Episode 84 - Nothing but Zooming Out

Mike runs his mouth about a weekend reset in Rhode Island, sticky dive bars, Newport mansions, and why perspective can change everything.

From wondering how rich people actually live… to realizing not everything is as “bad” as it feels… to hearing about a friend losing everything in a house fire—this episode shifts from funny observations to a reminder that sometimes you just need to zoom out.

If you would like to share your opinion, send an email to lnbemedia@gmail.com and don't forget to follow me on Instagram and TikTok @thelnbepodcast.

Transcript

Rhode Island Reset By The Ocean

Mike 0:09

Alright, so last week I mentioned that I was gonna go on a little trip to Rhode Island. So, Mike, how was the trip? Honestly, it was good. It was one of those trips where you don't even realize how much you needed it until you're there. Like I didn't even do anything crazy. I just got out of my normal routine for a couple days and it kind of reset my brain. Liv and I went to the cliffwalk in Newport, and just being near the ocean again, like the actual ocean, not the Long Island Sound sludge that we pretend is water, that alone just resets something in your brain. And plus, I get to see some friends that I haven't seen since August. That part matters more than you realize because nothing in your life actually changes, but mentally you feel like you hit pause for a second. And we actually did some stuff too. I don't understand people who get away and then just want to hang out at the hotel the whole time. Like you get away for a reason. Go do shit. And um, so we went to a couple of the mansions in Newport. We went to the Rosecliffe in another one. I can't remember the name of it. I think the person was related to Vanderbilt or someone like that. And the friend who brought us, if you're listening, I'm sorry, I just don't remember what the name of the place was. But we didn't do the breakers. I know that's the big one, but even just walking around those places is wild. Like you're just in there thinking, yeah, this is not a normal way to live. And it's funny too, because the outside of the Rose Cliff is so grand, like you pull up and you're like, Alright, this is insane, but then you go inside, and I was just like, that's it. Like, don't get me wrong, it's nice, but I was expecting this massive maze of rooms, and it's like five main rooms, and then the ballroom took up 75% of the downstairs, and it's kind of like we built all of this just for that. Like, granted, they also had some stuff locked off, but still, I felt like I was missing the VIP section of the house. And my friend told me this story about the woman who owned the Rosecliffe. Apparently, she wanted to throw this big white party and ask the Navy if she could use their boats, and of course they said no. Like, I know you're rich, but it's the fucking Navy. They're not just gonna ship out their ships just for the hell of it. So she made cutouts of the boats, like fake ones, and tried to pass it off as if they were real and got caught. And I'm just sitting there like, what are you doing? Like, you have this insane mansion, and you're still trying to fake having Navy ships. She thought that they would be so far enough away that nobody would notice, but it's a cutout on water, and that's when you realize, yeah, she inherited the money. Because let's be real, if she thought that would work, I doubt she was running the conglomerate. But from what I know, these were just their summer homes. Like they'd only be there three, four months out of the year. So it kind of makes you wonder what were their main houses like? Because I doubt they were coming back to anything modest. Like imagine this being your vacation house. What are you coming back from? And then on the complete opposite end, we got these viral cinnamon rolls at this place called Kodo, and I'm not gonna lie, those lived up to the hype. If you ever find yourself in Newport, check that place out. Normally, if something's that good, you want to keep it to yourself, but this place is viral, so have at it. Just be prepared for a long ass line. Although maybe an underrated take, I think their donuts were better than the cinnamon rolls. I don't know. If you guys end up going and you try both, leave a comment somewhere and let me know what you guys think. But I gotta say, my trip wasn't all peaceful. We went out to the Newport Blues Cafe, and when I used to live in that area, I remember it being nice. And we walk in, and it's like we got caught in quicksand. The floor was so sticky, I thought I was gonna lose a shoe. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where they got the sound effects for SpongeBob's shoes. Just que the floor was so bad. I'm like, how is this worse than a dive bar? And the smell, bruh, just straight up cat piss. And I would know. So now I'm already uncomfortable. I go into the bathroom, and it's funny because a guy walks in right behind me, and at that point, I'm the only one in the bathroom. I mean, a place that disgusting, huh? I wonder why it's not so busy. But this guy walks in, stops, and goes, damn, that is rank. So now I'm just standing there like the Kevin James meme, just being like, I swear it was like that when I got here. But that actually made me think about something. Because I know for a fact that place used to be nice. Like I've been there with my parents before, I've had plenty of good times there. So it's not even like I changed, the place just fell off, and I wasn't there to see it happen. But like at some point it was still good, then it slipped a little, then probably a little more, and now you walk in and it's like, what is this? And you don't even know when it changed, you just see how it is now, and I feel like that happens with a lot of things, not just places, like situations, jobs, how you feel day to day. It doesn't flip overnight, it slowly shifts, and you don't notice it while it's happening. But the trip itself, it just gave me a second to zoom out because before I left, everything felt like it was stacking again. Not one big problem, just 10 small things that somehow feel like one big problem. And for me right now, that's mainly just work stuff, it's nothing catastrophic, but where you're constantly thinking, did I miss something? Is this gonna come back with edits? Am I about to get called out for something? Even when things are fine, you're still waiting for them not to be. And that's where the zoom out matters. Because when you're in it, you're not really seeing anything outside of it. Kind of like when I went to date in Ohio. I kind of talked about this on the pod when I went, so I'm not gonna get totally into it. But that was one of those moments where you actually see things differently. You know that not every place is the same, but seeing it firsthand is uncomfortable. But what stuck with me was people there were saying that it used to be worse, and they're actively trying to make it better, it's just not a hundred percent yet. And I think part of that hit me more because of how I grew up too. Like I've always been in pretty safe, affluent areas, so your awareness of what's actually out there is just different. You hear about it, but seeing it in person is a whole different thing, and it kind of messes with your perspective of what quote unquote nice even is. Like what I think is normal or not great might actually be really good compared to somewhere else. And I just watched the movie Wild Hogs for the umpteenth time. I fucking love that movie. One of my favorite lines is when Martin Lawrence's character goes, Woody, not only are you an asshole, but you're a lion asshole. So that means you're like an asshole's asshole. It's just so good. But at one point in the movie, John Travolta's character also says, Oh, well, you know, one man's treasure is another man's nightmare. And that line makes so much more sense now. But I don't know, it's just one of those things that kind of sticks with you. Because it's easy to just look at something and think, This is bad, but there's always more going on behind it. Because I have some rather unfortunate news. One of my friend's houses ended up burning down, so thoughts and prayers out to him. Nobody was hurt, thank God, but the situation still sucks. Having to rebuild from literally nothing, and that's not like I had a bad day stress, that's your entire life just got reset to zero. Like, imagine waking up tomorrow and everything you own is just gone. No clothes, no bed, no routine. The only thing he's got is the stuff in his car and what he had on his back. He's got nothing familiar. And that kind of snaps you out of your own head for a second because I'm sitting here stressing about work stuff like email blasts, formatting, wording, making sure everything looks right. And he's literally reconstructing his entire life. So hearing that, suddenly it's like, oh shit, what I'm dealing with feels big, but in the grand scheme of things, it's really not. And that doesn't mean my stress isn't real, it just means that I've been treating it like it's the biggest thing in the world because it's the only thing I've been looking at, and I think that's something I've been doing on this podcast too. Like I take these situations, and because I'm in my own head about them, I make them feel bigger than they probably are. Meanwhile, this thing is huge, like life-changing. And his response was just, I'll get through it. And it kind of makes you realize my version of getting through something is very different than his. So it's not about saying your stresses aren't real, it's just recognizing they're not the only reality. And sometimes you need a second to zoom out to remind yourself of that. I don't know. Maybe the goal isn't to stop overthinking completely, maybe it's just not letting it run everything. Alright, I appreciate you guys listening, and I'll catch you on the next one.