My Darling Angels,

I couldn’t be more excited to be starting this weekly newsletter!! This will be my outlet for sharing everything that is inspiring me from week to week <3. We will cover topics including, but not limited to: brain dumps, songs, pictures, videos, thoughts, feelings, drawings, activities, questions, comments, laughs, cries, experiences, resolutions, advice, plans, reviews, recipes, ideas, kisses, heartbreaks, etc. etc. etc.

I’m sure the formatting and content will evolve over the coming weeks until I get the hang of this - for the most part, this will be very brain dump/spur of the moment type content with little to no revising or editing so prepare accordingly (plz no grammar police). Cross my heart this isn’t a reflection of my writing ability or command of the English language - this is a fucking newsletter not a school essay…

In my head I imagine you guys signing up for this with your work/school emails so when you start your days on Thursday’s I get to be your first order of business! It’ll look like you’re working but really you’re just reading my gorgeous emails :).

OFC please consume this silly newsletter however is best for you :D

If there aren’t any questions - let’s get into the news for this week!!

SONG OF THE WEEK

This stupid fucking newsletter platform will let me direct-link to all sorts of dumb apps but Spotify is not one of them…. So I will just be including the hyperlink here instead and you can navigate to the song how you please. I will be starting a Spotify playlist that will be a compilation of every song of the week :) The song of the week can be listened to in the background while you read the newsletter! ambiance <3

Breezin - originally composed by Bobby Womack and Gábor Szabó in 1970 but later made popular by George Benson - is a masterpiece in my opinion. If there could be a soundtrack to my life, this would be it. There are a plethora of versions recorded by just about every artist under the sun. This version is typically my go to. I hope it reminds you of slow summer days.

AFFIRMATION OF THE WEEK

Please read this aloud no matter your location or surroundings:

I KNOW THAT COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY

I AM WHO I AM AND I HAVE THE POWER TO BECOME WHO I WANT

I recently received a very sweet DM from a follower who noted that she feels i’m living her dream life. A life she feels is out of her reach. Reading this left me feeling mixed emotions.

No one had ever expressed such a thing to me before. It made me want to cry! She’s right - I live such a good life - how lucky am I! But for the first time since I began content creating I felt almost ashamed? I would never want to make someone feel that I have a life that is any better than the one they are living.

It did also give me immediate pause. I was racking my brain with how to respond to this very sweet message of admiration. It’s all too common for our generation to constantly be focused on what others have and what others are doing - the age old “social media generation” conversation. While I do think it is necessary to admire others and use them as reference in creating goals for ourselves - too often do I see people halt progress in their own lives because they feel the goals they have created based on another’s trajectory are out of reach for themselves.

All this to say - comparison is the thief of joy. we are all who we are and we all have the power to become who we want.

I still haven’t responded - I’ll get to it.

ROSE, THORN, BUD

Rose: This week I got contacts for the first time in my life - an under celebrated scientific achievement in my opinion. Shit is mind blowing?? put a floppy little guy on my eye and I can just see everything… I’ll still wear my glasses ofc (a defining part of my identity).

Thorn: I have recurring anxiety in my life that things aren’t coming to me fast enough and I need to be doing everything always all at once to make them happen sooner (summarized as impatience?) - this was one of those weeks. That being said, I have a lot of exciting projects I’m cooking up for y’all!

Bud - Next week I’m just excited for another week of the new year and sticking to my resolutions!

YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE WEEK

If someone can figure out how I can rent this house and throw a cocktail party in it with all y’all please let me know. I felt compelled to share because usually the people narrating these types of videos are the worst. This gentleman is so well spoken and interesting and sweet to listen <3. His passion for architecture is admirable and I applaud anyone who has dedicated themselves to their niche interests. Palm Springs mid-century modern homes will always have my heart. Some of you may be familiar via Olive W**de’s Don’t Worry Darling.

OUTFIT OF THE WEEK

As much as it pains me to say - I’ve only just recently discovered the joys of jeans. As a boy born into a San Diego life style - Shorts of all varieties are typically what you will find on my body.

These jeans from Still Here New York have revolutionized my understanding of what jeans can be. Sending me into what could be considered a jeans renaissance.

What you’ll see below is what I stepped out in for my Tuesday afternoon optometrist appointment. (getting the aforementioned contacts)

If I hear one mean comment about the dirty nature of my room I’ll cry and never send a newsletter out again.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

My angel of an older sister, Bea, made this for me and my family a couple of weeks back. It rules. I couldn’t recommend enough and it’s really pretty easy to make! A fun dish to make for your friends - but maybe don’t make plans for after consuming… it’s pretty heavy. I’ll insert a picture in future weeks maybe.

HENRY’S ADVICE COLUMN <3

email me with what you need advice on and i’ll provide my thoughts here in future weeks ❤️ I think you can also comment or reply to this email or something? idk you can do that too if you can figure out how it works.

[email protected]

My advice for this week is to prioritize getting some fresh air everyday!

Well, I’ll let you guys get back to your lives - I love you all so much! I can’t wait to keep working on this project and iterating and refining and making them better and better for you guys! If you have any suggestions, thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. about this newsletter PLEASE please do let me know (dm me or something idk).

I’ll see you guys next week <3

Yours always,

Henry