🧠 CAR ALMOST BLEW UP?!

🧠 It’s been a while. How are you? I hope you’re doing well! You’re probably wondering where this newsletter has been for the last two weeks. I’ve been wondering as well. I could’ve sworn I paid my robot ghostwriter for this one.

Haha seriously though, I had to prioritize a few things over this edition, but doing that allows me to collect new ideas and insights for the newsletter itself so I think it’s a win-win. So, here’s what Gisela and I have been up to lately.

🚗💥 So, I thought I was going to die in a fiery explosion two weeks ago. It was lightly raining and I was driving on the glisteningly wet freeway, on my way to pick up my girlfriend from work so that we could grab some lunch together. Usually I’d be listening to my favorite tunes while I drive, but for whatever reason I wanted to listen to Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being. It seemed appropriate as the rain felt almost magical in the way it was relaxing my chaotic mind.

A few clever Rick Rubin quotes later, I looked in my mirrors to merge towards the exit lane. I saw what I thought was a misty slipstream coming from my back tires due to the amount of rain that had coated the asphalt of the freeway. However, when I turned my head back around, I was caught off guard by what looked like smoke coming up from under my hood as well as my oil gauge hitting the infamous “H”. My heart instantly started pumping. I had never been in a situation like this. Heck, my car has never broken down on me in any way.

It felt like there was this internal timer ticking inside my head, counting down the seconds to when my car engine inevitably explodes, blowing me to bits and pieces. The funniest part was how Rick Rubin was still spitting the most beautiful perspectives on living a more creative and zen life while I was internally panicking to control a situation I knew nothing about.

Luckily, I was able to park in the parking lot of my girlfriend’s workplace and successfully turned off my engine. Long story short, I called my dad to help me out with this peculiar situation and it turns out that the “smoke” I saw coming from the underside of my hood was just lots of thick steam from some coolant that had leaked from a loose cap. My engine was overheating because half the tank had emptied out from that. Apparently, the mechanic I always go to hired some new employees and when they had topped off my fluids just a few days prior, they had mis-screwed the coolant cap on the front of my engine. We immediately replaced both the coolant and the cap with a brand new one that is now very difficult to screw off.

While it is safe to say I wasn’t going to die that day, this small mistake could have turned into a financial crisis as a dead engine would have completely taken my mode of transportation out of the picture. It’s important that we use clever budgeting methods like Gisela’s envelope system from the last newsletter edition or even financial-tracking apps to help us push for better opportunities for creating safety nets for ourselves when the unexpected happens. Life is full of these events and life never pulls its punches!

🧘‍♀️ Since the beginning of the year, I have been focusing on the topic of a fresh start. I definitely think that having a clean and organized workspace helps with stress levels and making sure that I am productive. I have previously mentioned that I love making a to-do list, only to get the satisfaction of crossing off an item on those lists. One of the things I've been trying to clear out is my closet.  I definitely have way too many clothes, but somehow find myself wearing the same thing over and over. Me and my brother's favorite thing to do at the moment is to go thrifting. One of our newest hobbies has been listing old clothes on Depop. I enjoy doing this to not only clear up space in my room but also try and clear my head of the clutter, both metaphorically and physically.

💽 I am the type of person who has to strictly follow a routine and get frazzled when something doesn't go according to plan.  I challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone, whether that be trying new foods or putting myself in social situations when I know I'd much rather be at home. People who know me know that I don't really have a favorite music artist and kind of just listen to whatever's on the radio.  I feel like music is one way to get out of my comfort zone without going overboard. I got the inspiration for my bestie to try and listen to more artists as well as random curated playlists. Instead of just having a huge “liked” playlist, I now make a monthly playlist based on new songs that I listened to or invoke memories from that month. I think this is a great way to open up my music taste as well as reflect on past experiences.

🎬 I’M STARTING A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! I’m not too sure what sort of content I’ll end up sticking with but I have a ton of ideas! And, what better way to test them out then to just make them! So, be on the look out for new content coming your way including: vlogs, podcasts, sketches, cinematics, and more. I’m really excited to get started on this journey because it has felt like a calling for years now. Time to get up, get out, and go!

I really love the way that  Kyle is going to create content that may be relatable and useful but, at the end of the day, will simply be a creative platform. When I learned about his ideas for creating videos, it got me thinking about how I can portray my creativity through another medium. My biggest asset is organization, and I have been looking into the world of digital downloads. I have been told that my writing and organization on my iPad are easy to follow and structured in a way that looks clear and concise. I might create a downloadable font in my handwriting for anyone to purchase and use to their advantage, whether it be for a to-do list or to track how much money they've saved this month.

⭐️ Just some extra resources we discovered, read, watched, and/or listened to this week that we think you may find just as entertaining or useful as we did.

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📬 Share this newsletter with your family, friends, and any strangers you meet today! Thank you for reading. Until next time :)