Junk food, comfort and more for the brain

Been thinking hard about this

When I started writing on Substack, I had some grand ideas. Like…really hugely grand. Maybe outside of my league. Maybe it was something I *could have* done, but can’t now.

The thing is, I’ve been talking to people about it, and all I hear is ‘oh, I know what BURNOUT is’ and then, I hear about stuff that I can relate to, and maybe I’ll find something in there that I try and works, but most of the time, honestly? We’re all commiserating about something we’ve all tried and *does not work*.

And then I started thinking about junk food. How we consume lots of stuff that isn’t good for us. And then, my brain went to how we ‘consume’ in different ways. What we see, hear, experience, eat and drink. And how ‘empty calories’ is something we can all relate to.

What actually got me thinking was I spend a lot of time, when I’m working downstairs, with Masterchef Australia on in the background. We both consciously choose to have the TV on, but running shows that we don’t need to watch, but may catch our attention, just as background noise. Just like we have over 400 audiobooks, collected since we moved in 2006 (ish), that we play overnight, so there’s noise. I’ve found myself waking to a bit of the book, and thinking I’m mid-conversation. So, I’m thinking - hard - about everything I ‘consume’ and what I consider junk - and what is empty calories.

I dashed off an email about it when I woke at 4am Saturday morning to a friend, and she wants me to write about it - maybe a book, maybe something else. So, I have that.

But while thinking about *all of that* at the Games Expo, I realised the reason I feel so alive, so engaged, so… able to reason through what’s bothering me, I guess, is that it’s the opposite of feeding my brain ‘junk’. Which sorta confirmed what I already knew.
Which… was and wasn’t a great thing, I guess. The idea is sound, but equally, that I’ve fed my brain all this stuff that’s made it ‘unfit’ and ‘out of shape’ kis kinda unforgivable.

I’ve got a full article minimum on it, coming soon, but yeah, that’s where I am at the start of this week.

I’m also considering rebranding. I know I recently named this publication, but… while I know people know it’s mine, it’s not really so much about the actual newsletter.

So. I might keep it as a category to share pretties, or info, but I am thinking about a name change.

And that’s where everyone that knows me comes in. I am posting this in public - so it’s also going up on my blog next. On that blog, there will be a poll - stay as ‘The society of’, change to yours (adjective), Kai (and the adjective will appear in the sigline every post, KaiLarks, or ‘Yours Truly, Kai’, or, finally The Kaigest.

Or, if you have an idea, chuck it below. The vote will be up until Sunday 15th June, at which point there may be a VS for the best suggestion, and the winner of the poll.

For now,

Yours blisteredly ((up my leg where something chafed) and on the balls of my feet)), Kai