauty. There is beauty in realizing these ordinary moments still have a multitude of firsts. The firsts just become smaller, more intimate, and less cathartic. They are in the first time you connected with a friend in this space or capacity, the first time you discover a new store or book or show or artist, the first time you experience your favorite thing with a new person. I want to chase extreme new firsts but, I know I need to embrace the seconds, thirds, and hundredth moments with the people around me because those are truly special. 

This Week's Newsletter Poll!

We are going to flip the page of the book and look to a new chapter! We are entering a fun journey of "This or That" (Shout out to Sam - NJ for this suggestion!). For this next poll, we are going to look at peanut butter. Do you prefer crunchy or smoother peanut butter?

One more thing: Want to see your poll question in the newsletter? Submit your ideas here!