Welcome to Claire!
I am so very pleased to have my friend Claire here. Claire is a jewel of a person. To know her is to love her. She’s a connector, a deep thinker, and fun. A winning combo. Last time I checked, Claire is single. We are looking for a Godly man who has good music taste and is local, or willing to relocate, a reader. Serious inquiries only.
Claire is the first Five Things guest writer to include a gum-related graphic.
I’ll be back next Sunday for a pre-Thanksgiving Five Things. Stay blessed.
Hi Five Things readers, I’m Claire!
It’s really an honor to be guest writing this week’s Five Things. I have butterflies as I write this.
Katherine is one of my favorite friends here in Kansas City and pretty much my role model. My role model because she is wiser and funnier than me. My favorite personality combo. At a good friend’s wedding after bumping into eachother at church and random holiday parties and whatnot, Katherine and I finally were like “should we hang out?” Since then, we’ve walked many a walk and played some tennis too (but not since her dog Honey accidentally broke Katherine’s finger). You guys all know Katherine so this isn’t the hottest take but I truly don’t know a more dynamic, ‘Renaissance woman’ type of girl. I want to pick her brain on everything, and when I get the chance, I certainly do!
I grew up and went to college in Oklahoma (go pokes) and moved to Kansas City in 2019 to work in youth ministry, which I did until earlier this year. I’ve pivoted into what you ask? Working interim for my church and part time for Hi Hat Coffee (best latte in KC, adequately competitive drip coffee). I have red hair. My number one CliftonStrengths skill is Adaptability. Anyways, the five things.
Number One: My Autumn of Mitski
This fall, the album that has completely dominated my listening is The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski. First of all, points for a clever and funny-in-a-dark-way album title. Also points for making a body of work that sounds like an old Western film. Also points for subtly comedic lyricism. Best song is “Bug Like An Angel.” Below is a graphic of my other music habits this fall and I’d argue there is something there for everybody.
Number Two: Vapor (A Meditation) by The Liturgists
I’m working on meditating and praying more. I’m pathetic at both. I can’t think of more unnatural or counter cultural practices than these; they would be so easy if they didn’t require me to turn off all of my devices, but usually unplugging is required if you want to meditate or pray for longer than 45 seconds. But I really want to improve! People who pray every day (regardless of faith background) have lower blood pressure, reduced stress, and better focus. They report that they hear from God directly on a more frequent basis (no way???). Anyways, this ten minute meditation on Spotify always blesses me and helps me to stop. Please patiently endure the first 20ish seconds of a man singing in Hebrew – that’s not the most accessible way to begin a meditation but mass appeal wasn’t the goal here, I don’t think.
Number Three: an ode to ricotta cheese
Ricotta was my ingredient of the summer, you could say. And I didn’t even make a lasagna! I sprinkled it on a pizza or flatbread quite often but also, I’ve been adding it to my scrambled eggs (I add it in when the eggs are like 70% scrambled) and adding some chopped chives on top and it makes my boring breakfast feel so elevated!! Worth it from time to time. Also for a treat, I’m into lemon ricotta cookies. For a snack, I’m into whipped ricotta with honey and herbs (parsley & mint) on toast. With a bit of lemon zest & olive oil.
Number Four: My 2024 Reading Goal
It’s that time of year where, if you’re an occasional reader of books, your reading goal for this year is top of mind. You either already crushed it (nice job), or you’re skimming chapters of your bogus chick-lit novel to hopefully meet your book goal (also nice job and sorry I called your chick-lit novel “bogus”). Soon, we’ll be setting new reading goals for 2024! This is part soapbox, part free idea for Goodreads: I wish there were other metrics, besides quantity of books read, when I set my reading goals. In addition to setting a ‘number of books’ goal for yourself, what if you also:
1) Set a genre goal for 2024 We’re talkin’ all the fictions -- historical, children’s, classic, contemporary, fantasy! Biography, poetry, short story, self-help, religion, the list goes on and on (to 35 genres in this case).
2) Re-read a book you loved. The late Oxford professor C.S. Lewis took it so far as to question if anyone could really claim they love reading if they don’t re-read books. And he actually wrote a few books of his own so who am I to disagree?
3) Read more books that have stood the test of time (let’s say pre-1970)!!!
Hot take: other generations had awesome things to say that we should read. This holiday season, you will catch me reading Little Women. Some of my other pre-cold war faves: Les Miserables, 1984, Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
4) Find some poetry you like. For me, it’s Pablo Neruda. Megan Fox just published some poetry as well. That should pretty much cover it.
5) Read more celebrity memoirs. This is a great goal for those of us who tend to take ourselves too seriously! Michelle Obama’s, Britany Spears’ or Stanley Tucci’s could be nice! I liked Green Lights by Matthew Macaunahey (which is Eat Pray Love but for men). Also, I’m reading Bono’s memoir to connect more with my dad.
Number Five: We’re More Creative Than We Realize (Uniqueness of Utterance Theory)
You know that random thing you learned in that random college class and, in spite of that fact that it has nothing to do with your career, you will never forget that you learned it? I love those things. One of mine, and it’s truly one of my Roman empires, is a language theory known as “uniqueness of utterance.”
My five-and-a-half year old friend Anna Kate told me at church this morning, “my favorite apples are green apples, and did you know my birthday party is gonna be veteran themed?” I know that it’s statistically impossible that anyone will ever, by sheer coincidence, produce that sentence verbatim again. I know this as a result of the uniqueness of utterance theory, which states that if a written or spoken sentence contains nine or more words, it is completely unique to that person. No one else will ever say it (unless by referencing it, of course). Applying that principle to ten or eleven-word statements etc., should make you realize how epically special and original you are! Every conversation you have with a friend or loved one is like a snowflake – totally novel. This principle is how we can detect plagiarism and identify authorship in forensics, amongst other uses. I love learning more about the simple ways that we are all creative. Even talking, as mundane as it is, is producing little brand new pieces of literature. I’m willing to bet most of us wouldn’t identify as creative but we are! No one will ever describe that boring zoom meeting or Fergie’s national anthem exactly the way that you will describe it. And I don’t care how many words that scientists are able to teach a monkey – a monkey could never express that their sixth birthday party is going to be veteran themed.