Hi!!! ☺️♥️
I'm chomping on a crunchy coconut chocolate truffle as I type this. Don't judge me for chomping on chocolate! The week I've had, just keeping it in my mouth and allowing it to melt isn't gonna cut it. I need the satisfaction of the chomp. 🤤 (Do you usually bite into your chocolate or let it dissolve on your tongue?)
Anyway, about my week. Large parts of it have been thoroughly enjoyable! But the same bits have led to major energy drain and tiredness.
I'm a borderline intro-extro-vert
I do delight in human interaction, surrounding myself in community, being social, all of that...as long as it happens once a week. 🙈 Maybe twice max.
Recently, friends and cousins from different parts of the US have turned up in Bangalore. All within a short window of time. I love them. I definitely enjoy hanging out with them. But this past week of constant going out and socialising has taken a TOLL!
Add to this, the Christmas Edition of Namu Recommends Vegan Market last Sunday (the one from episode 131 of my podcast).
This event is my kryptonite!
(If Superman liked kryptonite a lot. And willingly basked in its warm light. Knowing fully well he'd be flopped over on the couch, letting his house and life fall apart around him in the days that followed.)
I just love being in these markets! Yes, it's a little about the yummy food and goodies. Especially the bit where I can stuff my face without having to ask questions. (The one I detest most is, "It doesn't have honey, right? Right?!")
But mostly it's about getting to meet LOADS of friends (old and new) from the vegan and vegan adjacent community here (some vendors are not vegan but they offer only fully plant based products at this market).
"How've you managed to stay fresh all day?!"
One of the vendors asked me that with genuine wonder. It was almost closing time. Stall owners were visiting each others tables, sharing leftover products and chatting about their day.
Most stalls close up slowly, for the benefit of stragglers (like me) with intentions of last minute shopping. Though I don't have a stall, I always stay until the end. I love that time of day. Everyone's relaxed and in a mood for conversation as they wind up.
This lady V, who asked me how I was still full of energy, I like her products, so I was making a final stop at her table to see if I'd missed anything earlier.
Normally when someone who isn't vegan asks me about my cheerfulness, youthfulness (😜), or high energy levels of any sort, my default response is...
"It's because I'm vegan!" Hehe
That's not a lie. Being vegan has made me far more light and vibrant. It's uplifted me physically, mentally, and spiritually. No question about it!
But also, embodying high vibe energy is a lot more holistic than just what we eat. It's about everything we consume (especially information), the daily practices we follow (meditation, mindfulness), and how much of our time we spend in a state of flow and ease.
So that day, instead of simply saying, "It's because I'm vegan!", I responded...
"It's because sometimes I'm batman." 🤣
A reference to this thing my friend (an introvert) sent me recently:
"Being friends with introverts is hard sometimes. Did they die? Are they just recharging? Are they batman now? The suspense is killing me."
I explained more to V before she thought I was bonkers (and by extension that all vegans are bonkers). I told her how I make an effort to stay in stillness the day before any event so I can charge up. And then after the event, how I withdraw again for a minimum of two days so I can recharge.
My friend who was standing next to me commented, "like an electric bike!" 😄
V gave me a semi-dubious look. She probably would've believed the vegan explanation more. Haha
So my question for you is...
In this season, are you carving out enough quiet time for yourself?
Wherever in the world you are, I imagine there's a lot of interacting and socialising happening in your life right now. Either because you're celebrating a festival, hosting guests, attending events, or just meeting a lot of people on holiday.
Even if you're not an introvert, or a borderline one, take time for yourself. Withdraw. Be batman.
Then when you go out glowing and shining your beautiful love and light on whoever you cross paths with, and they ask you how you're managing it, attribute it to your favourite cause/lifestyle choice with a grin. Sneaky activism. 😉
Update on my secret project
In all this going out and meeting people, progress on the new podcast has been slow. But it's also allowed some good ideas to percolate at the back of my head. I'm super excited about getting back to working on it next week!
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The Feel Good Factor Podcast
Here are the latest episodes on the show.
What you own, will own you back
129: Stop trying to be someone you're not – in life, business, or creativity
130: Meditation to Say "No" with Love and Confidence
131: Five ways to attract and nurture the right community around your conscious business
🎧 Listen to The Feel Good Factor on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also available on all other podcast apps like Castbox, I Heart Radio, Google Podcasts, Audible, Listen Notes, Podbean, etc.
If you like reading/skimming, you can do that on each episode's blog post on my website (131 isn't there yet).
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Latest Meditations
I've uploaded three new meditations onto my Insight Timer profile.
Say No With Love And Confidence (16 mins 56 secs)
Quick Relaxation and Uplifting Gratitude Practice (9 mins 59 secs)
Deep Calmness Meditation (14 mins)
If you'd like to support me, please create an account on Insight Timer, listen to my meditations and and leave a rating and review for each one. It really helps! You can create an account on a computer browser, but the app experience is much nicer.
It's totally worth installing because sooooo many teachers from around the world share their meditation recordings and talks on it. The free version itself has loads to explore.
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Brand New Recipe on YouTube
This video is hot off the press! I posted it just last night.
Quinoa is Peruvian, Balsamic’s Italian, Miso is Japanese, and Turmeric comes from India. So yeah, this is a fusion recipe that I completely made up! 😁 Enjoy. :)
Quinoa with Carrot Greens
In case you didn't know, carrot soppu is totally edible. 😃 And tasty when made well. Discard the thicker stems and use only the tender bits. The stems are fibrous, chewy, unswallowable messes!
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What I'm Reading Now
I'm so used to ebooks now that it's difficult to sit with a physical book. As much as I relish the feeling of burying my nose in a hardback, progress on them takes a long time.
But some books just have to be held, and savoured. Sloooowly.
Rheea Mukherjee's The Girl Who Kept Falling in Love is definitely that kind of book!
There are chunks that I want to read, and re-read. Marinating myself in them. See what I mean...
"To sense his distance was hard at first. It was featherlight, a split second deducted from the length of his goodbye hug. His eyes glazed over for complete seconds before rolling back to you with an intensity that became an obvious act of overcompensation. He didn't stay until I finished the last spoonful of my cereal on the mornings I stayed at his place.
Each barely noticeable assault on our relationship had not been fully perceived by my mind yet; the mind, after all, is ego, the place where you want to keep things in control, live off servings of denial and second helpings of conditioning. The score was being kept by my heart, and it had noticed Yonas's path was gradually diverging.
This is why, when Yonas finally said one day that our relationship wasn't working, my heart started to shatter and I thought I needed medical assistance. He offered me breakfast instead.”
The rate at which I'm progressing, I'm going to take a while to finish the book. Hehe But I already know it's to be recommended! So do grab a copy for yourself (and her first book The Body Myth too while you're at it).
Oh and don't let the less than stellar star ratings and reviews on Goodreads influence you. The Goodreads crowd tend to be jerk faces who think being mean makes them cool. 😒 It doesn't.
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And that wraps up the final edition of The Feel Good Tribe newsletter for 2023*. I've actually managed to send out 12 this year. How self-satisfied am I feeling?! hehe
Who knows, maybe next year I'll even do two emails per month (as I non-committally keep hinting everywhere). One full newsletter and another shorter email. Do you think you'd like to hear from me more often? :D
Have a wonderful end of the year. Go inwards, reflect, be kind to yourself. And take it easy with the resolutions and grand plans for 2024. There's absolutely no need to pressure yourself into anything. 🤗
with lots of love and light,
Susmitha :)
P.S: *I'll drop you some brief emails next week about this new bundle of vegan ebooks and courses. It's going to be available from 26th Dec to 2nd Jan and you'll totally want to grab it. It's unlike any other vegan bundle I've seen. Very well curated and presented like a course. I'll tell you more about it on the 26th when it launches.
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