I’ve been struggling with writer’s block lately. I’ve only been posting about sewing and reading because those things are easy to write about. How did I make this thing? I can tell you. What did I think of this book? I’ll let you know.
The other things on my mind are much harder to articulate.
Sunday passed with news of the two newest mass shootings, one of which appeared to racially motivated. (I say appeared because I have not gone back down the rabbit hole of news articles related to the shootings since I read two initial NPR articles).
I felt like I couldn’t just post as usual the next day, but what could I say or do? I wanted to load my kids in our truck and drive down to Washington, D.C. I wanted us sit as close to the White House lawn as they would let us and remain in silent protest until someone DID something.
My third read by Richard Rohr was Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. It came to me at around the same time as Rowing Upstream, by Mary Pipher, and as they both dealt with aging, I wanted to combine them into one post.
What did they have to offer?
There are a lot of stories white people tell themselves to feel better about race.
Stories like, my ancestors were Quakers and abolitionists, the unspoken conclusion being, so we weren’t/aren’t part of the problem. Or, I live in New York State, and our part of the country wasn’t complicit in the slavery of the South. Sometimes something happens that pulls the pants down on your story and exposes it as fiction.
Enter The Comet’s Tale.
Anyone who’s ever made a pie knows they sure don’t come from nowhere. The labor involved is why it’s been over a year since I made one. But the fact that the pies in this book remained anonymous when it mattered is a big part of its charm.
Once every year or so, I treat myself to a beautiful design book. This year’s treat was Get it Together! An Interior Designer’s Guide to Creating Your Best Life, by Orlando Soria. I’ve been following him on Instagram for a while now and appreciated his use of triangles in design, his sharp humor, and his fearless vulnerability.
Orlando Soria has a unique brand. He knows his audience and his strengths and uses them well in promoting his work.
A while back, he announced his new book was coming out and that there were a limited number of signed copies. In a weak moment I clicked purchase, and then didn’t open the book for months. I brought it to Tobago and didn’t read it. You know how when you have a special treat, you have to be ready to enjoy it? Then one day in May, I cracked it open.
