Inspiration for deeper connection — 08.28
weekly round-up of things to do, read, watch, & journal on
Welcome to The Roots Report — a Below the Surface series featuring ideas and inspiration for deeper connection to yourself, others, and the planet. Each week, I’ll share a round-up of media that made me think or feel (versus distract and deplete); stories to inspire, people to know, unique questions to ask yourself or others, and even some challenges for getting out of your comfort zone ;)
Some people have a favorite color, some a favorite day of the week. I have a favorite number. And while I mean zero offense to 1 through 7 (or 9 and 10), I have personal affinity for the number 8.
Part of that is because August is the 8th month, and August itself feels a bit magical and lingering — suspended between the exuberance of summer and the coziness of fall. The days are still long, the evenings still warm, but the air carries a whisper of change. That liminal, in-between quality is exactly what makes ‘8’ so compelling. Its very shape is a loop, a continuation, a symbol of reciprocity and connection.
In that way, I love that August and 8 remind me that time doesn’t always need to be perceived or felt linearly. Some moments (the best, I’d argue) stretch, repeat, or expand so fully they exist outside the rush of beginnings and endings — moments that feel infinite in their unfolding.
So maybe it’s silly to have a favorite number. But when I think about August, and about 8 — about loops and thresholds and infinite-feeling moments — it doesn’t seem silly at all. It feels like a little truth hiding in the shape of a number. In these last few days of August, I hope you find or create little moments where you feel so connected, present, and in the happening, that time itself seems a little inconsequential.
Without further ado! Here are some things to do, read, watch, listen to, and ask (or journal on) to inspire deeper connection this weekend…
1. Media
What to read: How to fall in love
A gorgeous piece that seeks to answer, “How do you fall in love?”
“Let us consider for a moment the mythic twinge of the heart muscle that is accompanied only by one distinct act: falling in love…Of course, to answer the question, one must first concede that falling in love it is not the same as being in love. “Falling” implies motion, gravity, a direction. A kind of accidental inevitability, like slipping on black ice or answering a call from an unknown number only to hear a voice that ruins your entire sense of linear time. Hemingway had an answer—you fall in love the way you go bankrupt: “gradually, then suddenly.”
The read is entertaining, thought-provoking, and lyrical all at once. What feels more infinite than the in-the-happening feeling of falling in love?
Other articles I’ve enjoyed recently: Four Steps Towards a Fairer Fashion System, What Should Remain Hidden?, What Has Feelings?, Too Young To Feel So Old
What to listen to: “Why Deep Connection is Now Radical: How to Find Your Community” from Finding Your Casual Magic Podcast
This episode offers beautiful and actionable insights for deeper connection to yourself, others, and the planet. I listened to it three times in a day if that’s any indication of how much I loved it. One of the themes Jade and Ben discuss is the discernment between attachment versus connection. Ben argues that attachment is the act of “gripping on,” which provides the illusion of nourishment. Connection, on the other hand, provides a true sense of feeling safe and held.
Aligned with this week’s theme of seeking the infinite within moments, he adds, “The beauty of connection is that it’s in the here and now.”
2. Activity
Create a late summer bucket list of small, romantic moments, both alone and with others — ones where you’re so in the happening and connected that…
Examples of things on my list:
3. Questions & Journal Prompts
Food for thought questions to ask others or journal on this weekend…
If you could give three gifts to yourself that money can’t buy, what would they be?
If you could give three gifts to your parents that money can’t buy, what would they be?
And three that you could buy?
If you could live out one of your dreams that would most contribute to the world, what would it be?
What was a (or a few) moment(s) in your life where you felt so present and so joyful that time felt still? Describe what was happening, who was there, and how you felt.
Wishing you all a juicy final few days of my favorite month. Invite a friend out for a spontaneous dinner somewhere new. Cook something that feels romantic. Drink a glass too many. Dance in the kitchen.
Leaving you with a playlist!
With love and wanderlust,
D