magazines and maturity

by g

friday, at work, I asked a girl her plans for the weekend. she gave me a full and highly social itinerary that included going to the rodeo, going to club meetings, and scheduling in some time for homework. when she asked me my plans i responded with the only ones i had at that point, which were to go to the library and return my old books and check out some new magazines.

the next day, after checking out a copy of Vogue and Vanity Fair from my local library, i relaxed at home and then went to my boyfriend's to drink. at around 1 am, while he was throwing up in a trashcan, i was lounging on his bed checking my weekly newsletters.

these two isolated, but undeniably related incidents begged me to ask the question: is there anything more mature than a newsletter? 

no, there is absolutely nothing more mature - except perhaps a magazine.

i've always felt this way. when i was in middle school i would receive my monthly subscription to Teen Vogue and Seventeen magazine that my mom got for a discounted price through a marching band fundraiser. then in high school i got into newsletters and subscribed to so many that i lost track and forgot about most of them. my freshman year of college i whittled down my email newsletter list to a few good ones and would check them during my bio lecture. the fact that i still passed that class with an A despite spending the entire time reading tips for gardening and suggested articles from The Cut speaks volumes not only about the effectiveness of higher education, but the impact of the newsletter.

recently my love for newsletters has subsided, and once again i am turning back to magazines. i had a brief affair with my school's newspaper, and then dabbled in the webzine community for a while, but now i have found my way back to sophisticated print, that is, Cosmopolitan and Vogue. 

magazines make me feel like Carrie Bradshaw. they make me feel like a woman who owns her own apartment in a ritzy downtown area, and who goes to nightclubs and then wakes up refreshed for her full-time career the next day. magazines make me want to make my bed each morning, and fold my laundry as soon as its out of the dryer, and spend 50$ on expensive face cream all because the recommendation appeared next to the cut out face of a celebrity i am sort of familiar with.

newsletters give me a strong sense of routine, which of course is the foundation for any person who wants to have their life together. there is nothing more satisfying than scheduling a block of time in your planner to 'read newsletters'. even more satisfying is the act of reading newsletters themselves. you always walk away with a few new instagrammers to follow that will make you feel self-conscious and invigorated all at once, some new vegan recipes to try, and a renewed feeling that you have control over your life and the world around you.

combined, these two powers can make a person unstoppable. if magazines make you feel charismatic, hip, and fashionable, and newsletters make you feel organized, ambitious, and motivated, using them together makes you the most powerful person in the room. 

this month i am indulging in the newsletter/magazine lifestyle. i feel more mature, more like an adult. i feel like things are going in the right direction for me. i'm learning new ways to wash my face, and new apps to use for meditation. i'm setting more goals, saving more money, and trying to carve out a really solid nighttime routine. and its been so nice. 

in the end its probably not just the fact that i'm reading magazines and newsletters. its the fact that i'm making time  to do simple things that make me happy, like reading magazines and newsletters, but also opening up the windows, and going for walks around the neighborhood, and looking through old photo albums, and laying on the floor with my bunny and letting him lick my entire face. the fact that it is finally spring and the pandemic's end is finally in sight (i'm getting my second dose of the vaccine in 2 weeks) also has something to do with this good feeling as well. 

i want to pass on this joy, and this small suggestion for feeling like life is a bit more under your control. go to your library and check out a magazine. spend time reading it. don't do anything else for a while. or, if magazines aren't your thing, get out a piece of paper and draw. listen to music while laying on the floor. go for a walk or a run without your phone. vacuum under the seats in your car. clean out your closet. clean out your bathroom. try a new coffee shop. read your favorite book. do any small thing to make your life better, and relish in that feeling of being put together, of being whole, of being mature, of being happy. 
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