Issue #1

No Mixer, No Excuses

Hi, Reader

I am currently staring out the window of my office.

I call it an office, but let’s be honest: there’s a handstand thing in the corner acting as a coat rack and an acoustic guitar case on the floor I was supposed to move to the closet two weeks ago. It’s a spare bedroom where I go to feel professional.

Outside, the world is disappearing under a layer of white. Usually, this would send me into a minor tailspin. I’m a guy who likes a plan (spontaneity stayed in my 20s).

But today, the snow made a decision for me. It said, “You aren’t going anywhere, Chad.”

So, I did something I don't do enough: I made biscuits.

From scratch.

I’m talking flour on the counter, cold butter, and the kind of patience I usually reserve for waiting for a website to load.

I’m ending the day with a glass of Wild Turkey Rye Whiskey. I have no mixer. No ginger ale, no soda water, nothing to hide the taste (it would not be a problem if I had Woodford Reserve).

Normally, I’d be annoyed that I’m "forced" to drink it neat because I can't drive to the store. But as I take a sip, I realize that "forced" is exactly what I needed.

Tonight, my wife is going to see Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time. I get to watch her face when the boulder rolls.

My Realization

I spent most of my life thinking that "success" meant having everything under control and the perfect drink in my hand. But staring at the snow, I realized I’m actually at my best when the world narrows down to a plate of biscuits, a movie I love, and the realization that I don't need a mixer to enjoy the life I've actually built.

The Takeaway

I think we spend a lot of our time looking for the "mixer"—the extra stuff we think we need to make our lives, our businesses, or our art palatable. We wait for the perfect weather or the perfect office. But sometimes, the snow falls and takes away our options, and we find out that what we already have is actually enough. It’s better than enough.

For me, it's scratch-made biscuits and a movie from 1981.

I’d love to hear from you.

Tell me this: What is one thing in your life that you've been putting off because the "conditions" weren't perfect? Or, more importantly, what is the one movie you can’t believe your spouse/partner hasn't seen yet?

Let's get this thread going over at the Youtube Community!