HERE'S WHAT'S RIGHT IN THE WORLD!
Miranda Hart, A Frenchman Saves the Day, Join a Girl Group, House Plants Stave Off Dementia, and More!
Hiya Friends,
The U.S. presidential election is just weeks away and the holidays are quickly approaching. My nerves, they are frayed. Fingernails have been chewed to nubs. Lots of carbs have been ingested. Comfort-viewing is in full effect. Speaking of which, has anyone watched the comedy Miranda starring the comedian/actress Miranda Hart? It first aired in 2009, so I’m tragically behind-the-times. A few of the jokes feel dated now and there’s very little diversity in the show, but Miranda Hart makes me guffaw. Available on BritBox, the show’s endearing title character is awash in hijinks and constantly breaks the fourth wall with funny asides. I’d bet money that Phoebe Waller-Bridge used this show as inspiration for Fleabag.
The following clip reminded me of all the temp jobs I had in the 90s, especially the one where I tripped and fell down a flight of stairs. By some miracle, I didn’t break any bones or hit my head, but I did tweak my ankle pretty badly. In an attempt to act like everything was fine, “nothing to see here, folks,” I slowly hopped through the lobby towards the exit at the end of my shift. The boss took pity on me and carried me to the curb where I waited for a cab to take me home. They never asked me to return.
It would be very easy to panic right now and dwell on the worst possible news. But as my friend Barak says, “Worrying is just meditating on a bad result.” So in this issue of In With the Old, I’ll be focusing on what’s right in the world.
A FRENCHMAN SAVES THE DAY
A friend told me that on a recent trip to Paris, she drove her rental car down a very narrow street and the car got stuck. I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but I’m picturing something like this ⬇︎.
Eventually, a tow truck arrived on the scene, but it couldn’t make it down the road. Then a second tow truck showed up to assist. Alas, neither truck could reach the car so the tow truck drivers stood around, talking merde, and smoking cigarettes. Okay, I don’t know if the tow truck drivers really smoked cigarettes, but let’s pretend they did for the sake of scene-setting.
At this point, my friend was told that the only viable solution would be to lift out the car by crane!! Can you imagine? I’m guessing that would’ve cost somewhere around four million euro. Just as my friend was about to agree to car removal by crane, a stranger appeared out of nowhere. This Frenchman had witnessed the whole debacle and felt certain he could free the car from its stuck position. Desperate to escape her nightmare, my friend tossed her car keys to this stranger.
The Frenchman proceeded to put on little leather driving gloves (I swear I’m not making this part up) as if preparing to race in Le Mans. He then hopped in the car, inched the vehicle here and there, and by golly, managed to maneuver the car out of the street.
Beyond grateful, my friend offered the man money, but he refused. You know why? Because he was a genuinely good and heroic soul.
I had a similar thing happen last year when I unwittingly directed my friend to drive into a sand ditch after we left a concert in the desert. It was close to midnight and we figured it would be daylight by the time a tow truck appeared. Suddenly, the owner of the concert venue materialized with a giant truck and a tow strap and towed us to safety. When these type of helpers appear, it restores my faith in humanity and makes me believe that the universe is looking out for us.
IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO JOIN A GIRL GROUP, DO IT!
In a past issue, I wrote about attending the weekly group singing activity at my mother-in-law’s 55+ building. It was there that I met Yvonne (pictured above on the right). Yvonne and her best friend, Jean (also pictured above in the polka dot shirt), were in a teenage girl group in the ‘60s called The High Fives. “We were going to be bigger than The Supremes,” Yvonne tells me.
You’ve likely never heard of The High Fives and here’s why. After Yvonne, Jean, and another friend recorded an album and prepared to don sequined gowns, Jean’s dad got the parents together and said, “These kids are going to college!” (Insert: Needle scratch.) Their dream died on the spot that day. On a happier note, Jean and Yvonne are still besties and they often sing together whenever they get the chance. Such was the case a couple of months ago when Yvonne performed several songs with live piano accompaniment in the lobby of her building. I attended the event with my mother-in-law and we sat in the audience tapping our toes and having a blast.
Throughout Yvonne’s set, she’d invite friends to join her at the microphone. I’ll be honest, I totally fantasized about getting up there. I love to sing even though I’m not very good. Well, the next thing I knew, Yvonne was calling me to join her and Jean for a song. And all I could think about was the fact that I was wearing SHORTS!! I’m pretty sure that shorts are not appropriate performance attire unless you’re a professional athlete. I was also quite sweaty because menopause + summer in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, I’d tried to contain my mess of hair in a top knot, but several strands had broken free to frizz at will. What I’m saying is, there were a lot of insecurities swirling around in my head and I thought about demurring. At the same time, I knew this was my chance to join a genuine girl group from the 1960s! So I got up there and we sang, “Our Day Will Come,” by Ruby and the Romantics and darn it, we sounded pretty good. Next stop, the Poconos!
GET SOME HOUSE PLANTS AND STAVE OFF DEMENTIA
Did you know that tending to plants and gardening can lower your risk of dementia by 36%? I had no idea until I googled “what are the health benefits of house plants?” The results didn’t really surprise me because my house plants emanate joy. We have TEN plants in our living room. That may seem a bit excessive, but our living room gets the best light throughout the day. If this makes it sound like we’re plant experts, let me assure you, we are not.
A few years ago, my friend Susie moved out of her place, and generously gifted us several healthy and thriving house plants. Up until that point, the only plant that Jared and I had barely managed to keep alive was a peace lily with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Occasionally, the peace lily would flower and appear buoyant, but most of the time, it sulked, drooped, and turned brown.
Meanwhile, Susie’s plants — a Golden pothos, a Satin pothos, and a Dieffenbachia — flourished in our home. Okay, full disclosure, there was one casualty. A little heart-shaped succulent called a Hoya Kerrii Heart didn’t survive the transition. Like a human heart, this plant-shaped one proved far too fragile. (Sorry, Susie!) I probably over-watered it, or maybe it wasn’t getting enough light on my desk. Like I said, I knew very little about the ins and outs of plant care back then.
It wasn’t until my friend, Becky aka “the plant whisperer,” gave me a cutting from her monstera plant that I learned some valuable lessons about botany. Becky was invested in the wellness of her monstera’s offspring and she’d check in from time to time to see how it was faring. One day she asked if I was giving the monstera plant food. I said, “Don’t plants just make their own food, from, er, photosynthesis?” She said, “Plants need plant food.” Quelle surprise! This revelation made me wonder if our peace lily’s dour mood had something to do with the fact that it was STARVING. I’d been an abusive plant parent and I hadn’t even known it. So I ran out, procured plant food, and fed all the plants. The peace lily is much happier now that it’s being regularly fed, has more soil, and gets a ton of sun.
As for the monstera, take a look at the pictures below to see its progress. The picture on the left is from March 2023. The photo on the right is now. Can you believe how big and gorge it’s become? Amazing what a little plant food, sunlight, and water can do.
So how do plants improve our lives? Well, I’m glad you asked.
Reduces The Risk of Dementia
The act of gardening and caring for plants can improve memory and reduce stress. And it’s not just the plant leaves that have healing properties. Believe it or not, potting soil contains microbes that release serotonin aka “outdoorphins” (M. vaccae), which have a similar effect to antidepressants!! I clearly have never given potting soil the respect it deserves. Some plants even have properties that can improve cognitive function like a ZZ plant. Notable for its ability to remove harmful contaminants from the air, such as benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, and xylene, the ZZ plant also creates a calming effect in its environment. And here’s the best news; ZZs are easy to keep alive. We have a gigantic one that we’ve nicknamed “the dinosaur,” that was here when we moved in 2011. See below.
The Dinosaur aka our ZZ plant. It needs to be repotted obvi, but we’re scared to mess with it.
Keeping Our Air Clean
I think it’s pretty common knowledge that plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and therefore act as natural air purifiers, but a study by NASA discovered that plants also remove up to 87% of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxins in the air every 24 hours. Who needs a fancy Levoit air purifier when you can get a plant to do the job? The best ones for air purifying are Aloe Vera plants, monstera, a peace lily, ZZ plants, and snake plants.
Easing dry skin and respiratory ailments due to dry air
If you live in a dry climate like me, you know how crispy your skin can get this time of year. Here’s more good news: when plants evaporate water through their leaves, it increases the humidity and moisture in the air. More moisture in the air helps alleviate dry skin, sore throats, and coughs. So go get yourself one of nature’s humidifiers. The best plants to help prevent dryness in winter are dracaena plants, philodendrons, and bamboo palm.
Allergy Relief!
The other day, I noticed that the peace lily looked a bit dusty, so I brushed off the leaves. At the time, it hadn’t occurred to me that my formerly-depressed peace lily was currently catching all the floating detritus that would otherwise be in my lungs. “Researchers have found that rooms with plants have less dust and mold than rooms without any foliage. Leaves and other parts of the plants act as natural filters to catch allergens and other airborne particles.” The best air-filtering plants include, dracaena, lady ferns, violets, and other plants with textured leaves.
A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS!
READ: I know some people reject the woo, but just read this post, “The Case of the Missing Opals” by fellow Substacker and excellent writer, Julia Pickering, and tell me that there aren’t forces for good working in mysterious ways out there.
DO: MAKE BAD ART!
My pal and fellow Substacker, Nancy Norbeck is offering a fantastic group course called Make Bad Art designed to combat perfectionist tendencies and allow participants to bust through creativity blocks. More info here.
DO: CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN WITH A $25 PSYCHIC READING
In celebration of spooky season, Lily Martin, a friend and a talented psychic, is offering In With The Old subscribers $25 readings (30 minutes). She does both psychic readings and medium readings. I’ve watched her give readings to total strangers and it blew everyone’s minds. Reach out to her at lilymartin@gmail.com and tell her In With The Old sent you.
Okay! Ta-ta for now! xo H2
I hope my words of unworried wisdom help to unfurrow a few corrugated brows. My mom, a professional worrier, bestowed them upon me several years ago in a transient moment of clarity. Today, coincidentally enough, meditation teacher Susan Chen broadcast this in *her* email:
“In the Vedic worldview, speculation is the root of all suffering. Why? When we speculate, we move into iterations of what we think may happen instead of what’s actually happening right now.
“While we’re busy playing out an imagined Category 5 disaster in our minds, we completely miss actual evolution unfolding—effortlessly, right before our eyes.”
Thank you…”focusing on what’s right in the world.”🙏🏽 I’m off to buy some plant food!