Hot Cheetos ⏤ Vol 19
Hot Cheetos ⏤ Vol 19
1995 vibes, manifestation, and leaving handshakes in 2020 ✨
Hi friend!
Today officially marks I-am-officially-fully-vaccinated. 14 days ago, I got my 2nd moderna shot. It did take me out for a day, but I pushed through it.
I have wanted to see certain folks, but they require vaccinations before entering their home or seeing or spending time with them. I am not mad at it. This virus completely shut down our entire world; I am surprised more people are not jumping to get a vaccination.
My household is set, so that is all I am going to worry about, OK.
Anything exciting happen since the last time we had lunch?
Not much has been going on over here since our trip to Cabo San Lucas last month. But we have a rather social month of May.
We went from spending every day, minus essential errands, inside the house to planning vacations, trips, and outings once again. I told my husband, we are going to look at TV one day, and a sporting event is going to be full of people, and we are going to think, “Is this shit over?” Ha!
Well, let’s get into some topics:
Post-pandemic
2021 goal check-in
Vibe of the week
Just a little light lunch today; a snack, really—one of my favorite snacks, Hot Cheetos.
Post-Pandemic
I still laugh at the fact that many people thought this was going to last months, and yet here we are. Y’all remember when influenza popped on the scene? It was running wild for almost two years. Having advanced technology & education doesn’t mean we can make it go away swiftly.
What are some of the things you would want to keep once we enter a post-pandemic world? Here’s my running list, in no particular order.
Hand-sanis everywhere — I love how strategically placed hand sanitizers are throughout our communities. I especially like when they are at the table at restaurants, making it easy to refresh your hands before eating. The latest I’ve seen is a door handle with a sanitizer spray built into its handle, giving people the option to get a quick cleanse as they open the door. Genius!
Spaced-out tables — I have really enjoyed dining at restaurants that are spacing out their patrons. I remember the times where you basically sit on top of who was ever eating next to you. Having more elbow room between my party and the guest to the left and right is stupendous. I know we can’t keep this up fully, but instead of bringing all the tables back, leave like 5 of them in the back.
Remote work — Several professions require employees to be in a location to get the job done, but this country has seen how life can move forward with people working from home. Not all people enjoy working from home, but there are a lot of people who do. I think companies should give the option or provide more flexible work schedules moving forward.
Verzuz — One of my favorite ideas of 2020 was Verzuz. This type of entertainment, I believe, was made specifically for artists from the 90s and earlier, which speaks to the soul of my generation. When concerts come back in full bloom, I hope this at-home entertainment does not go away.
Box office movies at home — I don’t know if I will ever set foot in a movie theater as long as HBOMax streams movies for 31 days while they are in the theaters. And Amazon Prime has been coming with that movie quality heat as well. Why do I need to go back to the movies?
No handshaking/hugging — I fucking LOVE not having to touch random strangers when greeting them. You hear me, LOVE. I am going to keep the wave greeting for the foreseeable future.
I could keep going, but here are a few more things I would love to keep around — supported mental health days, camera-off zoom meetings, extended tax deadlines, mental health and therapy discussions, at-home gatherings and celebrations, virtual celebrations options, redefined “professional” attire, cocktails to go, and most of all, wearing a mask when you are sick.
Did I miss anything you would want to keep? Comment or reply to this email.
2021 Goals
I haven’t done a goals check-in since Vol 13.
How are your goals coming along? Achieve any more milestones? What about pivots? I’ve certainly pivoted my goals. I’ve even updated my vision board.
I got the idea to switch out the stock photos for photos of me in the vision I manifested.
Updates:
Self — I had a focus on being free. Having freeing feelings and being exactly who I am. I updated images to reflect me in those exact moments.
Marriage — I wanted to match outfits more this year. We accomplished this a few times, but one of my favorites was when we were in Cabo.
Career — I hit the 100K mark on BWL, and I set another goal to hit this year. I’ve decided to remove that goal and go with the flow. I still want to grow, but the focus is not just on a number. It’s the outcome of the growth.
This brings me to Monday Lunch. I had a goal to grow my subscribers, which is still very much the case, but it’s not a priority. Everything we do in life doesn’t have to be a hustle or have a goal attached to it. Monday Lunch is my hobby; it’s my thing, a happy place for me. Once I started attaching numbers and shit to it, it begins to feel like work. So I X’ed that off. And added my new newsletter, The Private Influencer. It makes way more sense having goals around a newsletter that generates a profit, right?
Wellness, formally Health — Part of my wellness routine is reading, and I’ve already read more books in 2021 than I did in 2020. I fell off my reading game when the pandemic hit, but this year I’ve been finding my way back to my happy place.
Lifestyle — Having intimate gatherings with friends and eating good food. I finally was able to re-create an image I’ve been dying to take.
Travel — I specifically selected a picture of a couple on a boat because I wanted to rent a nice boat this year and sail away with bae. Well, we were able to accomplish this goal sooner than I even expected. Listen, manifestation WORKS!
I still have more to accomplish this year, like writing my essay book, getting a few more plants, and continuing to live were #themoneyresides, but I would say so far, 2021 is off to an excellent start.
Vibe of the week
Let’s go back 26 years to May 3, 1995.
Four out of the five top songs in the US were from Black artists — Montell Jordan, TLC, Adina Howard, and Dionne Farris all had a hand in the top 4 spots of the music charts.
Topping the R&B charts were Montell Jordan, Raphael Saadiq, Adina Howard, 2Pac, and one of my favorite groups of the 90s, Total.
Can’t You See feat. The Notorious B.I.G. was a song from the New Jersey Drive soundtrack and one of my favorite bops. I wanted an all-leather black fit after watching this video back then and guess what, Sis might still want it.
The bops just aren’t made the same anymore.
Jems 💎
#watch
Biggie: I got a story to tell (Netflix)
Buried by the Bernards (Netflix)
#listen — Mary J. Blige, My Life: Deluxe / Commentary Edition (Tidal)
I loved whoever decided to have MJB give background on every single track to one of my favorite albums of all time.
#inspo
Lunch was great today friend. I look forward to chit-chatting with you next time. Bring a friend or two with you. If they are anything like you, I am sure they will enjoy themselves!