What a week!
I had brunch with an old friend this morning and she asked what the best thing to come out of the last six months has been for me, and we know I love a reflective question.
More walks, more grace for walking and taking things slow feels like it could be the main one. So could richer and new friendships and having my sister as a roommate.
There’s also been the strange grief - that has almost become familiar - of when you realize that something that you didn’t even know you were planning on won’t happen. Things that once seemed so temporary seem permanent, and the permanent temporary. This isn’t the best thing, in fact it’s been sort of crappy for everyone.
Anna, the old friend, and I also talked about how we can ask God for big things, even though it’s been a hard year to do so. And I think I want that to be the best thing to come out of the next sixth months, that I remember that I can ask God for big things, and that it’s not foolish to do so, and in fact that God delights in providing for his children.
Eventually this sentence will be updated with helpful links, but I’m committed to a life of procrastination, so it’s just here for now.
Number One: Sweatpants forever
As a daily listener of The Daily podcast, I don’t often listen to The Sunday Read episodes, but this week Sweatpants Forever auto-played on an especially slow podcast day, and I was fascinated.
The article chronicles the demise of modern fashion, why, and how we got here.
I could afford to care more about the environment and the ethics of fashion, and probably fashion in general, but it was super interesting to me.
Sidebar: this local NPR article on the affect our COVID-Times habits are having on the local environment got some wheels turning in my head.
Number Two: A list of thoughtful writing prompts
One of the things I miss most about ninth grade (never thought I would say that) is the daily writing prompts is Ms. Neely’s English class. She would have something on the overhead, and we would have 10 minutes to write before we got down to whatever we were doing in class that day.
This list of writing prompts makes me want to write more, to unpack if memes make the world a better place or if I am good at giving gifts.
Number Three: Recipes I sort of followed this week
If you’re looking for a plant-based salad that packs a punch, look no further than the Corn and Chickpea Bowl with Miso-Jalpeno Tahani. The dressing itself is worth it’s weight in gold. I couldn’t find Miso, so I just used a tablespoon of Soy Sauce and hoped for the best. I found myself looking for excuses to use the leftover dressing until it was all gone.
I subscribed to Bon Appetit mostly for the tote bag, and have since cancelled my subscription, but I’m still getting the magazine which this month featured this salmon fried rice on the cover. I didn’t have scallions or furikake, but it was still delicious without. The recipe also called for like six different “set aside while…” which I mostly ignored.
Number Four: German composers vs. Ludacris
I laughed out loud at this twitter thread of side by side comparisons of German composers and Ludacris. If I make it to age 100 and don’t know my own name, I will still know all of Luda’s verse in Baby. (wait is Drake in this video at the 1:20 mark? why?)
Number Five: A brief Summary of the the things I learned from taking a month-ish off alcohol
A couple summers ago, I had a particularly boozy summer, and I found myself thinking, “I can’t wait to get home so I can drink wine,” which prompted me to take the month of August off of the Malibu rum and Diet Coke habit I had formed. It was good for me, so ever since then I try to take a break in August.
I feel like any time I take a purposeful break, whether it’s from shopping or Instagram, I gain more insight than I expected to. This month I learned that it’s actually way easier to say, “I’ll drink water,” than I thought it would be, because actually no one really cares if you drink or not if they’re drinking as long as you’re not rude about it. And frankly, it’s rarely a bad idea to be hydrated.
I broke the fast at a birthday party, a wedding shower, and finally at our roomie happy hour. And after a couple days back on saying “sure” to an offered drink, I’ve noticed a brain fog that I didn’t even realize had lifted. So I think I’m going to go back to a sort-of break, whatever that may look like.
Thank you everyone for the comments last week, that was fun for me. I don’t really have a vision for the comments section, other than I don’t want it to be pure chaos. Heaven to me is when my friends become friends with each other, so maybe in my Barbie Dreamhouse world, that happens here. But if you have a Five Things-style thing that made your week better or thoughtful always feel free to share, or maybe share the best thing to come out of 2020 for you, that’s always a delight, or your favorite Drake Cameo. You can still reply to the e-mails and they will land in my trusty inbox.
As promised, here’s the link to Ticket to Ride.
Loved what you said in the intro of the newsletter this week Kath! This morning at church my pastor preached about God providing everything we need. He said something really profound to me, along the lines of “we should anticipate God’s provision with expectation, not with anxiety” and it’s definitely something I’m going to think about all week. I often don’t ask for big things from God because I often wait in anxiety and it’s nerve racking. It was a great reminder that His provision is never too early or late, it’s always on time.
In the 2020, I’ve gotten better about writing consistently on a writing projects. Before, I would jump around from idea to idea without really thinking it through. I’m still not great about finishing something, but I have made it a lot further than I have in the past. (I still have a short story from high school I keep rewriting 🤦♀️)