#5SmartReads - November 14, 2022

Hitha on FTX, Christmas movies, and preparing for less light

November 14, 2022

Michael Lewis is apparently already writing a book about this, and I will be the first to order it because I am equally fascinated and disgusted by scammers and what an integral part they are to capitalism (seriously, we didn’t learn our lesson after Enron?)

Naturally, I was engrossed with the FTX downfall, and this is the best article breaking down the whole story I’ve found.

What shocks me the most about this is the lack of board of directors of FTX - and their major investors agreed to invest billions without a board seat, which shocked and surprised me (and I thought there was little left to surprise me when it comes to startup founders behaving improperly).

But yes, please tell me how women and people of color and those with disabilities are not backable when major funds continue to pour massive amounts of capital into founders and businesses like these.

Falling for Christmas was an absolute delight. Even more delightful? To see Lindsay Lohan - who’s been through a lot in her 36 years - back acting and singing (and doing it well!).

Lohan’s life today is refreshingly normal (she loves an early bedtime, to make dinner for her husband and herself, and running on the treadmill is her self-care), and the choices she’s made to protect her peace (like moving to Dubai, where paparazzi is illegal).

I could do with some Lohan-esque boundaries, if I’m being honest. And to heed Al Pacino’s advice to her: “focus on your craft when it comes to your work.”

I’m excited for what’s to come from Lindsay. But for now, I’m looking forward to rewatching Falling for Christmas with my dad (who loves a feel-good holiday movie and spends December with us so we can watch one together every evening).

And speaking of cheesy Christmas movies, there’s a psychological reason why we love them.

Escapism and certainty (also the reasons I love romance novels). A sense of hope. And a spike of dopamine, the “feel good” hormone that literally makes you feel lighter and happier.

"All of those things light up and they're all connected," explains Dr Watson. "So at the risk of labouring the metaphor, it's like lighting up your own brain Christmas tree. There's a set of Christmas-type memories that these movies are flicking off and then your brain's lighting up metaphorically like a Christmas tree."

So fire up your holiday playlist. Decorate your tree early (we did!). Watch all the movies. It’s literally good for you - and honestly, it’s something I plan to bring into January when everything feels more gloomy and depressing.

I’m fascinated by Cecilia Blomdahl’s account, who lives on an island close to the North Pole and shares the daily moments of live in the Arctic.

She also has an adorable dog.

Many of us (myself included) bemoan Daylight Savings’ fall back and the waning daylight that the color months bring. But the residents of these northern islands take a different approach - welcoming the darkness and cultivating rituals for this season. And it results in low rates of seasonal depression at any level.

Koseling (the Norwegian equivalent for the Danish hygge) means cozy, and Norwegians purposefully slow down during this season and embrace all things cozy - tea, candles, gathering around the fire, getting outside. And while we don’t have to bid farewell to our daylight hours, planning and preparing for winter more mindfully may help us have a better one.

And if that means indulging in more candles and tea and cozy clothes and books (my favorite things), I’m here for it.

“For mothers, the feelings of not-enoughness can be especially acute. The images of maternal perfection we encounter in advertisements and across social media are often no less fake than what we see on the enhanced and Photoshopped female bodies that are so often upheld as the societal gold standard for beauty. But still, we are conditioned to buy into it, questing after not just the perfect body, but also perfect children, perfect work-life balances, perfect family experiences, and perfect levels of patience. It’s hard not to look around as a mother and think, Is everyone doing this perfectly but me?”

Michelle Obama has felt that way, so I want you to take heart and acknowledge that these feelings are valid but also upheld by a society that was built on the free labor of women and especially mothers.

This piece is an excerpt from my forever FLOTUS’ new book, The Lights We Carry (which I’ve already preordered all three formats - physical, eBook, audiobook), and it spoke to me and delivered some incredible pearls of wisdom from Mrs. Robinson.

Reply

or to participate.