Issue 9: Don't You (Forget About Me)
Your friendly reminder to carve out moments in the present
Hi there!
If you’re new here, welcome! We’re Week to Weekend – your go-to lifestyle guide for all things Guam (and beyond). If you’ve been following us for a while, we want to say thank you for being here! We appreciate you!
We’re wrapping up this month’s theme of “Creative Love” with a spin on Forget-Me-Nots. The flower is associated with the memory of loved ones, and we wanted this newsletter to be a sweet reminder to let them know that you’re thinking about them today.
All types of relationships take work (including platonic ones) and need constant TLC. Therefore, we took a MasterClass with psychotherapist and NYT best-selling author Esther Perel (this was a good one!).
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you and took some notes 😉. If you missed our past issues, not to worry! We got you. See our oldies but goodies here.
With love,
The WW Team
Where did this phrase come from? It’s the name of a flower that symbolizes the parting of lovers. Although these blue beauties don’t grow on Guam, in Germany, it’s believed that flowers grew from the tears shed by a bride separated from her groom.
When the flowers were seen to have grown from the woman’s tears, it was named ‘forget-me-not’ and promised to be picked and kept as a memory of the lover’s undying love for each other.
The flowers themselves symbolize true love, enduring memory, and faithfulness.
Isn’t that cryptically romantic?
But, when we think of love, we don’t only mean romantic. It’s the love we share with our parents, our kids, our friends, our favorite barista, and even strangers. (This is your cue to watch/rewatch The Breakfast Club).
“Lately, I have been wondering if there is time left for daydreaming in this 21st-century world of constant communication. Or are we held hostage by our fascination and focus on small, lighted screens seemingly glued to the palms of our hands?” - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
🚀 This Week’s Challenge: Challenge yourself to refrain from taking any photos. Instead, capture the moment in your mind by counting to three and capturing that single moment. Observe how the image would look, what you’re smelling, and most importantly, how you’re feeling.
Esther Perel is a world-renowned psychotherapist, NYT best-selling author, and is recognized as one of the most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. In her Master Class, she teaches relational intelligence - the power and the art of connecting with others.
“You learn to love yourself in the context of relationships with others.” - Esther Perel
✏️ Class notes
💭 Quick summary
Relational Intelligence (RI) is the skills we use to navigate relationships and connect with others. Relationships are systems that are interconnected, and understanding how they are connected helps us cultivate RI.
It is the quality of relationships that determines the quality of our lives. If you want to change a person, there is no more effective way than to change yourself.
Start by exploring the meaning of your life, your history, your relationships, and your work life. The key is self-awareness or self-knowledge; you need to understand yourself to understand others.
💭 Ask yourself these questions:
What are some key markers of your family history?
Do you tend to seek more security or connection or do you lean more toward freedom and independence?
Were you raised more for autonomy and self-reliance or more for loyalty and interdependence?
What are some of your expectations in relationships?
What stories are you telling about yourself and what do these stories reveal?
What is the difference between personal relationships and work relationships to you?
However, we must note that too much focus on self can be a distraction from being able to understand the needs of others, which is why we should also remember these key things:
Develop Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand the emotions of others, and it allows us to see ourselves in another’s shoes.
It’s important not to make assumptions as what you might want and appreciate for yourself might not be what the other person wants.
Establish Boundaries
Boundaries delineate what is shared and what is separate, public and private, where we connect and diverge.
Every place, person, and relationship has boundaries, as does every company and culture.
Boundaries allow people to have a sense of a connection as they become closer to one another, and they evolve as the relationship evolves.
Understand Power Dynamics
Power is intrinsic to all relationships, and no relationship does not have a power dimension.
It’s important to be discerning about the power people hold, how they’ve come to have it, how they are supported to keep it, and how it affects others around them.
Identify Roles in Relationships
Every relationship has roles defined as a set of expectations that you enact which include responsibilities, privileges, and interactions that help organize the relationship.
It is more conducive to find equity in a relationship than to look for equality. Equity gives a sense of fairness in that people aren’t abusing the power of their roles in a way that feels unfair to others. Equitable relationships look at roles relative to the decision-making abilities specified in that role.
We can do better and live better by cultivating our relationships with others. Learn more of Esther’s systemic approach to relationships by taking her Master Class and checking out her blog.
Master Class is a platform where you can learn from the masters of various industries, from art and entertainment to business and politics. We love that they have a plethora of classes to choose from, each providing inspirational insight and a peek into the creative processes.
We’ve got two guest passes to give away to our subscribers which will give you free access to Master Class for 14-days. If you’d like to claim them, forward this email to a three friends, copy us at hello.weektoweekend@gmail.com. Deadline to claim these passes is on February 26th. First come first serve 😉
Here are 50 heart-warming ways to tell someone you care about that they are on your mind.
Do you remember 50 First Dates? The iconic movie with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler is about a woman who relives the same day, every day. Well, it’s based on a true story and a reminder to not take our every day for granted. Read about it here.
🇱🇨Inspire with these lunchbox post-its.
The Little Rituals That Keep Us Going by the New York Times shows us the simple ways to remember our loved ones. There’s a sweet story about a man who eats pastries in the morning in honor of his grandfather.
Friday, February 24: 3Rooms 2023 Guam’s Premier Multi-genre Experience
Time: 9 PM - 2 AM
18+ to enter, 21 to drink
Tickets are sold here
Friday & Saturday, February 24 & 25: CHamoru Play Festival
Time: 7 PM
CASH Only Admission: $10 (general), $20 (families, limit 2 adults), and free for UOG Students
Saturday, February 25: Guam Olympics Weightlifting Championship
Time: 8 AM - 5 PM
Admission: $10 (adults), $5 (children 6 and older), and free for 5 and under.
Saturday, February 25: Guam/Micronesia Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program presents “Sharing Caregiver Stories and Finding Support”
Location: Online via Zoom
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
More information here
March 2-11, 2023: Tumon Bay Music Festival 2023
Various locations, including Guam Plaza Hotel, Micronesia Mall, and Ypao Beach Amphitheater
See full schedule here
This newsletter is made with lots of love and a ridiculous amount of coffee. You can support us by sharing our newsletter with your homies and/or by showing some love on Buy Me a Coffee ☕️