My Joy List
July 1st - 7th: epic countryside restaurants & bike rides, a treehouse, & quotes on eggs and positivity
You’re reading a newsletter from Syd, an NYC-born gal who quit her “golden handcuffs” job and moved to Amsterdam to follow her heart’s calls for a path less traveled. Here, I share the challenges and wins of my own journey from people pleasing & perfectionism to authenticity, balance, joy, & freedom. Beyond this page, I coach fellow high achievers along their own journey. I also share their stories in a podcast, The Path Less Traveled. You may find comfort, empowerment, inspiration, and/or community. Welcome 🫶🏻
Hi beautiful sunshiney souls!
One of the best things about living in Amsterdam is all that’s accessible just outside the city. It’s like living in San Francisco in that way.
To keep the nostalgic 4th of July vibes alive in a country where the day feels like any other day, A and I drove an hour outside Amsterdam to the Netherlands’ countryside for a couple of days at an Airbnb aptly named “the treehouse.” More specifically, we stayed in a tiny town (like, 10 stores/restaurants maximum, two of which were ice cream shops) called “Vierhouten,” which is surrounded by miles and miles of forest with wonderful bike and walking paths veining throughout.
I told A on one of our drives (or maybe it was on our bike ride?): the Netherlands’ reputation for crummy weather is its saving grace. If the Netherlands had the kind of weather the South of France sees, the country would be ruined by the kind of tourism that dozens of European cities have been protesting. But, instead, the country remains this deliciously stunning, humble, and quiet oasis. And I’m sure it’s all because of the days of gray and rain. But when that sun shines… ohhh baby.
I don’t think I even knew Amsterdam was in the Netherlands before deciding to move here, and in all honesty, I might’ve confused the country with “Neverland” for a long time, so I won’t be surprised if you don’t know anything about the Netherlands either.
Anyway, we spent the weekend snuggled up at this adorable treehouse-esque cabin, cooking, watching Wimbledon on an iPad at the wooden outdoor table, walking and biking through the woods, and eating two epic meals (Het Roode Koper and ‘t Nonnetje).
In the spirit of the 4th, we also bought hot dogs from an organic grocery store we found in a neighboring town about 20 minutes away, but we never got around to making them. We brought them home and had them for Sunday dinner instead. I slathered mine in Dijon, a condiment I used to hate and now can’t get enough of as of two years ago. A also made a banging caesar salad tossed with the two extra hot dogs buns sliced and baked to make crumbly brioche croutons. Though not exactly American, there’s something inexplicably American about a creamy caesar salad, you know what I mean?
Anyway, the meal really rounded out a wonderful weekend.
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In other news, I pruned my hydrangea plant.
All the hydrangea heads had shriveled and died by the time we got back from our weekend trip (though they were on their way for several weeks), and as I was preparing to put the plant + pot into a plastic white garbage bag (Amsterdam doesn’t have much in the way of composting :( very sad), I noticed some of the stalks were still green and there were vibrant, bright green leaves budding below the dead heads (not to be confused with Deadheads ;)… that’s A). So, I trimmed off all the dead leaves and flowers, and now I have a bunch of nubs that we will watch patiently to see whether new heads bloom! Eeeep! I’m excited! Updates to come.
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I’m reading Positivity by Barbara Frederikson.
It’s one of the summer reading books for my… MASTERS PROGRAM!!!!!! Yea! I mentioned it in a recent joy list so briefly you probably missed it, but I got in to a masters program that I am GIDDY about. It’s a masters in applied positive psychology, which means I’ll be studying the science, research, and theories behind so many of the things I write about here (eh, hem, JOY!) and have experienced first hand. I’m so excited to share what I learn with you as I go.
I gotta think about how I’ll do so in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you (maybe it’s solo pod episodes? Comment or message me with ideas!), but for now, here’s a bit of the essence of what I suspect I’ll be learning:
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Something about egg cartons…
I’m also reading The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez Alt.
This explanation of the terminology on egg cartons in the U.S. was BEYOND helpful. I’ve always felt so confused.
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I shared a new solo episode of The Path Less Traveled…
last Friday (Spotify, Apple). You might’ve been deep in the 4th of July BBQ sauce, so here’s what you missed:
It’s just under 30 minutes and it’s a special one, particularly for anybody asking, “what steps do I need to take to get from where I am now to living a life I genuinely love?” I talk about the power of visualization—how it can unlock truths about ourselves we aren’t aware of—and what visualization has to do with getting clear on what actually matters to us. I also explain why, if you don’t get clear on what actually matters to you, you’ll end up internalizing other people’s values and living somebody else’s version of a good life. And if you do that, sadly, you’ll end up in a continuous loop of change—>dissatisfaction—>change—>dissatisfaction—>and so on. You owe it to yourself to break out of that loop, and this episode is a great first step.
Other thoughts/ideas I’m mulling:
How much of our self denial is self protection from our fear of the possibility that all humans are as messy and full of (learned) shameful characteristics and impulses as we are?
OK. That was a lot of food for thought mixed with joy! Below’s some pure joy. Enjoy the list! Happy joy spotting!
Joy spotting: the practice of noticing little moments of joy surrounding us all the time (more)
Ruby settling to sleep on my pillow above my head for her first sleep in our bed
rubs resting her head on my head
Ruby licking my toes in the middle of the night
the view of the sun-soaked rose garden through the romantic archway from the shady road
Walking and talking about life with Katie around Zuid before my mani
The lady bug crawling up our bathroom window while I was doing my face routine
Looking at my phone to see its 11:11
Learning Dutch prisoners have access to gardens
The kids corner at the nice specialty coffee shop LEUK in Harderwijk
Tilting my head back to look at the blue sky partially covered by the green leaves
Closing my eyes while tilting my head back to find the sounds of the leaves brushed by the wind could deceive me to believe I was next to crashing ocean waves
The lusciousness green expansiveness and quiet on our bike ride near and around Vierhouten
the elderly couple slowly enjoying two large ice cream sundaes
the adorable homes in the Harderwijk town
the phenomenal spice in A’s red proxy at dinner at ’t Nonnetje
Checking my texts to find Leo and Als got engaged!!!!!!!!!
The photos of Leo and Als smiles
realizing the unexpected symmetry of our dying bouquet
The photo of em and moomoo
The brief moment of thought that there is no race to learn anything; everything must be learned over a course of time
The two individually potted sunflowers on the ledge of that home on my walk with Rubs
The man who walked by me while I was taking a photo of my new bouquet in the middle of the market and smiled and said “mooi, ja?”
The lady bug on the bush on my way to the park with rubs
the butterfly that landed on the gate as Rubs and I were leaving the park (hi grandma :))
If you made it here, you deserve a really, really big squeeze. Hopefully you’re feeling a bit more joyful too.
Here’s that squeeze: >—___- -___—<
(i just whipped that lil guy up! wow! i’m so proud!)
Love,
Syd
p.s. I upgraded to a paid subscription to
yesterday. I have 5 paid subs to gift. Message me if you want one! Same goes for , a wonderful publication on women’s well-being that blends the power of science and intuition!