the tea with honey: the slow sip
soooo, about last week...
Welcome honey bee!
You know what they say about making plans, right? This past week couldn’t have veered further from the week I laid out for you last Sunday, for better and for worse. The emotional rollercoaster has yet to screech to a halt, even as I type this, but the show must go on and all that.
September has settled in slowly like honey, and it has been no less sweet. This week, I have been surprised, disappointed, thrilled, enamored, frightened, and resolute. Unexpected developments left me reeling. Some for good, others for not-so-good, and to my credit, I have taken them all in stride. This week taught me the value in trusting your intuition and knowing when to hold em and fold em. It’s sometimes too easy to be so caught up in the look of a thing that the feel dulls, that is, until the sharpness of reality sinks in its teeth. No matter what way I slice it, this journey of mine is, in fact, a slow burner. My Saturn-ruled birth chart all but demands it. I even have another publication dedicated to my late bloomer journey.
of course, I'm a slow burn
I'm the sun, not a match —durand bernarr, destination
In a recent audio journal, I described this current liminal space I find myself in as almost like walking through a foyer headed toward an open doorway that leads into the next phase of my life. The issue is, I constantly have to remind myself not to run. I need to take it in. I must study the fine details on my journey like the way the light shines onto the floorboards at my feet, the way my heart beats accelerando in my chest the closer I get to the door jamb. As tempting as crossing the threshold is, there is no rush to abandon the in between. There is no urgency needed in the measured steps toward tomorrow. Everything in time, all things with patience. The process is, without a doubt, where the purpose will be found. Here’s a small peek into what fluidity looks like in real time, a week in review.
Nutrition: Sooooo, that menu we discussed? Yeah, don’t know her. My mom was in a cooking mood this week, so I happily reaped the benefits of not having to concern myself with making dinner for a few days. She’s not big on leftovers, and I hate to see perfectly good food go to waste so I never really got around to making my meals (the plus side is that my grocery budget this pay period was cut in half lol). In true southern black daughter fashion, I’ve been eating spaghetti for days with a healthy serving of mustard greens. Day one featured fried chicken as well (*gasp*, we advocate for fried foods over here??). I enjoyed the meals, but I look forward to a few less carbs next week, especially as I am transiting through my ovulatory phase and headed into my luteal. While I didn’t get to recipe test my caramel macchiato overnight oats, I settled for making a caramel matcha latte in the mornings before heading to that job I hate but am so blessed to have (bombastic eye roll). It was positively divine, if I do say so myself, and I may have shed a tear or two. I cheated the caramel flavor by using a non dairy caramel macchiato creamer, but I’ll share the ingredients list with you below in case you want to take it for a spin.
Caramel Match-iato Latte Edition
enjoy iced or hot, the world is yours!
1 tsp matcha powder, whisked with a small amount of water to dissolve
caramel macchiato creamer (or caramel syrup) to taste
vanilla extract ( or vanilla bean paste if you’re in the tax bracket I’m aspiring to)
1+1/2 cups of milk of your choice…signed, an oat milk warrior
I recommend leaning into the experience! Use a cute glass, garnish, froth your milk, go crazy. Put that horrible corporation that shall-not-be-named to shame babes, I believe in you.
Movement: Well, I was right about one thing: the rising estrogen had me taking my movement practice to surprising new levels. I’m a runner now. Well, at least in the way you can call yourself a runner after two interval training sessions. Either way, one small step for (wo)man, one big leap for my ego. I couldn’t have imagined I would be able to run at all, let alone off and on for twenty whole minutes, but I suppose the slow build up of 2 mile walks daily with my dog Beau (his royal cuteness pictured below) over the last few months was making a bigger difference than I thought. Yes, I was still dying during each running interval, and my stride can hardly even qualify as a run. I feel accomplished, and I am so proud of my body and I for not giving up on each other this week. That is to say, I won’t be running any 5Ks any time soon, but if you’re like me and on a journey to reconnect your body to movement, it’s perfectly okay to start small.
Beau Baxter Spillers, first of his name. Ritual: The follicular phase is a time for creativity and ideation, and I got my fill on the ideation front…creation, not so much. The hat I talked about remains unfinished (gasp), but my notebook is full of scribbles about the directions I want to take my life and the creative projects I have in the works. This week was especially trying emotionally, and a lot of my energy went into regulating my fluctuating moods, taking care to avoid the usual bad habits I reach for during times of crisis. I am happy to report that we made great progress on the bedtime/wind down routine front, and it has made a world of difference. I was also able to catch up with a few friends this week, which helped calm some of the anxiety I faced. Breath work is a relatively new ritual I’ve added to my tool box, but taking a moment to breathe deeply and reorient myself in space has kept me away from the ledge more times than I care to admit over the past few days. To self-soothe this week, I also spent a lot of time outside despite the icky rainy days we had this week due to Miss Francine wanting to pop-spin-dip through the Gulf and beyond. You do not get your tens from me miss girl. I pray that everyone impacted finds relief and resources, and check the embedded links if you or someone you know needs them <3.
what’s tea for next week?
on the menu:
Spicy Salmon Bowls: Throwing a buncha shit in a bowl is an easy way to get a lot of nutrients in for a small amount of effort. This week, I’m looking to hit a few major ones: complex carbs, healthy fats, leafy greens, lean protein, and fiber-rich foods. I’m thinking of adding ingredients like quinoa and brown rice, avocado, spinach, black beans, and bell peppers in with a sweet and spicy sauce. No muss, no fuss.
Caramel Match-iato Overnight Oats: This week we’re actually making the oats. For sure this time. I’m serious. Teehee. I need the probiotics and flaxseeds going deeper into my luteal phase, plus I feel I have to be accountable to report back on the results of my experiment.
Harissa Butter Beans: I don’t believe in letting good canned foods go to waste so we’re running the butter beans back next week. The protein and fiber are going to be integral in helping me stave off luteal phase cravings, and you really can’t go wrong with harissa.
A little nosh: Speaking of luteal phase cravings, I get extremely hungry during this phase, and it’s imperative that I prepare for the inevitable. I reach for dark chocolate and nuts during this time, and I've taken to making this weird trail-mix-adjacent hodge podge of snacks. Picture it: a small bag of Skinny Pop popcorn, a handful of nuts, and a serving of Brookside Dark Chocolate (I’m partial to the pomegranate flavor lately but the blueberry açaí works just as well). Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I’ll also be upping my herbal teas this week as a way to get out in front of my PMS symptoms. Chamomile, Turmeric Ginger, Red Raspberry Leaf, Hibiscus, oh my!
on the schedule:
Creativity: The hats remain at the top of my to-do list, but I am also eyeing a few more creative mediums. I have dusted off my copy of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and plan to begin Monday with my twelve week course.
Movement: My intense exercise will need to taper off a bit this week in favor of more gentle exercise. I will return to longer walks with resistance, gentler yoga flows, and may even introduce swimming (that damn gym is going to have to see me eventually). The goal instead will be to increase the frequency of whatever movement I choose this week so that we can ease into a more active daily routine.
Wellness: I anticipate continuing to need slower days and gentler self-treatment over the next week. Journaling (either written or audio) will definitely be a daily occurrence over the next week as well as deeper meditation and time spent in solitude and silence. The best gift I can give myself at this time is rest and ease.
honey’s favorites
I wanted to share a few of my favorites over the last week!
PSA: My favorite Virgeaux girlie
celebrated a birthday this past week, and I wanted to shoutout her page as a lil gift! She specializes in melding a love for books and baking on her instagram account @bakingbranbookreviews.Music: I’ve had my fellow Mississippian Ariel J on repeat this week, and they just released two new songs. Hiiiighly recommend.
Books: In addition to The Artist’s Way, I’m going to begin reading The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy
Podcasts:
Money Love Podcast Ep. 108: A Letter from Me to Me (still recommending this one because I actually took the time to write the letters this week and woahhhh)
Shxtsngigs Podcast: I know ya’ll hate my boys right now, but it’s okay. Just have a little giggle and it’ll be all good. TIMES INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS WON?!| EP 425
for the healthy hoes podcast: for those who’re finding it hard to trust the process
For the love of YouTube:
see ya’ll next Sunday with the fresh tea! thank you for reading <3.
No way!!! I made it in 😭😭