How’d we get here?

One freezing December night, Meg and I went to see Beyonce’s Renaissance tour at the movies. We had recently discovered we were each other’s only friend who had this kind of love for Beyonce, which baffled us both but we’ll get to that.

“So what are you dreaming about writing but not?” Meg asked me at dinner beforehand. The question did not surprise me, and it won’t surprise you if you’re a writer with writer friends.

I sighed the sigh only a working mom who wants to Follow Her Dreams can. “I’ve been thinking a lot about stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah I don’t know. Just how much the stuff I have says about me but also how guilty I feel buying it.”

“Hmm,” she said.

“I keep dreaming of a world where working in advertising means I could write essays about stuff I genuinely love and how it changes my life. Lol like that’ll ever happen. What about you?”

Meg took a swig of her diet coke before answering.

“Have you seen how I’ve been posting links on Instagram? I’m basically Christmas shopping for my friends and it’s so fun but I’m worried it’s bugging people.”

“Why would it bug people? You have the best taste.”

“But it’s not like I’m an influencer so maybe it’s weird I’m posting recs? It feels like my calling though. Can shopping be your calling?”

“Hmmm” we both said.

“Hmmm,” we both thought during the 2 hrs and 49 minutes where Beyonce showed us what a mom who Follows Her Dreams looks like.

At one point during the film Meg leaned over and loud whispered, “sometimes people ask me why I like her so much.” She gestured at the massive screen, “what is there to explain?”

She could not have known it, but I’d said those exact words to my husband before leaving the house.

A year passed. Life happened. We texted often about our pipe dream. We dreamed up a name, then a better one. We downloaded the free version of Canva and made a ‘let’s just see’ intro post on Substack, and then I accidentally hit publish. Whoops!

And now here we are trying to see if we can make something of our dream.

A dream where I can sort out my weird relationship with consumerism and write passionately about products and branding.

A dream where Meg can fulfill her life calling as your girl-next-door personal shopper and figure out how to be more intentional with retail therapy.

A newsletter where together we can grapple with the fact: we are what we buy.

So, should we buy this?

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However you ended up here, we’re so glad to have you.