Inspiration from my sweatpants.
If you asked Thomas to name his least favorite things about me, one of them would definitely be the frequency with which I wear sweatpants. Two of his least favorite pairs are, unbeknownst to him, both from Target. But I’m here to write in defense of my Target sweatpants because 1) they are comfy and 2) they are, apparently, very creatively inspiring.
My favorite pair of Target sweatpants is one that I purchased exclusively because they were mint-ice-cream-colored.
<– Here are two images of me in my happy place – hiking in the Headlands in my mint-ice-cream sweatpants – as captured by Liesel during her recent visit. To be fair to Thomas, when I look at the image on the left, I am struck by how unflattering they are, and also how dirty (zoom in if you dare).
A few weeks ago I wore these sweats out on a bike ride through Golden Gate Park. It had just rained and the streets and trails were riddled with puddles. As I biked through the mud, flecks of dirt flew up onto my pants. When I paused at a stop sign as I was heading home a realization dawned on me: they had fully transformed into mint chocolate chip.
However – believe it or not – I came here to write about my other pair of Target sweatpants.
This morning, as I sat on the toilet in a groggy haze with the sweats I’d worn to bed pulled down to my ankles (a striking image, I know), I found myself staring at the tag on the inside of them. Written on the tag in large block print was the brand name “Joy Lab.”
So there I was, sitting on the toilet, staring at the “Joy Lab” tag, letting my mind wander, and was inspired to draw this little cartoon about what I envision happening at my own little Joy Lab. (Yes, I know, I’m not a good cartoonist, but this is about effort and saying “no” to the voices in my head that tell me not to do something because I’m bad at it.)
I’m always noticing and documenting the little things that bring me joy, from my morning coffee to wildflowers to bikes to music. It made me smile to picture a physical lab with all of the “elements” that bring me joy, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice when the going gets rough. (I don’t think the words on my beakers are legible; the labels are “poppies,” “redwoods,” “Springsteen,” “book store,” “iced coffee.”)
I hope you are inspired to dream about what exists in your own Joy Lab 🙂
