Personal Practice

Silvia

 Do you guys start your day with a routine or something like that? Like a walk or whatever? I don't, but I'm curious. 

Tania

I wish I could get up just a slightly more early, like slightly earlier. 'cause I feel like I have to give myself some time in the morning. I can't just jump into work. I need to lik stare out the window for a bit and stretch for sure. 'cause my body's stiff in the morning and in my office sometimes I'll just make tea and just sit down. I've tried to journal a bit before work, but I don't always get the time. But I feel like I like having that time in the morning just to myself before jumping into work.

So I'd say I have a bit of a routine. What about everyone else?

[Silence]

It is too quiet. Yeah.

Silvia

Fighting my child to put on clothes. 

Nina

I feel like that is your routine. I was gonna say, don't you have to take Luna to school most days? 

Silvia

Yeah. I take her every day on the street car. Yeah. So that is nice. That's a routine I'll say having going on a streetcar and being around other people is really nice.

And like just like now I've been just like, instead of being on my phone, I've been reading while I take her and come back. So I think that's helped a lot.

Tania

Do you read on your phone or do you have a Kindle or something? 

Silvia

No, I read a book, like a book. Okay. Physical book. I can't read digital things. I try to read a Kindle and those things, but I like physical books. Yeah. And it's also less draining. I feel like. I find it less draining, like for my eyes and stuff. Yeah, for sure. But I have tried, 'cause I was like, oh, it's so heavy. Rachel

Rachel

I saw a video about, I don't remember the reason, but I was saying that it's very important for you to get sunlight in the morning.

I don't remember why, but yeah. Anyway, but my, I started exercising in the morning, since February. Just surprising 'cause I never had a routine and never had a sleeping schedule. So that was what I wanted to work on this year. So it's been going all in, but I think one thing that surprised me is like, before exercising, I always thought that I don't have the time for it.

But now that I actually force myself to go, realize I have. the time for it. And also that it actually makes me more productive afterwards. So I, but also work. I think exercising in the morning works for me the best because after work, I don't have any energy to do anything.

So yeah, I think that's a routine that kind of works with me.

Tania

Sarah, I'm curious about your routine because I, Sarah wake up.

Silvia

Sarah goes on like a hike and a like marathon run.

Tania

Because you wake up really early too.

Sarah

Yeah. I don't. I've been trying to get into a routine if the first thing I'll do when I wake up is try to go downstairs.

And then I recently have been having what I call a drink trifecta. So I'll prepare a tea, a matcha, and fill up my water bottle. And then I'll just sit with those three drinks at my desk. So it's like something yummy, something for caffeine, and then water just to keep hydrated. And that kind of keeps me entertained for a bit.

Yeah, that's like my routine. I try to incorporate other stuff, but sometimes,I was including morning pages, like journaling, I quit doing that. So right now it's just my drink trifecta.

Silvia

I love that.

Rachel

I feel like Sarah's life is interesting enough to document it in. Videos like those, like people that host like a day of their, a day in the life.

Silvia

Those, yeah, totally. 

Tania

No, Sarah, weren't you as far as Sarah was doing something like that already recording, weren't you at some point? 

Sarah

Oh yeah. I was doing blogmas for a bit. Which I was filming every day in December, like what I did every day in December until Christmas.

But that was actually hell. Like being forced to vlog is so brutal. So there were a couple days where I was like, I'm about doing this. But it was fun to look back at and see what I did every day. Especially during that time I was on my Asia trip. So it was like, it was nice to watch.

Silvia

Did you do it 'cause you were going to Vietnam and stuff? 

Sarah

No. I think like every Christmas my friends and I will do vlog miss just like for fun. And they're usually just like short videos that we said. 

Nina

Okay. I was like, oh my God. That would terrify me also. Yeah. Never do. Very brave.

Silvia

I don't even show my face on social media at all. 

Sarah

Yeah. These aren't public. They were just like for my friends to watch.

Silvia

Oh, okay. That's cute.

Sarah

Yeah, no. It was fun to vlog. Do you guys know what blogging is, right? 

[Laughter]

Nina

Yeah. Yeah. I know what it is.

Silvia

Not that old.

Nina

I was gonna say we're 95 years old. 

Rachel

They're not that old. 

Nina

It's a valid question though, Sarah. I would like you to keep asking those questions because the answer is soon gonna be yes. I don't know what that is, so you should.

Silvia

I know what blogging is, but I didn't know what, I don't what Whatever you said it was. Blog miss, or blogmas or whatever. Yeah I dunno what that is.

Sarah

Yeah,It's like a vlog. Vlogging plus Christmas. Yeah. A lot of YouTubers do that. 





Rachel

A lot of youtubers do that in December.

Silvia

Do you do that Tanya, Rachel, blogmas?

Tania

Oh, I do not.

Collective Care

Sarah

 I think it's not really work related, but my dad has five sisters back in Vietnam and recently we got to go back to see them. And I think. Like being back in Vietnam, it just reminds me how, I guess like more collectivist they are over, or not as individualistic as in America.

So over there kind of everyone lives, or all my dad's sisters live in the same, complex. And it's really nice to see how the whole community just relies on each other. If somebody is sick, it's yeah, kinda how Nina mentioned her community thing.

But it was just so nice to see when my dad's sister got sick, like everyone took turns, making sure she was okay, going on walks every evening and. It really reminds me, or just reminds me of the importance of collective care. And I think especially me now , we're so scared of inconveniencing our neighbors and stuff like that. Instead of asking people for a favor, I'd rather go on Amazon and buy it for myself. But recently, instead of doing that, I've been like, try to ask neighbors or people or in my community to have flour, do you have stuff like that. So like instead of doing. Instead of buying out my own, I'll go and ask people. But yeah, that was something that I think I recently got reminded of from my trip in Vietnam and I'm trying to practice it in my life today.

Silvia

Oh, cool. Yeah I think culturally or like for me, like in Columbia, we usually have our fans like our extended family, and we rely on each other for collective care, like you said.

And then coming here it's very, Canada's a very individualistic society where everyone doesn't wanna bother each other. Like culturally, I think. And so I've been feeling that I. Join community groups and things like that locally, and I feel like it's nice to connect with folks outside of your immediate friend's family circle, just like an extended group of collective care.

It's hard. I find it very difficult to ask for help. I feel very challenged by that. Even with things like my own family or people that I know I can rely on. Like I still Yeah. And feel like I have to do everything myself. And so it's, yeah, I've been trying, and Luna is going to be going to like a new school and this like focus of the school is like community building and . Creating a community, and so it's a big step outside of my comfort zone. I'm like, if all these people are like, but I'm, yeah, I'm trying to like, yeah, create that kind of structure outside of my more immediate circle. But yeah, it's, yeah, I feel that.

Sarah

Yeah, I saw a post. Recently about how it was just the cost of community is like annoyance and like obviously when you open yourself up to so many people, there are definitely gonna be people who are like, or it's, I don't know, I dunno how to word it like properly, but. I thought it was interesting, yeah, you're inconvenienced when you're like, when people are asking you to pick them up from the airport or like whatever, ask for a favor, but at the end of the day it's worth it. 'Cause you have other people to bounce off of, but I thought it was interesting.

Silvia

I know it pushes back against capitalism, which wants us to be very individualistic. It wants us to just think of ourselves. Then we can outsource needs, like the highest bidder or whatever, versus like collectively coming together, I think.

What about you Rachel?

Oh, I like your emphatic yes. This is Nina.

Nina

I'm just here for all of the emotions.

Rachel

For the clothing slot? 

Nina

No. About capitalism wanting us all to be independent. Just oh. 'cause then you're reliant on private organizations to fill all your needs. Instead of being like, oh, yeah. And I, I think the flip side of it too is as I watch my parents get older, they just have so much stuff that they only used once or only needed once.

And if they had been able to borrow something or ask someone, like maybe they wouldn't be in that position. My family likes it. I would say we, we actually do rely on a lot of other people, but I see how it ends up also being inconvenient as well in the end. 

 The other day, my sister and I were talking about, anyway, there's lots of conversations going on around how men are lacking community and whatever, and I was like, cool.

You know what? When everyone says that to me, I'm like, okay, what have you tried? And so many men I know are like, what do you mean? I'm like, okay, so you're feeling lonely. I get that. Totally hear you. That sucks. What have you tried? And they're like..., I'm like, okay, why don't we try something? And then it helps.

Silvia

So just come to me. Come to me. 

Nina

But I'm like, I wanna empower you to do this for yourself. Like you can find ... I will support you and I'll help you. But it's like you have to own it if you wanna build your own community, that's all.

Silvia

Yeah. 100. 

Nina

So I like that you're owning this Sil and building a community for us. I appreciate it.

Silvia

Yeah, no problem. Cool. Thanks for the idea, Sarah. 

Sarah

Yeah, I just, I noticed like when we would talk, just like in our, even in the chat, it was just like more I don't know why it's just like different.

Silvia

Yeah, totally. 

Sarah

But yeah, I’m just reminded that I feel like it's just like a safe space. Not that it's not a safe space with everyone else, but seems different. Sure.

Silvia

Awesome. Thanks everyone.

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This article concludes the With Women multi-part series. Subscribe to get notified about future journal articles.