Soft White Underbelly, a casual Tuesday.
I don't watch YouTube often, but when I do...
If I'm going solo, I try not to do anything while I eat for two reasons: 1. to experience my food to the fullest (I didn't pay $20 for sushi just to barely notice it go down the gobbler) and 2. to better recognize when I'm full.
Mindful eating is where it's at! We all need a moment of silence from time to time. A moment dedicated to forceless thinking.
But, every now and then, the computer magically opens itself, and boom, YouTube is typed into my browser?! Who did that, I wonder…
I know myself well enough that if I were to start a show, I would never stop. I'm a binge-watcher. There is no taking me away from that screen. Plans? Cancelled. Willpower? Gone. So, YouTube it is.
Soft White Underbelly is my favorite YouTube channel. If you've never heard of SWU, it's a channel created by Mark Laita, a photographer who interviews and captures portraits of the human condition.
Soft White Underbelly isn't an easy watch. Mark typically interviews people who have been through the world's worst. Some are the daughters and sons of mafia bosses. Many are drug addicts who hope to get off the street but never do. Even more have experienced rape/molestation countless times since they were kids. One thing every story has in common? Each story is incredibly unique. No one is like the other. While themes are present throughout, no one tells the same tale.
You might wonder why, of all things, this is my favorite.
I live a very privileged life. I have two parents who play an active role in my life. I have shelter, not just a roof over my head, but a place I have been given the means to decorate again and again as my taste changes. I've made it to college with just a year left to go. I am fortunate enough to be able to graduate with no debt. I have access to healthcare and whatever food I want, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I don't want to live in a bubble. I want to understand life and how it is experienced in vast ways. How people find joy through the thick and thin. I want to know how things feel to others and get their perspective. I want to hear of opinions different from mine. I want to be exposed to it all.
Soft White Underbelly has instilled a pool of empathy within me. And for that, I am forever grateful.
Some of my favorite stories on SWU are:
Mark's videos can be hard to watch, but they're real, and reality is hard. Have an open mind and take a peek at Mark's channel here.
If you're familiar with Soft White Underbelly, tell me the story you gravitated to the most! I'm always ready to watch the next.
I am so going to check SWU out!!
Love it Juliette!