Backpack
Annie & Alison Newsletter #14
My backpack felt lighter this week, almost like air.
I recently heard a helpful analogy comparing anxiety to a permanent backpack. A bag one carries their whole life. Some days it doesn’t hinder you; you almost forget it’s there. Other times it’s filled with giant rocks (Parent Trap-style).
What’s most helpful to me about this analogy is that it explains why I can never completely shut off my anxiety. Regardless of its weight on any given day, I always wear my backpack. There’s nothing I, or any of my loved ones, can do to carry it for me.
We all wear a backpack. A burden or struggle that, not for lack of effort, keeps showing up. And it’s up to us to figure out how to cope with it. Over the years, I’ve worked really hard at this. I’ve also been blessed by incredible community – people that check in on my backpack and help carry me when I’m weighed down.
One such friend is Molly. She and I just spent 6 days in Breckenridge, CO together, biking, hiking, and watching romantic comedies. For the majority of our time together, I forgot I was wearing my backpack. Vacation in the snow-capped mountains will do that to you. But even when the sun shone and a lone moose wandered about our yard, (yes! a real moose!), there were still fleeting moments when I could not ignore my backpack. But being with Molly made it easier. She made space for it and walked with me as I carried it. She made me laugh until I forgot about it again.
Since the backpack is mine to carry, the most helpful remedy in my life are sojourners like Molly.
Cooking is another helpful remedy, though not many new recipes were accomplished this week. Nevertheless, here are two more reviewed recipes:
75 recipes cooked, 150 to go (ONE THIRD DONE)
This is Molly on our bike ride to Dillon Lake in Breckenridge, CO.
During this week of cooking…
I learned… that chorizo for breakfast, especially when cooked with tomatoes and chickpeas, and topped with homemade spicy bread crumbs, is actually fabulous. Ditch all your qualms about chorizo, throw caution to the wind, and just go for it.
I watched… the “To All The Boys I Loved Before” trilogy on Netflix, and not for the first time. Do you love a good romantic comedy, but make-it-Gen-Z? If you answered ‘yes,’ then these movies are for you. If you answered ‘no,’ then do you appreciate excellently curated soundtracks, impressive set design, and brilliant costume design? If you still answered ‘no,’ then we may or may not be able to be friends anymore. There are just some things I can’t compromise over, okay?
I listened to… Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, “SOUR.” Do you love a good pop album with relatable, indulgent lyrics and bop-able tunes, but make-it-Gen-Z? If you answered ‘yes,’ then this album is for you. If you answered ‘no,’ then don’t worry, we can still be friends.
I hope your backpack is effortlessly light this week. But if it’s heavy, that’s okay too.
xo,
Annie
