I am an avid thrift shopper.
I have been for years. My sisters and I started thrifting together when we were in our teens.
With absolutely no knowledge of vintage, we collected dresses and accessories from the decades we loved, the 1950s -1970s. It was a way to be unique (something very important to our high-school selves) and a way to stretch the small budget we had for clothing. Fast forward to the present and I am amidst a wardrobe declutter - which I attribute to Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.
Kondo has become an international star and organisational pedagogue. She exudes peace and stability, which it feels safe to assume comes from the immaculate order of her home. Her entire ethos is that decluttering will bring happiness - that the source of our anxiety and stress and troubles is that we simply have too much stuff. According to Kondo, the decisive test for what we should keep and what we should throw out is an easy one: if something does not spark joy, get rid of it.
A lofty goal, right? Especially for a thrifter. But I did it. And after I finished my purge it felt like a huge win. But that doesn’t mean I have given up on thrifting - I still love fashion from the mid-century and get a thrill out of finding a great treasure for under R200.
So hold onto things that spark your joy - this technique works well on almost everything.
Hope you find joy with this week’s Weekender.
- Penny
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Things we love
Want to become a plant mom or a plant dad? Here are 12 plants worth growing. Growing your own food is immensely satisfying - but only when you get a crop that’s delicious, plentiful, or definitely worth the effort. It’s a different story when you’ve spent all summer doting on a single eggplant that turns out to not even be that good
Dr Nicole LePera is making therapy accessible to people everywhere with her Self Healers philosophy. Follow her on Instagram for powerful insights into relationship dynamics, attachment theory, and self-regulation. While it's not a replacement for talk therapy, her page is a wonderful resource for people who want to empower themselves with some psychological know-how.
After some extensive market research this week, Leah, one of our hosts, introduced me to the amazing Breathe Magazines, a mindfulness mag for a calmer and more relaxed you. This body-and-soul guide to a happier, healthier life includes 5 sections – wellbeing, living, mindfulness, creativity and escape. The aim of Breathe magazine is to help you “make more time for yourself”.
Last year, the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen released "Shelf Love", the latest cookbook from the aubergine artiste and his talented team. If you want to learn how to properly treat garlic, this is a must-buy. Yotam Ottolenghi famously changed public perception of vegetables with "Plenty" in 2010, and continues to surprise and delight amateur cooks with what one can do with a leek and some chutzpah.
This local Cape Town microbrand produces the most beautiful linen aprons in a range of classic styles. Their commitment to slow and careful production is applied to their love of Sunday cooking as well as their manufacturing process. Ideal for home cooks, painters, and sundry apron fans!
WORTHY 5: Jodie Vermeulen
Five recommendations by Biokineticist and full time gym junkie, Jodie Vermeulen
A question worth asking:
Is what you doing every day (whether it be your profession or just daily activities) challenging you to engage more mentally, spiritually, emotionally or physically with others or yourself?
A piece of advice worth passing on:
Such amazing things happen when you are honest with yourself and start doing what you love, what makes you happy, what thrills you, excites you to the fullest. Your life literally slows down. You stop wishing for the weekend. You stop looking forward to only the special events. You begin to live each moment for what it is. A veil is lifted and a whole new perspective is created.
A recipe worth trying:
Protein Peanut Butter Balls
- 1 ½ cup of Oats
- 1 cup of Peanut Butter
- ¼ cup of Honey
- 1 cup of Chocolate Whey Protein
Mix all ingredients together, roll into balls and enjoy! Super quick and easy!
A concept worth understanding:
Balance. You are allowed to have bad days, cheat meals, rest days, days where you make the wrong decision, the key is to always start new and commit the following day and understand the importance of keeping yourself happy and sustained.
An activity worth doing: Getting outside! Whether it be hiking, going for a walk on the beach, going for a swim in your pool or taking the kids to a park. Being outdoors lowers your levels of cortisol, which is a marker of stress. Health also improves just by soaking up the sun.
Heard & read
A pick what we've been listening to and read that's caught our eye.
Mating in Captivity → Everyone’s favourite couples’ therapist Esther Perel is recognised as one of the world’s leading sex therapists and experts in modern love. In this best-seller, she draws on her 20 years’ of experience to demonstrate how it’s possible to keep erotic desire burning in long-term relationships. This book quickly became a global phenomenon, translated into over 24 languages.
"Daddy's Home" by St. Vincent→ This Grammy award-winning album by St. Vincent is our number one pick for a weekend listen. Lush, nostalgic and infinitely interesting, Annie Clark's down-and-out in downtown LA 1970's aesthetic is underscored by exquisite songwriting and downright brilliant musicianship. We think you'll love it as much as we do!
SNIPPET OF THE WEEK
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Curated selection of good reads
😤 12 hard things you can do today
Michael Easter wants to make your day a little worse, in a good way. You don’t have to take a Shackleton-like voyage to experience the benefits of a little hardship. Not even close. There’s a hell of a case to be made for trying these 12 hard(ish) things today. Read more →
👫 Western and Eastern Views on Happiness
The Western intellectual tradition suggests that in order to be happy, what we need to do most of all is to go out and subdue the world; secure resources, found businesses, run governments, gain fame and conquer nations.
By contrast, the Eastern tradition has for a long while told us something very different. In both its Buddhist and Hindu strands, it has insisted that contentment requires us to learn to conquer not the world but the instrument through which we view this world, namely our minds. Read more →
🔮 Beyond Longevity: The DIY quest to cheat death and stop aging.
Ken Scott plans to live until he's 500. At 79, he’s already outlived the CDC’s official life expectancy by two years and he has no intention of dying — or even slowing down — anytime soon. His secret? A DIY regime of self-experimentation and untested therapies he believes will keep him going well past the next century. Read more →
🚶 How to fix bad posture We are living in a world where sitting has taken over the daily norm. We sit for long hours at work, we sit in the car, we sit to eat and after a busy day, we get home to sit on the couch. What’s wrong with that? Well, not much at first. But fail to factor in the hours you spend sitting and you may quickly start to discover some problems with your back and posture. Read more →
Coast to Coast
Aesthetically pleasing images from opposites ends of South Africa
Western Cape
Wild Coast
Top of the pods
Overhead on the podcast this week:
@Nic_theBio and @Daveyontherun host thought provoking, insightful and inspiring conversations with world-class athletes, coaches, subject matter experts and every day enthusiasts to present you with the latest and greatest on offer in the world of running.This is how runners are made… Listen on Life & Style podcasts →
🐕DTA - Dog Training Academy provides professional training for all breeds. Get personalised puppy training and development, obedience training, behaviour consultation and rehabilitation. Send us an email
📦Master Movers Ballito is hiring - Are you over 30, a self-starter, have sales experience, can work unsupervised and are eager to write your own cheque? Send an email here and explain in one page why YOU THINK this is the job for you.
✈ Sure Travel - The World is slowly opening up again and maybe you're looking to travel. The internet can be overwhelming, use Sure Travel to navigate to your next destination. Find out more.
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