5 Things to Tell You // Spring Equinox
A list of happy things & a blessing for you!
The Sun is on it’s way and shining so brightly this morning, even as frost covered my windshield before school drop off. Here is the spring edition of my quarterly list of favorite things - small joys that are getting me through. Cheers to longer days & the growing green!
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin // if you’re a fan of the Great British Baking Show, I commend Noel Fielding’s new show. It has Monty Python vibes and a crew of lovable, quirky criminals. Noel is my favorite so I was hooked as soon as I saw it and his fictional adventures do not disappoint. And if you’re interested - here is the true story of Dick Turpin. Much less funny.
Divorce memoirs // I have read a string of divorce memoirs recently and even though the stories are heavy, they also qualify as small joys because there is nothing quite like reading the words of a woman who has found freedom on the other side of a very difficult situation. Reading these women is like watching a butterfly emerge from the cocoon. Or a snake shed it’s skin. It looks extremely painful, you want to step in and help, you wish they didn’t have to go through it - but the creature on the other side is powerful and beautiful to behold.
This American Ex-Wife by
You Could Make this Place Beautiful by
Also this poem, This is the Room, by has been taking up a lot of real estate in my head since I read it this week.
I was also reintroduced to the Mountain Goats (I first heard of them through John Green’s writing) and this song was inspired by one of Maggie’s poems! The whole album has been on repeat this week.Conversations between Care-Givers // as I turn down the volume on news and global heartache, I’ve been filling the space with caring voices who remind me how to Mother and Nurture during this time of multi-crisis. These two in particular have warmed my heart.
was wonderful. They talked writing, letting your activism evolve as you become a mom, parenting older kids and Annette shares about her experience of finding joy in wild swimming. It was so inspiring! Maybe I’ll get my butt in the lake next month.
Inner Nature: with Erin Geeseman Rabke & Leilani Navar // two mom friends talking about deep ecology, somatic practices, inter-being, and care. I teared up multiple times.
This conversation betweenFOUNDATION // I haven’t been this hooked on a sci-fi show since the Expanse. It took a few episodes to get my bearings (I have not read the books and went into the show blind), but once I did it was mind-blowing. The galaxy is in danger and a psychohistorian has predicted the end of the Empire. An Empire, which has become eternal with the use of cloning technology. The story travels through hundreds of years (with many characters traveling through time) with the main characters trying to bend the arc of history and save humanity. Gah! It’s so good! Also, the TV adaptation features an incredibly diverse cast and the two main characters are WOC. I’m so sad I finished it last night and I can’t wait for Season 3.
Salvor & Hugo forever. Writing // I am really enjoying building my writing habits this year. For the first time since high school I am leaning into a regular practice and trying to actively build my skills. I’ve signed up for a few online courses (one particularly good one through Lit Cleveland). And I’m looking forward to a local children’s book conference this summer! I’ve also learned so much from the Substack community. I love
‘s Cave of the Heart series and this week’s post with was particularly wonderful. It has many practical suggestions about observation and following joy and writing structure, and she is just a wonderful story teller.
Other small joys: fresh herbs popping up in the garden, omelettes, a pair of house finches visiting the feeders every morning this week, high school kids performing musical theater songs, robins singing loudly at the gas station over the hum of traffic, spicy ramen noodles, bright yellow forsythia.
And now, a blessing. Put your hand on your heart and imagine facing East to watch the sun rise, one ribbon at a time. May the spring Sun’s return warm your heart like sap warming in the heart of a tree. Like the new growth on the dry and brittle clematis, may you remember that you too can soften and bend. May the warmth flow through you extending out to your hands. Hands that hold, make meals, light candles, tend the sick, wash dishes, and cup faces. May the warmth flow outward through your hands. And like the house finch at the feeder with his mate, may you hold your dear ones close.
I’m writing a divorce memoir. ☺️ I’ve read Maggie’s twice (and will read it again) and just finished Lyz’s and that poem is 🔥.
What herbs do you grow? 🌱