A Life-Changing Phone Call

Not to brag but I learned how to manifest on TikTok.

This story begins, as all great stories do, on TikTok.

You see, try as I may, I can no longer deny that TikTok is good. Less stressful than Twitter, less polished than Instagram, its algorithm confuses me so much I don’t even try to get views on my videos and thus am free to be mostly a mere consumer. And it already (creepily) knows me, my feed flush with video tours of specialty grocery stores (Including Titan Foods in Astoria which my mom and I went to this week and is A-MA-ZING), women trying on various pairs of jeans I want to buy and manifestation how-tos.

I’ve heard enough good things about manifestation from friends and family to pique my interest but have never quite been able to buy into the practice. It’s not for lack of belief, I believe a bunch of other crazier shit than the concept of gently nudging along things I want to come to fruition. But for whatever reason, I’d never gotten around to trying it in a meaningful way. 

So I can’t really explain what prompted me to do it on a Saturday evening in January. My mom turned 60 during this cursed COVID year and we’d hired a private chef to cook a meal for her and her friends as a mini celebration -- dreams of a larger, unmasked gathering put on temporary hold. Though I was technically not invited to this fête (it was friends only and I have no choice but to respect that) I was on hand to supervise -- er -- provide cake (this specific cake from Veneiro’s in the East Village to be exact. It’s the best. Trust.)