Just a little bit more tan
Not to brag, but this newsletter is coming to you on time. I am going to finish writing this intro and press publish, no “publish later” for me. It is 7:44.
I hope everyone has had a great Labor Day Weekend. I cannot believe we cruising right into September. My parents came to visit this weekend and were a HUGE help around the house, and then I got to meet Lilly’s bald boyfriend. Boyfriend who is bald, sorry. Went to a football game, went to Anglican church, went to a baseball game. What more do you need?
This issue is a little more list-y than usual, but I think it’s a fun one.
I’m always excited for our guest writers, but I am especially excited for next week’s. A while back, one of my better guy friends asked, “why isn’t there a Five Things for men?” After a nice discussion about how this newsletter isn’t for men, but it’s also not not for men, one of my favorite husband-of-a-friend-but-also-a-great-friend-to-me agreed to guest write during football season. So tell your husbands, tell your ex-boyfriends, tell your shirtless neighbors. It’s going to be great.
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Buy the men in your life (or for yourself, men) some nice athleisure for fall using my Outdoor Voices link. This sentence now has links to the my instagram, and old issues of the newsletter.
Number One: Just some things that are so fun right now
I finally finished season one of the The Soprano’s. This might just be the time I actually watch the show. Stay tuned for more.
My sister has CBS All Access because for a long time she couldn’t remember the password. Now we watch Survivor commercial-free. I can’t wait for season 41.
This is a TV household apparently.
I’m keeping my friend’s dog for the week, and the click-click-click of his little dog nails on the kitchen linoleum makes this house feel like a home.
I’m on round two of JCPRD tennis lessons, this time with my friend Makenzie. And I think I’m actually getting better? Fewer lobs at least. It’s a good time made better with a friend.
Number Two: BKR Water Bottles
Back in June I was kayaking on a river with some friends, and long story short, I lost my Hydroflask. And even though dollars-per-use that thing was in the less-than-a-penny space, I cannot bring myself to buy a new one. I’ve been using the red and light blue Nalgene I bought when I lived in Pittsburgh, so a while ago.
Last weekend my friend Sarah offered some water bottles by asking, “does anyone like spiky things?” I was neither here nor there on spiky things, but later I wanted a glass of water, and instead of asking where the cups are, I just took one of the BKR Bottles that was up for grabs.
I love this water bottle. I am now here on spiky things. I am so grateful. I’m pretty sure the color is Disney Green, because I do keep losing track of it. But it’s the best!
The con is that it doesn’t hold a lot of water, and I am having to move away from an ice lifestyle. But I don’t hate it. I really appreciate the texture, it’s strangely soothing to hold onto. Highly recommend.
Number Three: Arthur is 45
I watched Arthur on PBS while eating breakfast every morning well into high school simply because Arthur with breakfast just made sense.
Arthur Read is 45. And this New Yorker “Where are they now?” made me smile.
Number Four: Tweets that made me laugh
Number Five: Choosing curiosity over judgment
You know those conversations that just stick with you?
A couple weeks, back my friend Morgan and I walked by a house that was very large, like weirdly large for the neighborhood. Which is not unusual in Kansas City, but this one, something was different. It had sort of “people who own the camp and live on the property” vibes. After we each tried to guess the story of what was going on there, Morgan brought up the scene in Ted Lasso where Ted talks about the Walt Whitman quote, “Be curious, not judgmental.” And even though I’ve seen Ted Lasso, and I’m sure heard this quote 100 times, this conversation really stuck with me. Like really stuck.
I feel like there are so many situations and relationships in my life that I look back on and wish I would have chosen curiosity over judgment. That I would have been quick to ask questions, and slow to bring any pre-conceived judgments to the story.
So since that walk with Morgan I’ve been trying to bring curiosity to the table a little bit more, and it’s been really cool to see what I’ve learned. Would encourage you, dear reader, to do the same.
Update: according to fact checkers at Snopes.com “Be curious, not judgmental,” has been falsely attributed to Walt Whitman. I didn’t read further to see who actually said it, which, to be fair, goes against this exercise in curiosity. I’m still growing.
Currently Reading:
Hosea // Exodus // Ghosts