Are People-Pleasers Allowed to Take Vacation?
Asking for A Friend...
Welcome to DPP, a weekly newsletter about the real life trials and tribulations of pleasing, and how to leverage emotional intelligence for proper recovery. Letters land on Tuesdays, please allow me a first class seat with your inbox?
Happy August dear reader!
I saw a meme last week that said, “August is like the Sunday of Summer” and I felt that. I hope your “Sunday” has been shaping up nicely and you are looking forward to stepping back into that “school-year routine” even if you don’t have kids in school, or are not a student yourself. Routine can be comforting- especially for us pleasers, who walk on stilts across beds of nails each day praying that today will NOT be filled by people intentionally accidentally sticking their Prada clad foot in our path.
So…about my Title today…
I love each any every one of you for being here with me. And I double love those of you who have subscribed with multiple emails *cough, cough, myself*
But, like I said, August is the Sunday of Summer, and by god, I am going to DO SOMETHING about it. I am taking a little, tiny, barely noticeable vacation this week. Ojai, CA- you may, or may not be in my immediate future.
Of course, my favorite people on the planet- I would never leave you hanging with NoThInG…because that would mean I am at risk of not “pleasing” you, and we can’t have that. I am leaning into my emotional intelligence, nodding to my higher-self who screams whispers, “take the break, lady”.
While I vacation, let me refresh your memory of a little jingle my Grandma wrote for us called, A Song for People Pleasers. On that very post- I asked if any of you had words or art to share with the rest of us pleasers…and y’all someone delivered!
So, imagine me- at an outdoor bookstore with a cool cool (the double cool is intentional) drinky in one hand, and all of my saved substack reads in another, with a pile of books TBR next, while you enjoy this work of art from by W. Strawbridge:
Capital Words
Note from the Author: A strange thing that might or might not be a poem. I am still learning how to step from the “line.” A plea against conformity. A rant against the state of most things. It is also directly about misusing art and people.
--Strawbridge
What is this business about the written word?
It’s no where no how, yes quite absurd, and it takes none now,
no tactical know-how, leave old fashions for the fine and fair.
Snapped back with the pretty words, ain’t they liars
stirred from the herds, we have a mission, our decision
to free the birds from their petty songs.
No freedoms no spaces, no empty page, we brook no time for lazy days
spaces for remembering, will betray our steady rendering
back to our plows, with our wounded hearts.
Cries will not reset our gaze, battle lines forgotten, no words, no rage
no nobody never, gentle lights the dying embers
all the pages are blotted, and the entrance shorn.
Line step quickly lest we forget, left right…right left,
halls of secrets, birds of weeping, Misses teaching,
but only fleeting now we pick up the pace.
Nobody, no time, will be falling, for a graceful line that comes calling
no Lords nor Mary, no Words worth to carry
no mission, no state, no mind, at all.
Fatiguing Linemen can be heard, only must be a dying dirge
yet echoes tender uncoil beating splendor
rising from our bodies so tossed and toiled.
Our meager weapons to no avail, if not divine, it’s heaven’s hell
no breaking the vow now, no art, no know-how
repairs our mind that is broken in one.
Our line’s degraded, henceforth persuaded, we anticipate a fall...
Seasons are changing, our souls are bathing
breaking might save us, after all.
Words are alive now, no factory know-how, can cease the mud to thaw
throw down our wages, realign in stages
the Words aren’t selling, now we start the railing
against the tyrants who made us crawl.
Thank you so much
for sharing your non-conformist- radiant-rant-poetry with us!! Thank you for standing in so that I may sit back this week. We appreciate you. ✨ Readers be sure to check this Stack out. ☮️
Happy Sunday. Happy August. Happy Summer. Thanks so much for this intermission. See y’all next week!
From my vacation drinky to yours,
K. Alexandra
P.S. I would love to feature YOU as well!
🐞 If you are a recovering people-pleaser & have something from the heart that you’d like to share via DPP, please submit here: Reader Submissions 🐞
Thank you so much. I don't know what to say, I did not expect this. Sharing my little rant-poem, which I think is an accurate term, is very appreciated. Even more so, I appreciate that you liked it. This is very encouraging and heartwarming to me.
🥰💛🥰💛 enjoy the summer and celebrate what brings you all delight and beautiful rest.