Chickens and the perfect bike shorts

plus books, links, and favorite drinks

Welcome to August, which I have been referring to as “the February of summer.” It’s that weird liminal space where school hasn’t started (here) but you know it’s coming soon. And you melt as soon as you go outside! Has it been hot where you are? My July break from publishing new work on Substack was exactly what my brain needed. I’ve been filing away ideas and working ahead for a couple of weeks now and I’m excited for what’s coming up.¹

This summer, I noticed an idea come popping back up. I have a tendency to believe that my real life begins at some point up ahead.² When x-y-z happens, then…. Perhaps it is a flaw in the gifts of my forward-facing self. 
-When the kids are back in school (or back out) 
-When I have the morning routine of my dreams
-When I have a job that feels the way only an imaginary job could

Instead of giving in to that temptation, I am practicing grounding myself in the present. Looking at my feet in my place and reminding myself that this—right here—is the life that I have been given. 

Life is this sweaty summer where I sit outside while my oldest works at a camp for two hours two mornings a week. It’s a season where we eat dinner at 7pm and turn on movies during thunderstorms.³ We are constantly sorting our work schedules around the needs of the kids and the kids around the needs of the work schedules. We are making pizza in the oven outside and dashing back inside to eat in the air conditioning (and away from the yellow jackets). I leave my chair and quiet space every morning wishing I had time for a few more things. Sometimes my thoughts are pinging back and forth between what I’m doing for work and what I’m doing with my family. I’ve been going to bed early because I’m tired and it feels like a luxury after needing that time for homework for years.

It’s easy for me to think this feels crazy. I’ll work on languages in the fall when the kids go back to school, except when the kids were in school I was hoping that life would be less crazy when school was out for the summer. Whatever art I make with my life will be made here. 

Tiny Internet Delights

Our gathering guide Priya Parker discusses gathering without breaking the bank.
(Insert one thought-provoking post I saved that is now behind a paywall. The downfall of taking breaks, I guess.)⁴
Rethinking our ideas about Paul
What’s it mean to be a man?
More words on disability
Another podcast episode
Why stories matter more
A church changes their stance on female elders (they have them now) and writes an outstanding document explaining their stance
I wrote about some books that I read here and here
A non-anxious voice about government and politics; Sharon is my favorite person on the internet
Who is my neighbor? 

• Inside Out 2 was incredible. 

• A Gentleman in Moscow was 10/10 for me.

• Trying, on Apple+, is an incredibly human show that makes me laugh and cry. 

• I dug some old Crafter’s Boxes out of my closet after graduation. Picking up some hobbies after graduation has been fun (see first photo).

• Summer afternoons have begged for an iced coffee or a lemon spindrift. 

• I’ve done morning pages since the beginning of July. I’ve enjoyed it but it eats up all my morning writing time and I can’t decide how I feel about that. Maybe I’m easing into other writing rhythms though. We shall see. I’m viewing it as an ongoing experiment.

• We bought a pizza oven with some friends and it’s elevated our weekly pizza game. Killer way to make steaks too. 

• I discovered these bike shorts just last week and I will live in them (outside of work) until my knees freeze.

My friend Breanne has talked about the value of self-portraits and I’ve never forgotten her words. While I wouldn’t classify this van shot as a self-portrait, it did capture something that has been a consistent part of my life for years: working in the van while our oldest does some sort of therapy. Here I am, showing up for summer in my own life.⁵

The night before this publishes, I’ve returned to add that I devoured The Editor this weekend. I wanted a book that I could sit and read in long stretches and I suspected this biography of Judith Jones would satisfy me.⁶ Franklin’s writing reads like fiction as she brings Jones to life. Jones is the reason we have The Diary of Anne Frank, which I read and read and read again as a child; she was also the editor of Sylvia Plath, John Updike, Julia Child. I love stories of people who are great at their work and remain curious about the world. I’m starting to think that I’m looking for guides for the second half of life.

What have you enjoyed so far this summer? What have you been reading or eating? I’d love to hear! 

1. And for weather where it’s cool enough to wear layers but I’d better not jump ahead too fast. It’s 93 on the day I’m editing this.

2. People interact with time differently, which was helpful for me to learn. Here is one look at it. https://enneagrampaths.com/2020/06/08/enneagram-orientation-to-time/

3. I observed that we were regularly eating at 7pm, and, later that week, I was walking the boys down the driveway at 5pm to go play in the creek. Pizza dough was rising, but, clearly, I’m the problem here.

4. I’ll take it. The pros vastly outweighed the cons.

5. My oldest started equine therapy in January and he is loving it! He’s doing such a great job and can now trot off the lead. It’s incredible to watch!

6. Versus the other books that I’m reading a chapter or two at a time.