A long, long time ago, before the pandemic, I made a commitment to stop buying clothes because I was spending too much, didn’t need any more clothes, and was having trouble finding ethical sources.
And I did stop. Since I transitioned from that initial commitment, I’ve almost exclusively purchased only occasional replacements for items that wore out or things I wore all the time and never seemed to have enough of.
Every time I would start to think about buying more clothes, I would realize my hamper was full. As soon as I did the laundry, I found all the clothes that were “missing” from my closet.
I discovered recently that there are whole playlists of sad Christmas songs. Sometimes they are actually sad (I’m looking with heart eyes at Sia’s “Snowman”) and some just sound sad (Sarah Mclaughlin’s Wintersong Album). Either way, I am here for it.
This summer, I finally finished my 18th c. banyan. I love it so much that I often swan around the house in it in the evenings. And now that winter here in everything but name, I’ve finally photographed it, too.
The fabric is cotton from Anuprerna on the outside, and Indian block print cotton on the inside. Outside and inside are relative, since it’s reversible.
When people ask if we have pets, it’s always been an easy no. We have seven kids, why would we need pets?! At the same time, I wanted my kids to be comfortable around animals and compassionate towards them. I saw a flyer at our library for a program where you read to shelter animals.
Great, I thought, it’s an opportunity for exactly what I wanted – exposure to animals plus reading practice. What’s not to love?
Earlier this week, I was dreading going to get two of my kids new passports. Getting a child’s passport is one of my least favorite jobs as an adult. I understand why the process has to be so tedious and regimented, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
I have been lectured more than once when I showed up for a passport application appointment missing some crucial piece of documentation. It put me right in the place of a disobedient child, feeling chastised and frustrated with myself for not doing better.
