I just watched this TED talk by clinical psychologist Meg Jay. Although I just turned 28, it is starting to feel like all of my peers are turning 30 or older; and there is a lot of 30 talk on the blogs that I read. I found this talk through one of our own contributors, Erin, from Well in L.A. The topic is very interesting to me as my friends and I always find ourselves in conversations about our generation.  As the economy has changed, I think it’s a strange time to be in your 20s. Meg Jay has some insights on how to get through them in a more beneficial way.

Here are her 3 tips for 20 somethings:

1. Get some identity capital – Do something that counts toward the person that you want to be.

2. Use your weak ties – connect with your weak ties for new friends, jobs and potential life partners.

3. Pick your family – Though you might not be able to pick the family you grew up with, you can start to pick the family you will have of your own.

I’ve been thinking lately, now that she’s back and settled, I really miss following Farrell’s travels through her posts here.  There were a lot of things about her travel posts that I liked, one of which was her Noteworthy series, a kind-of collections of lessons learned on the road.  I had a bit of an adventure away from home last weekend so I thought I’d revive the idea.

(Typewriter by Matthew Logelin

~Read the paper, start with the Arts section.

~You don’t have to go far to feel like you’ve gotten away.

~Accept invitations.

~Keep band-aids on hand for the transition from winter to summer shoes.

~Whatever you’re feeling right now is okay.

One of the cool things about living in LA is being able to attend free movie screenings. Last night, I went to see a screening of the new movie The East. This eco-thriller stars Brit Marling who also happens to be my girl crush. She is intelligent, talented, creative and beautiful. Recently, I have seen The Sound of My Voice, Another Earth and The East – all movies that she has not only starred in but also co-written. Each of these movies stayed with me for days, even weeks, after I saw them. They all leave you wanting more. After the screening last night, there was a Q & A with Brit (actress, co-writer, girl crush) and Zal Batmanglij (director and co-writer). It was awesome to hear them talk about their lives, their successes and goals for their movies together. The whole experience was interesting and inspiring.

If you haven’t seen any of movies that I mentioned, please do. I loved all 3 of them.

Earlier in the week I went to a really interesting talk about Africa.  It was wonderful for many reasons, one of which includes the illustration that was shown (above) to convey the size of the African continent in relation to other – more familiar – places in the world.

I remember reaching the point in life in which I realized that my global education had been incredibly European-focused.  What that meant to me at the time was that ‘they’ had largely ignored teaching me about Asia.  While I wouldn’t say that I was completely clueless about Africa before this talk, it was still reminiscent of that first realization of how much I didn’t know.  It was also a strong reminder of how gratifying it is to take advantage of the resources that surround you, something I plan to do more of.

(The True Size of Africa via Information is Beautiful)

This week has taken me a little all over the place – and it’s only just about halfway done.  In chronological order, I have slept in, ventured out and centered back.  I’ve shown up, played a game and had fun.  I have dressed up and held back and learned new things about people I see every day.  I got drunk and gossiped.  I came home, I vegged-out.  I woke up early and I mourned a friend’s loss.  I’ve been rejected, empowered, engaged and engaging.  I’ve been pulled back into my past and have experienced new hopes for the future.  I tried adding an avocado to my green smoothie (ill-advised); I wasted away a lot of time.  I felt grateful frequently and often self-critical.  I’ve seen a little bit of everything.  I imagine you have too.

(image via here)

I am not sure if it is a factor of my upbringing, but I am a seeker. I am always trying to go deeper and deeper into myself. I am interested in all things personal and spiritual. I have been on many retreats, received endless treatments and have even seen someone “levitate.” I am drawn to all kinds of teachers and leaders. This fascination is what drew me to watch the documentary Kumare.

This documentary is about a dude who decided to be a fake guru, Kumare, and see if people would follow. As it turns out, they did. They followed so deeply with their hearts. In some ways, this movie makes me embarrassed because I myself have been in some of the same situations presented in the movie. However, the movie has a touching twist and I love that maybe Kumare was meant to be that leader all along.

The movie is currently streaming on Netflix. Also, read more from the director here.

(image via Flickr)

When I lived in India, several years ago now, I lived in an older Indian woman’s home.  She was a doctor and a widow and had traveled to New York while her husband was still alive.  When she got here, she watched the news and was so scared by the stories she saw, she barely left the apartment she was in. She did however like the ice cream, and the cheese. And she also liked that you saw every type of face on the street in New York. She went on about how wonderful and interesting it was to be on a New York street, and to look around and see every type of person.

I spend a lot of time referencing where I’m from and talking about how that place makes me me. I love that about New York, and I love that the place I talk about is Cleveland. I like that I’m in a place that makes this experience a prominent component of my life. But it is also noticeable to me, at times, that I know another version of life: one where strangers are more known to each other – as true or false as that may actually be.

It’s an intricate dance between blending in and standing out.  Each is appealing some of the time but looses its charm in excess, and like many things it can be difficult to sustain the balance.

So much of life serves as filler. And for whatever it’s worth & to the the degree I do, I recognize my own aversion to blank space / down time / whatever I bring to it.

 
I prefer a conclusion.