Those Birthday Feels
Wigg’s Wednesdays is here each fortnight to share inspirational content on life hacks, self-development, sustainability, personal finance, minimalism, and travel tips.
I celebrated my birthday this week and am feeling contemplative. I appreciate this current New Year’s Day fresh page feeling as the milestone ticked over. I’m looking forward to improving some “adulting” I haven’t been so good at lately – the usual exercise and eating right, plus staying in touch better with friends at home (sorry!)
I finished another housesit on the weekend with this doofus pictured below; checking in to another one tomorrow, with a few hostel days in between. It’ll be my 11th housesit of the year for a total of 74 days’ free accommodation (I know, ‘cos I have a spreadsheet, naturally). I’m directing those savings towards my future travel funds, including my recent deposit on a trip to Antarctica in 2022! Wut?!
Stay awesome. Michelle Wigg
This Week’s Favourites
READ: This Is How Borrowing Things From Our Neighbors Strengthens Society – Yes! Magazine
“You may feel awkward doing this because asking to borrow something can feel vulnerable. It takes practice to create a culture of sharing… Research shows it’s these loose connections that make for happy communities – and less-lonely humans.”
READ: Blue Spaces: Why Time Spent Near Water is the Secret of Happiness – The Guardian
“Marine and coastal margins were found by some distance to be the happiest locations, with responses approximately six points higher than in a continuous urban environment. The researchers equated it to “the difference between attending an exhibition and doing housework”.
READ: The New Spiritual Consumerism – The New York Times
“But lately American materialism is debuting a new look. Shopping, decorating, grooming and sculpting are now jumping with meaning. And a purchase need not have any explicit social byproduct — the materials eco-friendly, or the proceeds donated to charity — to be weighted with significance. Pampering itself has taken on a spiritual urgency.”
READ: ‘Emergency Poet’ opens Literary ‘Pharmacy’ to Support Mental Wellbeing – Keele University UK
“Deborah Alma, the Emergency Poet, said: “We believe that poetry can do so much to match or alter a mood, to assist in so many ways with good mental health. The “Poetry Pharmacy” is a way for us to the therapeutic effects of poetry under one roof, with an emphasis on well-being and inclusivity.”
Thanks for reading. This was the last in the series, as I moved on to other projects. Hope you enjoyed it!