If you love #5SmartReads, would you be open to sharing them? You’ll get perks if you do! Set up your unique share link below and share #5SmartReads with anyone you think would enjoy them! issue #157 - the one about narrativesHitha on the things we tell ourselves, what we accept as the truth, and how to write our own
Besides the midterm elections and Philly sports (I still love you, Phillies - always will), my brain has also been consumed by narratives. The stories we tell ourselves and the evidence we seek to validate them as the truth. The narratives that are so ingrained in our society that we accept them as the only way. The way a simplistic message, repeated over and over again, become these narratives - even if they’re not at all rooted in reality. I spent the beginning of the week thinking about Tom & Gisele and this smart read, and was blown away with the conversation we had about it on my Instagram post:  My friend Neha has been reflecting about the evidence we seek to validate something we believe is the absolute truth, and how to shift from that to observing the evidence of another narrative that may be more aligned with what’s actually happening:  I’m guilty of doing this, and I really appreciate Neha’s gentle guidance on how to shift the evidence gathering to validate our anxieties and to find evidence to embrace the strengths we have and the ones we want to cultivate. This is something I’m working on when it comes to alcohol consumption in bigger social gatherings - for my entire adult life, I relied on that glass of wine as a comfort mechanism to make me feel like I belonged, and that somehow the wine unlocked my most magical, bubbly self. We so focus on the evidence we’ve already gathered to validate a self-perceived truth that we rarely think about gathering new evidence to support a different narrative - the one we feel aligned to more, but is different and new and a little bit scary. Last night, I sought to gather new evidence to support that I am enough as I am, no matter what’s in my glass. I had the incredible honor of attending a formal dinner that I’m sure you’ve seen splashed over Instagram, hosted by Indian American Impact and Product of Culture. The black-tie dinner was attended by people I’ve long admired and respected, people I’m grateful to call my friends, and people I met for the first time and am delighted to build relationships with. I packed my Equilibria drink drops in my clutch and asked for a club soda with lime and bitters when I reached the bar. Squeezing the drops into my drink invited curiosity from my friends and the folks standing by me, not judgement. I found myself fully engaged in every conversation I had and soaking in every moment of the evening. It also helped to have my close friend Kirti with me, who joined me in enjoying this mocktail and who happily declined the after party so we could get a good night’s sleep! There was one moment that’s imprinted in my brain from last night that I’m so grateful to have experienced. In her remarks, Representative Pramila Jayapal said the following:
She went on to show the evidence supporting this new narrative - how the party is focused on protecting freedom to vote and bodily autonomy, to keep families together and to celebrate all families, and to protect your right to worship (or not!) and in the faith that together, we are all stronger when we all can live with dignity and respect. These are not the words you typically hear attributed to the Democratic party, but the evidence (especially over the past 16 years) does support it. That is a narrative worth reclaiming and rewriting, and one that will be fueling my canvassing efforts today and my active citizenship efforts daily. And I’ll also be actively collecting evidence that I don’t need that glass of wine or cocktail to feel like I belong in a room or can show up as my best self. That’s the thing about narratives. We can write new ones when we’re no longer served by the ones we’ve traditionally held. First step - collect the evidence. This Week’s Links
What I Read This Week
What Everyone Else Read This Week
Top #5SmartReads Of The Week
The rest of the week’s reads + last week’s (and conversations!) are below: Monday October 31, 2022 Your Questions, Answered Why? I hope you’re doing okay. I hope my mental health will stabilize once I get back on a medication (thank you for the referrals, Dr. Pooja Lakshmin and Saumya Dave!) I will be okay. And thank you for checking in- and please check in with your close friends and family. he end of year holidays can be magical, and stressful for those responsible for making them magic. Need to write a thesis for my international MBA. Can be anything biz related. WWYD?
What’s your favorite Friday night decompression ritual after this kind of week? Would you send your kids to public school? Thinking about the Emily In Your Phone post… This is something we will reevaluate as they grow and their needs change. I also have to give NYC Department of Education a lot of credit in how supportive they are for kids with needs- they go far above what is the norm in most of the country! How do we keep hope? Early polls saying auburn white women leaning right again! Citizenship is an active practice, not something we do once and all is good. We will win some elections. Favorite restaurants around Time Square for tourists? All my favorite spots (in NYC and in cities I’ve traveled to) are in the Out Of Office app! What narrative will you rewrite this week? Join the conversation: xo, You’re a weekly subscriber to #5SmartReads. To get the daily newsletter, enter your email here.
© 2022 Hitha Palepu
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issue #157 - the one about narratives
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