A quick thought on Taylor Swift
Oh man, a lot has happened since the last newsletter went out. Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” came out, I went on my first run since the marathon, and my car got towed. Don’t worry I got my car back.
I’ve spent a good portion of my time this week in a nostalgic stupor listening to the Red album. It reminds me of a period in my life when I really got comfortable with who I was: a hot house orchid who likes to be alone. I think I first realized this while listening to “All Too Well” and studying for finals in 2012.
Red, along with Speak Now, are two albums that I listen to when I go on a run and just want to turn my brain off. I’m not consistent in my running audio choices—sometimes I don’t run with anything, other times I listen to podcasts or what I call SoulCycle music. There are also times when I don’t want to run…or think or work or do anything but eat a box of cookies and go on Instagram. I’ve gotten better at exercising away this kind of mood, and I’ve found that going on a run and listening to those two Taylor Swift albums does the trick. My brain turns from self-destructive mush to zen teen radio. Listening to “The Lucky One” while running on the Central Park bridle path is me at my best. (Other favorites: “State of Grace,” “Holy Ground,” “Mine,” “The Story of Us,” “Back to December”)
I could go on but I won’t. I’ve gone on three runs since the New York City marathon; the first (as seen in the Strava screenshot below) was a run around the block that I went on because I just needed to get away from my Slack for a little and have some alone time. Highly recommend doing something like this. It makes dealing with the nut jobs more palatable.
That’s all I’ve got for you today. My husband/editor is out for the day so I’m probably going to send this without him checking my comma placements. Sorry if it reads funny.
Elaheh