March is my birthday month and nothing inspires change like a new year and birthdays. After I turned 18, I really started to hate my birthday. I suffered this conflict that I think most young people do, of feeling as though I wasn’t maturing as quickly as I was aging and it TERRIFIED me.
This year though (as I approach the 7th anniversary of my 18th birthday, lol) I am calm. I’m content and I feel that the universe has been sending me these very subtle signs that everything is okay and that I’m (mostly) on the right track. I’m not worried about anything because I am beginning to master complete surrender.
Nothing about change is easy and some days I 100% fail at doing the things I promised future Anda I would but I am slowly learning that achieving positive change is not about getting 100% every single time, it’s more that you don’t stop trying on the times you don’t.
Series
I will reference MANY Girls episodes over the course of Andaconstruction because it is truly, truly my absolute favourite show. This episode actually aired on my birthday 5 years ago so I hold it very close to my heart and it’s still one of my favourite Girls episodes. There’s something extremely comforting about seeing people who have it completely together (in this case Alison Williams’ character, Marnie) just kind of unravel. And I don’t mean that how it may sound— I just mean it really humanises certain people.
Podcast
I have always loved The Cut and it’s podcast but Avery Trufelman took the pod to the next level. Every episode is such an interesting exploration of pop culture, I never leave without learning something new and feeling edified in some way. This episode is all about growing up using the best romantic comedy in the world, 13 Going On 30, as a theoretical framework. A lot of the fear I’ve had since I turned 18 is addressed here and it’s also just really fun, relatable and nostalgic!
Thread
I have been obsessed with everything about Heather Clancy since before I was even allowed to vote. I recognise how ridiculous it is that the piece of her writing I am recommending is a twITTER THREAD (????) when she literally has bylines in the Mail & Guardian and Indie Magazine and also knows Steve Lacy but hear me out: it was a really good thread! Similar to the Marnie thing, it’s comforting when people you admire fail— again, not how it sounds but like, she went through all that while maintaining grace and beauty. That’s remarkable.
Start here then read more of Heather’s fabulous work here.
Food
Back to my point about positive change: I am now a woman who eats fruit salad! A lot of the good habits I picked during my vegan version of the Whole30 elimination diet I did in January have actually stuck. I love to snack but it was tough during Whole30 so I turned to fruit salad. I will still have one every now and again because they’re so filling and much healthier than having sweets or chips. I use whatever fruit I have but always top everything with chia seeds or flaxseeds for healthy fat to satiate me.
Find more vegan food inspiration on my YouTube Channel
comfort is key
Love reading this! Happy birthday ♥️
"...feeling as though I wasn’t maturing as quickly as I was aging" is genuinely one of the best summaries of this fear I have ever read. 🙌👏