{"id":4622,"date":"2023-10-19T15:12:23","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T19:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/my-30-days-of-culture\/"},"modified":"2023-10-19T15:12:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T19:12:23","slug":"my-30-days-of-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/my-30-days-of-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"My 30 Days of Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One item on my <a href=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/getting-started-23-for-2023-trifecta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201c23 for \u201823\u201d list<\/a>\u00a0was \u201c30 Days of Culture.\u201d Culture binge!<\/p>\n<p>I aimed to attend thirty cultural events, for thirty straight days. It was challenging to figure out exactly when the thirty days should start, but I landed on September 5. (To me, the day after Labor Day always feels like the other January 1.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I created a few rules for myself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discussion with a group counted as culture, so a networking dinner \u201ccounted\u201d; also, a book-club meeting\u2014I\u2019m in three book clubs. (I didn\u2019t count something like a lunch date or dinner with friends.)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engaging with people trumped watching a performance, so when I was invited to a book party that conflicted with a stand-up show for which I\u2019d bought a ticket, I went to the book party.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I traveled, the count paused, and I traveled a lot in September, so my thirty days extended well into October.<\/li>\n<li>I could go alone or with others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spoiler alert: I LOVED IT. For so many reasons.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It nudged to do things that I wouldn\u2019t ordinarily do, exposed me to culture that I would otherwise miss, gave me adventures, helped me draw closer to other people, and took me to places that I love.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, I love a great indie bookstore, and the McNally-Jackson indies are among my very favorites\u2014such great curation of titles, presented in such enticing ways. So for my 30 days, I looked for interesting book events (book-related culture is my favorite culture), and I checked the McNally-Jackson calendar.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My daughter Eliza has many thoughts about the brand Glossier, so I got us tickets to the event for Marisa Meltzer\u2019s new book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3QkctPB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss\u2019s Glossier<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em>I spent an evening with Eliza, I learned something about a new subject, I engaged in book culture, I visited one of my favorite parts of New York City.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5960-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5960.jpg 704w\" src=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5960-225x300.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136049 lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136049\" src=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5960-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5960-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5960.jpg 704w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Here are some things I learned:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>When we look, we find<\/strong>. Because I had to identify thirty cultural events, I had to search for things to do\u2014and it turns out that when I looked, I found many terrific events that I hadn\u2019t heard about. I signed up for some newsletters, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.92ny.org\/\">92NY newsletter<\/a>, to help me hear about great events in the future. In the future, I\u2019m going to pay more attention to listings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Things that can be done at <em>any<\/em> time are often done at <em>no<\/em> time.<\/strong> I\u2019d been very eager to go to the immersive theater experience <em><a href=\"https:\/\/mckittrickhotel.com\/events\/sleep-no-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sleep No More<\/a><\/em>\u00a0since the very day it opened, but somehow, I\u2019d never gone. Eleanor and I went, and we loved it, and we want to go back.<\/li>\n<li><strong>I could use someone else\u2019s expertise.<\/strong> I wanted to go to the ballet\u2014but which performance should I attend? A friend knows a lot about the ballet, so I consulted with her, and then we went together.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Good things happen when we go outside.<\/strong> My apartment is bursting with culture\u2014so many books, movies, TV shows, performances, lectures, discussions, all on my shelves or on my screens. But it\u2019s different when I\u2019m experiencing something in the company of other people.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Living in an <a href=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/getting-started-happiness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">atmosphere of growth<\/a>\u00a0boosts happiness.<\/strong> When I\u2019m learning, pondering, enjoying, or criticizing, culture gives me the feeling of growth that\u2019s a key to a happier life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Of course, I recognize that I\u2019m <em>enormously fortunate<\/em> to have the money and the freedom to attend these events (some were free, some were inexpensive, some were very expensive). I\u2019m thankful for that every time.<\/p>\n<p>Also, I live in New York City, which has so much culture. How I love New York City! But here\u2019s the thing: I don\u2019t take advantage of that culture nearly as much as I want to.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5989-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5989.jpg 704w\" src=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5989-225x300.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136050 lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136050\" src=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5989-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5989-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/IMG_5989.jpg 704w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>One summer during college, when I lived in New York City for a few months, I saw a public-service poster on the #6 subway, and I\u2019ve never forgotten it.<\/p>\n<p>It was a black-and-white photograph of a container of Chinese food sitting on two\u00a0 white opaque cases of movies rented from Blockbuster. (This was back when people rented videotapes.) Underneath, the poster said, <strong>\u201cIf this is how you spend your time, why are you living in New York City?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m <em>haunted<\/em> by this question. It reminds me how much I want to push myself to experience the treasures of my city and the world\u2014not to just sit at home, even though that can also be a great experience.<\/p>\n<p>I am where I am. I want to experience it for myself, in New York City, Kansas City, North Platte, or wherever I might be.<\/p>\n<p>As I write about in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/books\/life-in-five-senses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Life in Five Senses<\/a><\/em>, I had a similar realization about the Metropolitan Museum. It was right there, within walking distance of my apartment (yes, I realize how fortunate I am)\u2014but I almost never went. Now I go every day to the Met, and that habit is one of the great joys of my life.<\/p>\n<p>When I told a friend about \u201c30 Days of Culture,\u201d she laughed. \u201cYou and your projects,\u201d she said. Very true! If something\u2019s important to me, I do much better when I make it a habit or a specific project, with a structure, an expectation, and often, even a name. (<a href=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/four-tendencies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Upholders<\/a>, right?)<\/p>\n<p>A person might ask, \u201cIn a world full of suffering and injustice, is it morally appropriate to spend time, energy, and money on culture?\u201d\u2014Meaning the kind of cultural experiences I sought for my thirty days.<\/p>\n<p>But culture isn\u2019t some bonus feature of human life. It\u2019s an essential part of our existence.<\/p>\n<p>Culture gives us our sense of identity and belonging; it helps us understand the past, present, and future; it helps us grasp different ways of acting, believing, and deciding; it gives us ways to make sense of our lives; it puts us in touch with transcendent ideals; it gives us the exquisite pleasures of ideas, beauty, story, music; it awakens us to our responsibilities as citizens of the world; it educates us\u2026I could go on and on.<\/p>\n<p>Next up for \u201c24 for 24\u201d: 30 Days of Policy. I want to attend lectures and panel discussions, watch documentaries, see exhibits that are related to policy. Send in your suggestions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One item on my \u201c23 for \u201823\u201d list\u00a0was \u201c30 Days of Culture.\u201d Culture binge! I aimed to attend thirty cultural events, for thirty straight days. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-habits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}