Everything is cyclical

We are all connected

Taking a break from my usual posts to share some thoughts I had recently. I apologize because 1. This is not eBay content and I know that’s what you all subscribed for and 2. I am not a writer, so bear with me. Thank you to Allegra Samsen for editing this piece. I promise I will get back to my usual content in my next newsletter.

Today’s Substack touches on two topics, not directly related yet they felt related enough in my brain for me to want them to live side by side. After all, everything is cyclical.

This note from Pamela Anderson showed up on my feed at the perfect time.

Everything in life is cyclical.

We’re often told that trends are cyclical - what goes around comes back around and around again. But I think that consumerism can be cyclical in more ways than just the trend cycles we’re regularly fed on social media.

In a guest curation done by Ochuko Akpovbovbo (which you can read here), she shared an item and included the following note: “I’ve been really into chrome lately. I’m not buying anything, but I love the idea of furniture with chrome accents, especially when offset with really nice leather.”

I loved that she included an item she had no intention of purchasing, but it spoke to her in a way that compelled her to share it anyway.

It led us to a larger discussion where she said, “To love does not always mean to own.”

And while it would be dense to pretend a newsletter centered around an e-commerce platform doesn’t promote consumerism, I do want to take a moment to expand upon why I love doing this since I’m not sure I ever have.

Long before I started my Substack, I was texting friends links to things I was finding on eBay pretty much daily. I am regularly inspired by the people in my life and I loved unearthing items that I somehow saw them reflected in. However, it wasn’t necessarily for them to buy the items – I just thought it was fascinating that this treasure trove of items already existed. It felt like an exploration uncovering them and giving them the opportunity to be brought back to life. It also provided us with references for items we may have actually already owned but forgot about.

I don’t care if you purchase an item you see in my newsletter. Yes, I use affiliate links so if you do, I earn a commission. I also have the option for people to become paid subscribers and I do send out some paywalled content as a thank you to them. But I do that to supplement the time I spend on eBay, and if none of my subscribers ever became paid subscribers, I truthfully believe I would still send out this newsletter with the frequency at which I send it out now because I enjoy what I do and it is not my only source of income. I am thankful my full-time job gives me the flexibility to spend my free time how I want to.

However you choose to support my Substack, just know I am immensely thankful.

Everything in life is cyclical.

What we put out into the world will come back to us in one way or another. I’m religious, in a way that I like to keep to myself, friends and family, so I do not mean this in a religious way. Plus I don’t think karma is necessarily always rooted in religion anyway, despite its origins. 

Instead, what I think is that your karmic energy is what makes you who you are. It is how you treat others, yourself, and Mother Nature. In my mind, everything we do is cyclical. I don’t believe there is much room to deny that your actions cause reactions, and one day those might return to you. We’re all connected by our energy.

But I wonder if technology and our overuse of it have crossed these wires… Because I feel that our energy gets lost. That sometimes we are so disconnected from each other that we can’t see what actually still ties us. And I think inspiration is one of these threads.

So why are people so often willing to discredit inspiration? I’m not sure if it’s a fear of inadequacy or being out of the loop, but I do think ignoring what or who has inspired you is doing the opposite of what you think it’s doing. It’s not elevating you; it’s cutting that connective thread… Especially since we are curious by nature and not designed to exist in a silo, inevitably molded by the people and energy around us. 

And I actually find it cool and exciting to be inspired by people around me, whether they’re friends or strangers. I think it’s a good marker that you’re surrounding yourself with the right people, interacting with the right content and exposing yourself to new ideas.

I am so inspired by the people in my life - and I really want them to know it. My dear friend Heartleigh Little, owner of Heart and Lou’s, helped me find my style. Viv Chen’s writing about why Americans are so afraid of color made me reevaluate why I previously shied away from bright colors in my home. Gabrielle Scelzo’s baking has inspired me to try certain flavor profiles I wasn’t interested in before. So much of the fabric of my life is made up of tiny inspirations I have the pleasure of seeing every day.

I’m also inspired by strangers, and I’ll often try and find a way to tell them, or at least make sure it’s known that they’re who inspired me.

How we treat each other matters because what you put out comes back.

Everything in life is cyclical.

So in short, I love curating my newsletter because I love the idea that someone may be inspired to shop second-hand instead of purchasing new. I love curating my newsletter because shopping second-hand has actually slowed down my urge to consume and I hope it might do the same for someone else (and if it doesn’t, that’s okay too). I love curating my newsletter because maybe, like Ochuko, you’ll see something that inspires something in you but you’ll still make the choice not to make a purchase. I love curating my newsletter because I love to be inspired.

As Ochuko said, it is okay to love without the end goal being ownership. Sometimes the feeling of being inspired is enough to satiate us. Sometimes it just strengthens the connective thread. Being inspired shaped who I am. It is reflected in the meals I cook, the clothing I wear and entwined in the very fabric of my being.

So maybe something included in a roundup will remind you of an item you have shoved in the back of a cabinet or hung up in your closet. Maybe you’ll take it out and use it again, or maybe you’ll finally donate it. There’s no right or wrong answer.

I am not a perfect consumer or person. I don’t really have any opinion on how people choose to monetize their content on Substack, because if their content feels right for me to consume, that is my choice to make. And honestly, for all that I’ve said above, I also don’t think there is a right or wrong way to shop. This is just how I prefer to do it. There is no right and clear way to be perfect in any aspect of life. But I do like to believe that I try and that to me is crucial to the cycle.

As I said, everything in life is cyclical.

To continue with the cyclical nature of today’s piece, I would like to highlight some Substacks I have been enjoying and I encourage you to do the same. Sharing work that inspires you is a simple and sweet nod to the creator.

Allegra Samsen Allegra Samsen

Paige Handserd Paige Hanserd

Ezgi Eren 11am Saturday

Ochuko Akpovbovbo Ochuko Akpovbovbo

Viv Chen Viv Chen

Arden Yum Arden Yum

Michelle Phan Michelle Phanh

Emily North emily north

Angelina Hazzouri Angelina Hazzouri

Liana Satenstein Liana Satenstein

Obsolete Sony ObsoleteSony

Why is this interesting? Colin Nagy Noah Brier

I also love these pieces about our disconnect due to technology (Catherine Shannon) and the encouragement to talk to strangers more (Angelina Hazzouri).