I did something bad

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Part of being human is messing up sometimes. Or just indulging a little bit in the things that are “bad” (but not really harmful to others.)

And before we get to the ~fun~ of this week’s Foolproof, I’ll say this: let he or she who has never had a human thought in their life throw the first stone.

Alright now we can begin. I recently posted on Threads (have we come up with a term for this yet? “Threaded?”) about an observation I had at an O’Hare Airport Starbucks: “I dare you to find a Starbucks that works with less urgency than any Starbucks in an airport.”

I can see how this could have been controversial. Because was I leading with kindness? Maybe not. But was I being malicious? No, I wasn’t. It was an observation, and I truthfully think it was harmless. And most of the people who responded agreed and said they related, which was the point. But a couple of the comments from the more, erm, sanctimonious among us, would beg to differ. (“Do they know who you are?! Isn’t there an express line for people ‘like’ you?” a user who goes by @otown_pete so delicately wrote.)

And here’s my issue. No one is without fault. That wasn’t a very nice comment from @otown_pete, and it was a bit, dare I say, judgmental? Because sometimes it’s ok to not be perfect. Or at our best. That’s exhausting, and it’s inauthentic. I can’t write a newsletter about being human without occasionally exhibiting my own humanness. (Make sense, Pete? ❤️)

And while we should of course strive to be our best, I would like to take a moment and celebrate the times we’re just not in the spirit of a great piece I read in the New York Times this week titled, “The Virtues of Being Bad.”

You should def read it if you can (linked below). And I thought it’d be fun if we shared some of our own innocuous “bads” this week. I’ll start with mine. Besides my occasional ~observational~ tweets, I still order food when there’s plenty of food at home. The Uber Eats & Caviar apps are my kryptonite, and I am embarrassed to admit that I spend $18 on a kale caesar wrap from Chop’t too often.

What about you? Send me your indulgences à la the piece below, and I’ll share them anonymously in the next newsletter! For inspo, listen to Taylor Swift so eloquently sing on reputation: “They say I did something bad…so why’s it feel so good?”

You can find me on IG or just reply to this email if you want to respond. If you have any questions or topic suggestions, send those, too. Getting your emails is still my favorite part of the week, so please keep them coming 🙂 

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