Hello, my friend!
Sometimes, everything is right. Maybe for a minute, an hour, an afternoon, or even parts of a day, satisfaction and joy descend on us. This week brought me one of those moments, and I want to tell you about it.
↓ In today’s email:
- This week’s inspiration: His day in the sun
- Latest blog post: Salt, sun, and serotonin
- What I’m reading: Lady Tremaine
This Week’s Inspiration: His Day in the Sun
Sometimes, everything is right. Maybe for a minute, an hour, an afternoon, or even parts of a day, satisfaction and joy descend on us. In light of all the surrounding emotions, you pull it in through every pore and appreciate it like sun on your face after a winter that never ended. We’re grateful.
I had such a moment yesterday. Not only was I invited to ballet in Boston with dear friends, but my son received, at long last, the attention he deserved. Let me explain.
My child, at three or four, would crawl up the inside of the doorjamb, almost like Spider-Man, touch his head to the ceiling, and slowly make his way down. He wasn’t talking yet, but he was riding a bicycle with no training wheels. Then came the fascination with basketball at age five. We lived on Freeman Parkway, a leafy neighborhood right by Brown University, and Julien spent most of his free time dribbling in the yard, or jumping on the trampoline and launching himself as high as possible to make a basket in the regulation hoop above the garage.
By second grade, all this morphed into us being on the AAU circuit, and then for the next ten and a half years, my life, in part, became about his quest to be a very good basketball player. There were coaches who saw his potential. There were also long stretches of self-esteem challenges, huge amounts of time on the bench, frustration and anger. There were even games in neighborhoods so dangerous that I once peed into an empty bag of Takis to avoid the gang members outside of the bathroom. (And I for sure was not going in there.)
Yesterday, something flipped for him. A switch that had been in the process of recalibrating. He played in front of dozens of Division One coaches in Baltimore and was named Player of the Game. And then, as far as I can tell, was interviewed by NBA TV, looking like the legit athlete he is. Headset over his ears, microphone on his mouth, hunched over, with the purplish cupping marks on his shoulders compliments of a mother who’s an acupuncturist.
All of this fills my heart with joy, sometimes it feels like he and I share a heart, which most often turns out to be torturous for me. But having him have a moment of recognition, and bathing in the sweetness, is so satisfying.
Latest Blog Post
Salt, Sun, and Serotonin: Can the Ocean Really Make You Happier?
https://drcatherine.com/cdn/shop/articles/sun-serotonin-natural-mood-boost-3282236.jpg?v=1754467758&width=1440 -> https://drcatherine.com/blogs/womens-wellness/ocean-therapy-salt-sun-serotonin-natural-mood-boost
Today may be the first reasonable beach day. I did go to the beach in the winter and plunge, but today might be a real day to enjoy the sand, sun and surf.
The expanses and horizons are deeply calming for me, and luckily, the science backs it up. Sunlight stimulates serotonin. The negative ions in salty ocean air increase oxygen flow to the brain. The rhythmic ebb and flow of the waves nourishes the shen, the spirit, and shifts the body into parasympathetic, rest-and-digest mode. In Chinese medicine, the ocean corresponds to the Water element, which governs the kidneys, the source of vitality and emotional resilience.
What I’m Reading This Week
Lady Tremaine
Cinderella’s story told from the perspective of the stepmother. The writing is exquisite, some of the best I’ve read in ages. I’m enjoying every moment, reading slowly because I don’t want it to end.
If you’ve ever wanted to sit with a story rather than rush through it, this is the one.
Wishing you a moment this week where everything is right.
Dr. Catherine