Happy Friday + Happy Belated V-Day!

Here I am to sprinkle some joy!

For the first three iterations of Friday Morning at Gail’s, I spent the week leading up to each Thursday evening jotting down the notes and thoughts that would eventually become the Friday morning newsletter. This has, if I do say so myself, resulted in a well-rounded assortment of topics presented in a cohesive manner, and I had planned to continue that routine. This week was different, however, as I have spent the past several days in bed with Covid and have had very few good/helpful/inspiring thoughts. I’m feeling both physically worn down and incredibly mentally/emotionally wrung out by the weight of the world and how helpless I feel within it.

In the interest of practicing what I preach, however, I know this means that (in addition to staying informed through trustworthy sources and helping how I can) I need to spend some extra time focusing on the love and light in the world and the beauty/joy/art around me. Here goes:

• Candles/Sparkling Water/Foxtrot/Friendship: I’ve been introduced to a candle I love PROBABLY as much as the famed Target candle, and it was sent to me via Foxtrot by my dearest Kelly (It’s a really nice woodsy, clean, happy scent — it smells… hopeful?). Kelly and my sister Becca both separately sent me Foxtrot care packages (which was so incredibly kind), and both included functional sparkling waters (Recess from Kelly, and Heywell from Becca) because both of them know that if I’m not drinking alcohol I want to be drinking adaptogens. In case you’re looking to dip your own toes into the magical spring of sparkling functionality, I like the Recess Peach Ginger (I personally prefer the hemp one to the magnesium one but I’m having a panic that they discontinued it??) and the Heywell Calm + Hydrate. I’m sipping on the Calm + Hydrate as we speak, but I also look forward to reindulging in some of my most beloved Sauvy B once the Covid fog lifts.

• Music/Basketball/The Bachelor: There are three women who have taken up the vast majority of my brain space this week — aka when I wasn’t mentally calculating the hours until my next round of DayQuil (did I mention I have Covid???), I was thinking about Beyoncé, Caitlin Clark, and Maria Georgas.

  • I can’t stop listening to TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES (no, I will not pick a favorite) — but when I do take a break, it’s to listen to Daddy Lessons. Don’t you feel so lucky to live in the same space and time as Beyoncé? For a bit of important country music history, see here.

  • Caitlin Clark became the NCAA Women’s Basketball All-Time Leading Scorer on Thursday night with a shot most of us couldn’t make in approximately 10,000 tries. This is what courtside tickets for the game were going for, just in case you wanted to say “nO oNe CaReS aBoUt WoMeN’s SpOrTs!!!!”

  • And finally, when it comes to The Bachelor, I’m Team Maria and I’m happy to shout that out from the Malta rooftops. My hometown picks are Jenn, Maria, Daisy, and Lexi — I hope Jenn ends up with Joey and Maria ends up with the Bachelorette crown.

• Books/TV: I’m still plugging along with my tasty cocktail of Desperate Housewives, Succession, and The Women (I’m only 30% in — but so far SO good!), but I also recently started listening to the audiobook version of The Mountain Is You. Nothing can fill the void of Dave Grohl, but it’s doing its best to try. Thank you to my work wife/beloved friend Kylie for the recommendation!!

Hope your weekend is filled with lots of love :) Cheers!

XO, Gail

And as a reminder:

It’s an election year, and it is my duty to remind you that while newsletters like this are crucial for maintaining sanity and levity, I am not a news source and am in no way a replacement for staying informed. For every newsletter you read that makes you smile or buy a candle, I hope you also read an informed take on politics, world events, and social issues (then fact check it!) — and for every heavy piece of news you take in, I hope you also consume and/or create a piece of art that promotes light, laughter, and joy.

---