Christina Tosi

just bake the cake

When terrible things happen and the bad news just keeps coming, grace isn’t easy to access. It’s hard to wake up and choose to be positive. I think joy is misunderstood as this bright, sunny thing that just happens when the stars magically align, but there’s no magic to it.

My Grandma’s greatest advice whenever I felt angry, lost, scared, lonely, or unsure was “Go sew.” Which is to say: act. When she got mad or upset, she forced herself to do something of use and taught me to do the same. Plug your brain into something else, keep your hands moving, and latch onto something—anything—productive. Act for good.