Life – Meredith's Manifest

I happened to stumble across this delightful quote from Insomniac City while poking around Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings recently:

I’ve suddenly realized what you mean to me: you create the need which you fulfill, the hunger you sate. Like Jesus. And Kierkegaard. And smoked trout. . .

-Oliver Sacks to Bill Hayes, Insomniac City

Which made me suddenly realize I have to get my hands on this book as soon as possible. And I am also looking forward to reading Gratitude by Oliver Sacks even more than ever, now that I know this is the kind of thought he’d think. I find that the more context you have on an author, the more you’re able to benefit from his or her work. Context contributes to understanding which is then able to lead us to meaning (although not along a nice and neat linear path, but that’ll be a story for another day).

I was a little surprised that this video popped up as a recommendation on YouTube, but I have to admit the bit in the title about “Getting Out of Her Own Way” had me hooked. I’ve never seen an episode of Girls, so really this video is the only context I have on Jemima Kirke as an actress/celebrity/artist. But that made no difference in the power of her message throughout the video. I highly recommend scrolling through and checking out plenty of the other videos in the series by StyleLikeU, every single one is an incredible glimpse into the lives and struggles and triumphs of women from all kinds of backgrounds. I was struck by how eloquent each of the women interviewed are, and found myself clicking through and watching for hours. Next time you’re sitting down for a scroll through Instagram or a Netflix binge, do yourself a favor and check this series out instead.