Thank you for joining The Joy of Gin on Substack - a new kind of high.
In this newsletter, I offer readers my take on mentally rising above the cloudline to explore both the freedom and beauty of Joy and Gin and how to maintain what I call an ‘above the clouds’ mindset.
My typical reader is a unique category of individual.
She’s a female creative and/or entrepreneur who loves gin.
Usually a busy, capable woman, if she has a flaw, (I include myself in this), sometimes she can forget that ‘moderate’ (rhyming with gate) is a verb.
Goldilocks was known for her ability to moderate.
We need to remind ourselves to chill and reset.
Be more Goldilocks.
My typical reader (and podcast listener) says she’s a glass-half-full individual who wants more joy in her life… yet she often inadvertently wears herself out in pursuit of that.
Don’t ever apologise for wanting more joy or gin.
But do look after yourself every sip of the way.
We only get one life, so we shouldn’t waste a second of it.
Yet as a ‘human doing’ who constantly pushes herself to work hard, have you ever, like me, reached a point of burnout after a spell of trying too hard?
Ever drunk ‘one too many’ and regretted it the next day?
It’s neither cool nor pretty, is it?
Trying to always be in a constant, chilled meditative state at the other end of the spectrum can be difficult to sustain.
Funny word isn’t it? Su-stain.
Might you be considering Ab-staining from alcohol when January comes around again? The self-denial of Abstaining for us joy seekers sometimes doesn’t feel good. Yet sometimes it does. It’s about freedom of choice.
It’s like what we Brits call a see-saw. I think Americans call it a teeter-totter which is wonderfully alliterative, but I’ll stick to the word see-saw if that’s ok.
The key to accessing and maintaining joy on the see-saw of life is to keep
B A L A N C E
There’s not one prescribed right way for humans to keep our balance, but I offer the following acronym I came up with in case you find it helpful to find your way back to balance:
Be and do in equal measures. Get things done and embrace being human
Awareness is key - use all five of your senses - and trust your gut
Listen to your body by stilling your mind - unplug from devices and listen
Answer the call to joyful pockets of time as they happen, in the moment
Nice and easy does it - baby steps
Choose freedom and lightness - ‘caged’ and ‘heavily burdened’ is not OK
Experience life’s delicious richness but check yourself for overwhelm
Have you ever flown above the clouds?
Whilst flying in a plane, have you ever looked out the window and mused about all the aspects of human life going on ‘down there’ below the cloudline whilst you’re up above the clouds, gazing down?
It’s surreal, isn’t it? You can feel far removed from the hustle and bustle and at peace.
“Above the clouds time slows down. We taste freedom and peace and forget the sad turmoil of the planet beneath the clouds… it’s like hitting a ‘Chill & Reset’ button.”
“And it is quiet and I am warm...like I've sailed into the eye of the storm...”
“I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down and still somehow… it’s cloud illusions I recall. I really don’t know clouds at all.”
Above The Clouds - Robbie Jerram
Quiet - Tim Minchin, from Matilda the Musical
Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
You’re on the Free List
Welcome to my community of Joy Seekers and Gin Drinkers, where we imagine ourselves above the clouds elevating our thinking & elevating our drinking.
Here’s how it works. For now, you’re on my “free list.” As a free subscriber, you can usually expect to get a couple of weekly posts from me on the themes of JOY and GIN.
Joy any day of the week - embrace the element of surprise
Gin on Friday evenings - UK time
+ a dash of others in between
I see it from your side: You want plenty of free content. So I promise to give free subscribers as much value as possible, but you’d expect me to have limits, wouldn’t you? I hope so.
See it from my side: a woman cannot live on gin and joy alone. She’s also gotta eat and earn money to pay her bills!
Approximately 10% of Substack readers pay for content.
My paid subscribers get more from me than free subscribers; seem fair?
My diamond subscribers get more high-value content than paid subscribers.
Test my free option out for a while, by all means.
I invite you to switch to paid or diamond whenever you feel ready. (psst: Paid is where all the fun happens).
Paid Subscriber - £20 per month, discounted to £15 if you pay for a whole year.
Diamond Inner Circle - “up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky” £695 - you can see what’s included by clicking the button.
Whatever level makes you happy my lovely Goldilocks, makes me happy too.
Not too hot, not too cold, just right. Everyone’s fighting their own battle, so always remember to be kind.
Moderation and appreciation in life and libations can equal liberation.
I’m hibernating this Substack now for the winter. See you back here in the Spring.
I look forward to continuing this journey with you; thanks in advance for leaping into 2023 - the year of the rabbit bringing much love and joy to the world.
Stay safe.
Robbie x
p.s. I’m practising what I preach and now going offline to BALANCE.
