Five Favs: May

Summer is in the air and I love it! I've always thought of June as Friday, July as Saturday, and August as Sunday. May was a great month but, like anyone, I'm glad we've made it to the weekend aka summer! But before it's full steam ahead into June, here are my May favorites. 

Grace & Frankie

I would have done a screenshot from my favorite episode but they're all my favorite. [Source] 

As my cousin kindly put it, “I think it’s for people our parents’ age.” Well, that may be, but I LOVE Netflix’s “Grace & Frankie.” It stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, and Sam Waterston (but Jane and Lily are the real starts). The acting is pretty much flawless and the cast as a whole is phenomenal- the actors who play the adult children are awesome (some you may recognize *cough* Ethan Embry, Brooklyn Decker). It is smartly written and, unlike so much of the entertainment we are fed these days, is a fresh take on friendship, “modern” families, and aging. I binged the first two seasons (13, half hour episodes each) over just a few days and can’t wait for the third season; hurry up and get here 2017 except don’t because I want to enjoy summer and fall and the holidays, etc.

When friends who live far away come to visit

As we get older friends move for jobs, love, life, etc. and while I am incredibly proud of all of my friends who are off doing exciting things, it’s still hard and sad when someone leaves. I know I am lucky to live in a time in which technology lets us be in near constant communication, but calls and Facetime are hardly the same as actually being together and there’s nothing like a spur of the moment meet up. A few weeks ago, one of my dear friends who now lives in the Bay Area was in NYC for a few days and I got to see him, hug him, ride with him (he’s a Master Instructor at Flywheel- any of you in the Bay Area, sign up for his class NOW, you will not be sorry), it was just non-stop happiness while I was with him.

Could not love you more if I tried. Something weird is going on with my right eye here. Whatever, I love this boy.

Recess benefit: Beg, Borrow, or Steal

Spring is benefit season. In general, I always feel slightly awkward at benefits, even when I know many of the guests. I’m not sure why but I always feel a slight twinge of “I’ve snuck into Mom and Dad’s world and I’m not really supposed to be here.” However, an event where I never feel awkward and in fact become a barracuda is at Recess’ benefit. Recess is a NYC-based non-profit which gives studio and exhibition space to contemporary artists while simultaneously allowing the public to interact with the artists, you can read more here. For the past two years, the event has been set up as a game. Each guest is assigned a piece of art upon arrival and then with steal and defend cards, you can beg, borrow, or steal (or block a steal with your defend cards) with other guests to obtain a different piece. Both years I have been ruthless and gotten the pieces I wanted. I have also made enemies along the way. Seriously. This year I heard that the girl I stole Mash from said she “lost her dream piece” and now her “whole night was ruined.” Part of me feels really bad about this but the competitive side of me says, this is the game and you knew the rules going in. Play to win baby. Am I awful? Maybe a little. (Last year's loot is on the left and this year's on the right- yes I know I totally could have gone to Michael's and made my own MASH, but that's not the point.)

Chewbacca Mom

If you don’t know who Chewbacca Mom is then a) welcome to planet Earth & b) watch this right now. What I love about this clip was said so perfectly by the person behind my #5 favorite. I won’t do his words justice but to paraphrase, so much of the time things that go viral are negative in content and/or are spread out of a mean spiritedness. This video went viral because the woman’s joy was infectious. It was about sharing laughter and fun. When you watch you laugh with her and never at her. We need more of this in the world!

Branden Harvey’s GOODNEWSLETTER

Branden Harvey is a self-described storyteller who focuses on stories about goodness the world over. I “met” (I will always think it’s weird to know someone when you’ve only ever communicated electronically) Branden through @whatimholding work and when looking at his website, discovered his GOODNEWSLETTER. A weekly email about nothing but happy stories?! Sign me up! I am so happy I subscribed; it’s so refreshing (and encouraging) to wake up on Tuesdays to a reminder that despite the tragedies and injustices occurring daily, there is still a lot of good out there. If you’re sick of only getting news digests that bring you down, you should check this out.

We all need some goodness. [Source]

What were your May favorites?