5 Things to Tell You // Fall Equinox

A list of happy things & a blessing for you!

Hail & welcome to the Dark Half of the year! I used to dread winter and all the midwest cold & gloominess it brings, but I have unapologetically joined the millennial¹ glee for all things spooky and autumnal and dark….plus I get to pull out my sweaters & cozy socks and stop pretending that I like sweating. So here is your fall edition of my quarterly list of favorite things - some bookish, some not. Enjoy what resonates and leave the rest!

1. Flusterclux // Because I have kids who struggle with anxiety (and also, hi, me too!) and early mornings, loud hallways, and long days of school make for maaaany opportunities to practice our regulation skills - I thought I’d share one of my favorite podcasts on the subject! You can find me listening to Lynn, with essential oils diffusing, and doing my EFT tapping while I wait for my kids in carline. Why yes, I am a zen master.

2. This episode of We Can Do Hard Things with Adrienne Marie Brown² // I go through seasons where I don’t listen to podcasts because how do people keep up with multiple episodes a week but then one will cross my path that is beautiful and it sticks with me for days. This is one of those.

3. Cookbooks³ // Reading them mostly, or drooling over the photos…not as much actual cooking happening right now.

   

   When tomato toast goes to church.

   

   Yes, please.

   

   Another reason to rejoice! Meals for the foreseeable future - soup + pesto

4. Good Omens 2 // I can’t express how much joy this show has brought me over the last few weeks. I’ve described it as a darker, British version of the Good Place - but with less ethics & more what makes life meaningful. My partner does not do fantasy (or however you would categorize this show) so if you’ve watched it please tell me your favorite part!!! For me, it may be Jon Hamm drinking cocoa in a table cloth. Just kidding, it’s David Tennant⁴.

5. Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon // I can’t remember where I saw this video (footage from 2004?!) but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
   CW: if you’re a person who has a fear of aliens, which apparently is a real thing for some people but I definitely do NOT have!

The first of many walks where the sun sets before I get home.

As you read this blessing, imagine standing on a precipice surrounded by trees in all their autumn glory - golds and oranges and reds - with a sharp wind blowing from the west, catching your clothes and carrying away any scattered or anxious thoughts: May autumn’s cool air and rainy days remind you that it’s ok to slow down (fall even?) and rest on a soft bed of leaves. May you surrender to the winds of change, trusting yourself to hold whatever comes your way next.

1. I am a wizened elder.

2. I have at least 3 books of hers on my TBR list right now. Her whole vibe feels very Libra to me: awe! liberation! pleasure!

3. Also, Weekday Vegetarian & The Secret of Cooking - these comfort piles of books make me feel like there really is a key to unlock this secret of feeding humans and not losing your mind!

4.