Hello dear friends and Happy Monday!
Today I am sharing three things that have lifted my spirits recently and lord knows… we all could use a LOT more of that!
Lift Number One:
Entirely by chance, I discovered a new podcast recently… which has led me down the rabbit hole of Toni Morrison! I have read very little one of Ms. Morrison’s works but this podcast has spurred me on to read more of what she has written. I think making this summer the Summer with Toni Morrison could be a very good idea! I have a few things I am currently reading to finish up and then I am clearing the decks to read some of her work. Perhaps you have read Toni Morrison… I think you will find the podcast discussions fascinating. Or maybe, like me, you have very little knowledge of how amazing a writer Morrison was… the podcast is a great starting point to Morrison’s writing! (And I am on the waitlist for Serpell’s new book, On Morrison!)
Lift Number Two:
The NYTimes has a bit of a Summer Challenge going over the next four weeks and I will be sharing each week’s update with you all here. Week One: Get Outdoors! I really love this bit: put your phone down and just go outside for 20 minutes each day! I go outside frequently but rarely do I head out without my phone but I will be doing that at least once on my treks outside. I hope you will join me in putting down the technology and just being in the out of doors… even if (or especially since) summer decided to arrive with all the heat and humidity in full force over the weekend.
Lift Number Three:
I don’t know about you, but I have been entirely dreading any thoughts of celebrating July 4th… My thoughts have been focused on this: What on earth is there to celebrate? Leave it to Heather Cox Richardson for bringing a tiny celebration… yes, one that you need technology for but the celebrations are short and sweet! (I have been queuing them up to play once a week as a companion while I wash dishes… I listen versus watch!) Week One in 250 to 250 is here and Week Two is here. (these are all on YouTube if that is easier for you) I like the idea of highlighting the people that have made this nation what it is versus the nation itself. (I find the nation entirely flawed right now… perhaps it always has been… I don’t know but that is a conversation for another post!) Anyways, I have been enjoying these tiny bites into the people, places, and animals… (yes, there is a bit on Man O’ War) who make up the fabric of America!
And there you have it, gentle friends… some “things” to give your week a lift! See you all back here on Wednesday!
Thank you, thank you, Kat! I have been dreading the 4th , too. I don’t think the Founding Fathers declared independence so we could have garish and brutal fights on the White House lawn. Those pieces from HCR will be perfect. I intend to make them an accompaniment to dish washing activities, too. Thanks again!
Thank you for posting about On Morrison. I have been reading Toni Morrison since 1987 when a newly formed book group picked Sula. I fell in love with Toni and I have read Sula half a dozen times since then. BUT, I bought On Morrison this year and I have learned SO much more! This book is a gift. I have read each section and reread each of Toni’s books as Serpell so deftly unfurls them, telling us what would have been in Toni’s mind as she wrote. In September I’m going to read Beloved with Serpell’s guidance and I know there will be revelations that will help me understand all I did not understand before. I am so happy Serpell wrote On Morrison.
I signed up for that NYTimes newsletter, too. I use my phone a LOT and I’m not especially concerned about it but it is interesting to check and see just how much time I spend on each app. I appreciate Heather Cox Richardson so much and I love that our own governor, Maura Healey, starts out week one of this new series.
I’ve been following the 250 to 250 on Instagram and LOVE them. I would almost say they are great because they share the relatively trivial and the huge, though that’s not quite right. I think I appreciate them because they are sharing the US without any ax grinding — just good things to remember.
250 to 250 sounds like just the right thing to help me feel a little better about this country! I also want to read more Toni Morrison. I’ve read two of her novels and some of her essays, but I believe I own the rest of her novels and want to read them all! I doubt I’ll get through them this summer, but knowing that you’re reading them, too, will be good motivation to get to at least one!
GREAT things, Kat! Tom and I have been enjoying HCR’s 250 series, too. What a perfect way to remember the GOOD things about this anniversary/birthday celebration! And I, too, am keeping up with the NYT summer wellness challenge. Earlier this year, I started walking without my phone, and I rarely take it out in the garden with me these days either. It’s been a GREAT thing! Highly recommend leaving your phone behind as you head outdoors. (Of course, if there are any safety concerns . . . always keep your phone in your pocket. Just maybe . . . don’t listen to anything or use your phone unless you must.)
I have been a subscriber of the NYT for years, they have so many good challenges and I love to do the puzzles too. I like the word ‘lift’ that you used. i just finished Ross Gay’s Inciting Joy and your word reminds me of his delightful book.