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Check tray - Restaurant whimsy (or trauma reminder) for the former server

Spotted this small tray during a recent amble through Fish’s Eddy near Union Square. Anything that makes me smile is worth keeping in my home 🧡 Currently housing coffee accessories in the kitchen — a reminder of a lifetime ago when I pulled espressos while tabulating checks for impatient tables 🫠☕️

Nargis candle | Karachi Candle Company 💙

Best smelling candles I’ve ever had but what a pity they don’t ship from their Pakistan store. Thankfully, I have friends happy to mule them when they visit home. So far I’ve had Motia Noir (intoxicating yet comforting) and now Nargis is making for a very soothing drift to dreamland. Trying desperately to ration it now 🥺

Sliding perpetual calendar

Days are sometimes dreary and maybe doing one thing — like sliding colorful circles forward — can make the passage of time feel less tedious. Or you’ve got a toddler and this is a great tactile way for them to get to know their numbers. I got mine off Facebook Marketplace but this link is the version currently stuck on my kitchen wall.

Indoor rock climbing to overcome fears

Hear me out: indoor rock climbing — specifically top-roping, NOT BOULDERING — is perfect for anyone who’s always fearful of things one logically knows they shouldn’t fear (doing that scary/new thing, taking the professional/life leap, saying what’s on your mind). The first few times you try it, it’ll make you feel off-kilter — or if you’re like me and afraid of heights, cry — but the more I tried it, i began to realize that inching up the wall was akin to a physical manifestation of overcoming my fears. A route you previously couldn’t complete (because, well, fear duh) will feel so good once you get just a tiny bit higher on it. Top-rope is also the safest way to climb, because someone’s ALWAYS got you on the bottom, so if you attempt something and fall, it’s totally fine, you’ll just be hanging on the wall. Also, if you get scared and tired, you can just hang out on the rope and contemplate the holds and think about what’s next. Breathe. Assess. And then try again. And if you don’t finish it, who cares? It’s just indoor rock climbing. It made me realize that so much of all my fears was just my brain saying “you can’t. don’t. what if” and so little of that is actually true.

Check tray - Restaurant whimsy (or trauma reminder) for the former server

Spotted this small tray during a recent amble through Fish’s Eddy near Union Square. Anything that makes me smile is worth keeping in my home 🧡 Currently housing coffee accessories in the kitchen — a reminder of a lifetime ago when I pulled espressos while tabulating checks for impatient tables 🫠☕️

Nargis candle | Karachi Candle Company 💙

Best smelling candles I’ve ever had but what a pity they don’t ship from their Pakistan store. Thankfully, I have friends happy to mule them when they visit home. So far I’ve had Motia Noir (intoxicating yet comforting) and now Nargis is making for a very soothing drift to dreamland. Trying desperately to ration it now 🥺

Sliding perpetual calendar

Days are sometimes dreary and maybe doing one thing — like sliding colorful circles forward — can make the passage of time feel less tedious. Or you’ve got a toddler and this is a great tactile way for them to get to know their numbers. I got mine off Facebook Marketplace but this link is the version currently stuck on my kitchen wall.

Indoor rock climbing to overcome fears

Hear me out: indoor rock climbing — specifically top-roping, NOT BOULDERING — is perfect for anyone who’s always fearful of things one logically knows they shouldn’t fear (doing that scary/new thing, taking the professional/life leap, saying what’s on your mind). The first few times you try it, it’ll make you feel off-kilter — or if you’re like me and afraid of heights, cry — but the more I tried it, i began to realize that inching up the wall was akin to a physical manifestation of overcoming my fears. A route you previously couldn’t complete (because, well, fear duh) will feel so good once you get just a tiny bit higher on it. Top-rope is also the safest way to climb, because someone’s ALWAYS got you on the bottom, so if you attempt something and fall, it’s totally fine, you’ll just be hanging on the wall. Also, if you get scared and tired, you can just hang out on the rope and contemplate the holds and think about what’s next. Breathe. Assess. And then try again. And if you don’t finish it, who cares? It’s just indoor rock climbing. It made me realize that so much of all my fears was just my brain saying “you can’t. don’t. what if” and so little of that is actually true.