Self-care has become a hot topic as of late, and I think that’s great, especially considering the last couple of years that we have all endured. But I don’t think it needs to consist of pricey spa visits or other extravagant purchases.
Sometimes, all you need is a few minutes and the right video.
Every now and then, I will scroll through TikTok, and that led me to discover that there are entire genres of short videos that I love but would never actively seek out. I have realized that any of the following will bring my scroll to a dead stop:
Horses getting their hooves…cleaned? Scraped? Debrided? Whatever it is that they do to make the hoof all nice and trimmed before putting a new horseshoe on. Strangely fascinating to watch.
Big animals eating stuff. I’m not talking National Geographic, hunter-vs.-prey videos, but those are another type of interesting. Give me pandas chowing down on bamboo shoots. Hippos just crushing watermelons and pumpkins. Bears eating…pretty much anything. I’m in on all of these.
This one is more of an Instagram one, but highly-skilled pastry work of any kind, really. Absurd plated desserts that require ten different steps, especially when it’s finished off with an air brush and then some sort of minuscule edible garnish requiring the smallest tongs (tweezers?) you’ve ever seen. I think it’s because I have done enough of it that it gives me extra appreciation for how easy some people can make it look when I know that it’s not.
Dogs and cats doing anything slightly atypical. I know I’m not alone on this one, but yeah, I’m a total sucker for it. Dogs showing their true intelligence and busting out tools and whatnot to accomplish their goals is always worth a watch for me.
Absurd Star Wars and MCU fan theories. The deeper or more ridiculous the initial premise, the more I tend to get into it when it is explained in a rational way. I love going from “that’s crazy” to “hmm…maybe?” during the course of watching a single, well-articulated video.
But I never sit down with the intent to watch any of those. They just drop into my life like happy, little accidents. In addition to those, I like to keep a solid comfort video queued up and ready to go on my phone or laptop at all times. It has become a surprisingly effective tool for me. I’ll rotate through a few different ones. I only have a couple of criteria. First, it has to be proven to work. I’m all about watching upcoming movie and TV trailers, or discovering cool new music, but that’s not what I need in a comfort video. We are talking about the mac & cheese or mashed potatoes of audio-video content here. Secondly, it has to be the right length. For me, that’s a few minutes long. Ideally, I want something that I can watch when I’ve got a little pocket of downtime, like before I head out the door to start the day.
Here are three of my favorites. I’m not suggesting that these will work for you, because you need to figure that out on your own. But these are Hall of Famers for me:
Less than three minutes. An undeniably joyous tune. Emmy-caliber performances by guest stars Blake Lively and Jessica Alba. And it’s hilarious. It’s got like 334 million views on YouTube, so clearly I’m not alone in loving this one. Note: I have never played this song in the context that the title would suggest it be played.
I don’t want to spoil this one in case you haven’t heard it. But ask yourself…do I like rock music? And if the answer is “yes,” then ponder, “Am I open to an insane mash-up that absolutely should not work, but does?” If the answer is affirmative again, then I implore you to watch this and thank me later. It’s not just a song. It is a sonic unicorn. I don’t just love it; I marvel at its mere existence. When I meet someone with similar musical taste, and they haven’t heard it, I pass along awareness of this with the fervor of a cult leader recruiting new members to the cause. I think it’s that good.
Lastly, we come to the buried treasure of my comfort videos. This one recently disappeared from YouTube, and I had to find it elsewhere. Find it I did. I don’t remember how I first came across this. But I’m a diehard fan of 1980s hard rock and Def Leppard has always been once of my favorite bands. I probably stumbled across this particular performance when Taylor Swift was just beginning her meteoric ascent on the mainstream scene. Anyway…I have always maintained that Photograph is essentially a perfect song. The simple, wildly enjoyable riff. The fantastic melody. Two spectacular Phil Collen guitar solos. It has everything I want in an 80s rock song…and then they added Taylor Swift to it. If you like either or both of these artists, please enjoy this. You’ll end up watching it over and over again, and you’ll discover the joys of Taylor’s multiple, epic hair flips (one horizontal, one vertical), the almost physics-defying manner in which she manages to cross from one part of the stage to another, and the completely superfluous “performance” by Taylor’s band’s drummer. Seriously. Keep an eye out for whatever that dude is doing alongside Rick “The Thunder God” Allen. It’s delightful.
Don’t even get me started on her sustained high note on the “straight to my heeeeeeeeeeaaaaaad” line. Just…yeah. Speechless.
I adore this video. Years after discovering this one, it is still often a part of my morning routine. I’ll finish a cup of coffee while watching this and know that less than four and a half minutes later, my day will be off to a fantastic start.
Edit: I’m hearing that the link above isn’t working for some, which is tragic. I can’t find the video anywhere else. This link works for me:
http://defleppard.snaggledworks.com/archive/video/cmt.php
Loved it. Check out The Pieous and The Piped Peony on Instagram if you like food wizards. The Pieous is an artist with pie dough and the Piped Peony is self taught, not far from me in north Jersey, and turns buttercream into real life looking flowers. And they taste good!!