Remember sex?
Some warm music to get you through the cold dregs of winter.
If you’re still having the urge to make whoopie nearly a year into this pandemonium, I commend you on your fighting spirit. I, for one, currently have the sexual impulses of a pancake. At first, losing my sexuality felt like losing a leg (a third leg, if you will), but now it just feels like . . . where I am.
Music is the one touchpoint that brings me back to the memory of excitement, arousal, and physical intimacy. I started putting these songs in one place on Spotify. This week, I realized I had a playlist of songs that remind me of sex, rather than one to which to actually have sex. Instead of lamenting this decidedly lame creation, I’ve decided to find it amusing and to use it to be open about something I think a lot of folks are struggling with right now.
I’ve been thinking about cycles and the fallacy of linear momentum in the wake of this realization. In a society obsessed with optimization, with fixing ourselves, it can feel defeatist to accept changes that feel like regression. But what if we stop resisting and simply rest for a moment, secure in the knowledge that this, too, shall pass?
Wherever you are in your valid, human, still-lovable cycle, take a moment to remind yourself that this chapter, be it good or bad, will end.
For now, here are some warm, intimate, beautiful songs for a cold, disconnected, exhausted moment in our shared cycle. They’re tracks that’ve made me pause over the past few months, that’ve given me the feeling of slipping into a hot bath or falling in love, all sensation and feeling instead of worry and thought, for a moment.
Do you have a song you think would be a toasty addition to this playlist? Reply to this email and I’ll add it to the list.
Until next time,
Elizabeth
This newsletter is just one facet of Zhuzh, my platform dedicated to conscious consumption and making space for delight. I offer secondhand-and-vintage-based wardrobe and interior styling services, art curation, and super chill life coaching. Keep up with me on Instagram and learn more at www.zhuzhlife.com.