Dear JAMMers,
Not to sound too much like Harriet the Spy, but I know what I like and I know that I like writing (tomato). I never wanted writing to be a career because I wanted to enjoy it. Gain joy from it. Experience catharsis from it. But once your education is over, you really only get to write things like wedding toasts, eulogies and birthday cards. While I have crushed three maid of honor toasts, I’d like to change that fate for myself.
I never found social media to be toxic for me until the COVID lockdown. Prior to that, I primarily used it for its original intentions: to engage with people I know, post photos, learn about cool vacay spots and that was it. During lockdown, I began the habit of scrolling reels, tik toks, etc. UGH! The algorithm is a bit predatory for women over 30 isn’t it? My husband gets all comic book and joke content, while I get videos about aging, Taylor Swift (I like this though), the hardest and darkest parts of motherhood.
Every few months I do a cleanse and log out of everything. I don’t have time to read a whole book; ok, I do - I just don’t want to. So I thought, maybe other people will want to have something entertaining to read while they wait for their doctor to call them in, wait for a train, etc. that does not make them feel bad about themselves? That is the catalyst that led me to launch this today. I do recognize the irony that in order to reach you - new friend - I likely will need to leverage social channels. I hope to be a breath of fresh air in the space.
The real origin of this endeavor stems from around 2010. Picture this - colorful skinny jeans, peplum tops, statement necklaces, ballet flats that were stinky. Are you there? Can you see it?
I was in college in NYC and really toeing the lines of work hard, play hard. As an anxious girlie, I would come home after a night out and be nervous about who spoke to whom, who may have kissed, etc. See, I like to talk - but it gets even more chatty when I have a tequila sunrise in hand (can you believe that was my go-to drink? no wonder I had so many cavities). In order to calm my morning hangxiety, I began writing down all the details of the night on my laptop. In the dark, french fries in hand, on my lofted bed, I would document the night for everyone. My friends dubbed these journal entries my memoir. Reading them the next morning became a hilarious ritual for my roommates and me. So this project is really the perfect marriage of my younger self and my current self.
I wanted to have a greeting and salutation to begin and end my stories. The ending salutation for me will be “no worries” as a nod to the fact that me and many anxious girls like me say this phrase all the time when in fact - we are nearly all worries. I am also your Type A friend who will think and worry for you. I got your back.
No worries,
Jaclyn
Disclaimer: It is important to note that the stories I share are editorialized - at times satirized - versions of my memory. I do not claim that my memory is 100% foolproof. Therefore there may be some gaps between how I remember things and the truth. We’ve all played the game of telephone and know that stories evolve over time. Let’s all assume positive intent.
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