10 things to know (and shop!) about my friend Liz

Guest post via Hey Mrs Solomon

[Friends, while Liz is out caring for her family - her post on that here - I’m stepping to keep things moving along on the Substack front. Any links go to Liz, so yay! And, onward!]

One of the things I’ve loved about joining Substack is getting to know new people, often people I would never meet otherwise. How else would a 54-year-old empty nester businesswoman in Miami meet a busy young businesswoman-slash-toddler mom in LA? But we liked each other‘s posts, and then we had an IRL date. And went secondhand shopping. Instant bonding moment! Cemented by coast to coast texts and a surprising number of shared values. And vices. 

I’ve picked up a few things about Bad Influence – a good influence in the best, baddest way. So let’s discuss, and obviously, do a little shopping. (p.s. Be gentle; it’s my first mood board.)

1. Her husband and daughter are the loves of her life. 

2. She’s a fierce business badass with high standards for herself.  

3. With all she juggles, hands-free is a good idea. Maybe why she loves a belt bag.

4. She believes in showing up for people. (Note to self: Write everything down. This should help.)

5. She’s a gate opener, not a gatekeeper. 

6. She recs blue or black nails right now. When I last checked in, hers were black! (Do we dare? Yes, we do!)

7. She will drop everything (except no. 1, above) for an iconic Prada print. (Found you more. And more.)

8. And yes, she will shop the men’s department.  

9. She’s made “stadium dressing” an art form. Wondering what to wear to football games this season? She’s our girl. (Hint: tiny bag or clear PVC tote and Liz-approved baseball cap.)

10. She’s influenced me to show (a little!) skin (ps, remember this movie moment?). And be open to new friends, at any age. As long as they’re real.

Oh and, since Liz always includes relevant, helpful information and links to other resources, here are some things to think about when you care about someone and they go through something challenging:

• Don’t say “I can’t imagine.” TRY to imagine. That’s where the empathy is. I got this from the writer Jessie Fein. I ate up her moving memoir in a weekend. 

• Simply remember and acknowledge the caretaker! My husband has been through multiple spinal surgeries and rehab, and it meant so much when my friend Susanne sent me notes acknowledging that it’s hard for me, too, not just a get well soon for Jim. (I actually burst into tears of relief.) Ask “how are you holding up?” And resist the urge to summarize with a “glass half full” response. This story from the heart of the (first) pandemic is very helpful to me.

• Send food through Goldbelly or even just Uber Eats. Choose something they can refrigerate or reheat. Sometimes you just can’t handle making food on top of everything else. (This is from Susanne, too. She sent soup! A meal for both of us that I only had to microwave.)

And since it’s fall, make sure they know/remember they can vote with an absentee ballot. It may be too challenging to even think about going to a polling place, but they won’t want to miss out on participating.

XO, Rachel (read more from me here)