I’ve had a series of posts here for a while under the banner of “Friday Favorites” as well as the similarly generic “favorite things.” These curated lists have featured my favorite of-the-moment foods, clothing, books and movies.
I even tried out an abridged version of this list-style post that homes in on what I’m currently reading, eating and watching.
But lately, I’ve fallen in love with The New York Times’ long-running column, “My Ten,” where they profile celebrities through the lens of the stars’ top ten favorite cultural essentials of the moment.
“Cultural essentials” is such a fun way to sum up one’s current obsessions, and can include anything from restaurants to books, TV shows, music and causes. A quick Google tells us that cultural essentials are “the core elements that make up a society’s shared way of life. They include symbols, language, norms, values and physical artifacts. These components shape how people communicate, behave and understand the world around them.”
Obviously, I’m not a celebrity, but I’m still going to give this a try. Without further ado, here are my top five current cultural essentials, aka things I love.
1. Fancy sweet treats. No list of my favorite things would be complete without something in this category. I love candy, but not all candy. Specifically, I am a fan of obscure international gummies that satisfy a craving that began during childhood trips to England, where my brother and I delighted in visiting “newsagents” (English convenience stores) to spend our pocket money on pick-and-mix gummy candies. Old habits die hard, I guess – it is also fun sharing this flavor of joy with Z. The delightful Maud Borup gummy charcuterie selection pictured above came from Target and nicely scratched this itch.
2. Being in love with love. By far, 2026 has been the most romantic year of my life. I met my sweet Andrew on Hinge in January, and it’s been a mutual swoonfest every weekend ever since. We agreed to be exclusive in February after he gave me the most special Valentine’s weekend imaginable. I’ve always been someone who romanticizes life and this year, I’ve been romancemaxxing x 1000. Watching movies like Wuthering Heights, chasing sunrises and indulging in soft, slow mornings – everything really is romantic right now. I’m loving it, and him, so much! Somebody pinch me; I can’t believe this is really my life.
3. Arts and crafts. This year, I’ve also fallen back in love with the healing, restorative properties of creativity with paints, clay, photography, beads and jewels. Whether with friends, Z, Andrew or on my own, I’ve enjoyed the heck out of bedazzling, making crystal plants, painting masterpieces (ha!) and more. It’s good for our mental health – expressing oneself creatively feels great. I love displaying our work in my home plus it’s all just so fun! My markers, pens, stickers and planner have not been as much of a focus for me recently as in years past, but I still enjoy them, too. For now, bedazzling has more of my heart.
4. Homebody life. I’ve always been the girl fixated on travel, but this new life I’ve created has me feeling content and mostly wanting to stay home. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE to travel and we will do so when possible – but budgets are different this year. Now that I’m on my own, travel will mostly be visiting my folks or taking a yearly cruise with Zoe. They said “build a life you don’t need to escape from” and I did – and now I just want to spend my time off here, in my gorgeous condo with sunrise pond views, a crystalline pool in the summertime and beautiful, plentiful nature all around. Who could ask for more?
5. Lifting weights. One of the fun things that Andrew has brought back into my life is pumping iron at the gym. I had been focusing my workouts pretty exclusively on dance and long walks with the dogs, but he has reminded me of the joys of lifting heavy things. I hadn’t lifted in about ten years and I remember now that I feel so great when I’m lifting weights regularly. I’m happy to say the old bod is really coming back online and feeling strong and healthy! I’m thankful for A’s gentle coaching at the gym and for muscles that remember how to work hard. We’ve been going to the gym this together since May and I’m excited to see how continued lifting will help me grow continually stronger as I age.
I will write another post soon about my other five favorite cultural essentials to round out the ten. Drop me a note to let me know what yours are!
