Occasionally I have an experience where several people, all known to me but unknown to each other, send me the same article, image, or piece of writing. That happened with this gorgeous piece:
On Friendship – Pam’s words at The Kitchen Witch’s site brought me to my knees. I’ve written often about friendship, about the important ones that thrum through my life as essential as arteries, and about the vagaries of when and how we make friends. I’m honored to call Pam a close friend; she is one of only two people in the entire world who read my first (clunky, painful) memoir, for example. Pam: for everything, thank you. The rest of you: read this piece. You won’t regret it.
Noticing: How to Take a Walk in the Woods – I believe fiercely – perhaps above all else – in the power of noticing the world around us. This piece reminds me of why. I am also both the child of a scientist and a passionate devotee of the field. “Refining our capacity to notice is an act of reverence that we can bring to everywhere and everywhen.”
Word Up– My adoration of Catherine Newman’s writing is well documented. This essay, about talking about the origins of words with her children, moved me to both laughter and tears. In her trademark voice, full of humor and tinged with pathos, Catherine reminds me that to understand words, where they come from, what they mean, is at the root of really seeing and comprehending the world.
My Avatar, My Self – I love everything Dani Shapiro writes, of course, but this piece in particular touched a nerve that’s been humming a lot for me lately. She talks about the increasing trifurcation of our identities in the world today, where a writer has a “real” self, a “creative” self, and an “avatar” self. I have been thinking about her essay and the questions it raises for the week since I read it.
Haven Retreats – I loved Laura Munson’s memoir, This is Not the Story You Think It Is. I have also been privileged to get to know Laura both online and in person, where she was even more warm and wonderful than I had imagined. In fact I missed seeing her last night at my friend Aidan’s house. I recently learned about her Haven retreats and they have vaulted to the top of my fantasy things-to-do list. The idea of spending time learning from Laura in the breathtaking Montana scenery (somewhere I’ve been, and loved, once before) is just head-spinningly wonderful. Someday.
What’s on your bedside table, your kindle, your screen, your mind lately?
My previous Things I Love Lately posts are here.
Wow. I LOVED all of these and passed a few on. How wonderful to have someone like you to dig through the overwhelming blog world and find such perfect gems to pass on. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you Lindsey. I don’t think I have to tell you what an honor it is to be called a close friend. It’s also an honor to be included among these wonderful writers, if only for a week. THANK YOU. And it was a deep pleasure to read your memoir. I still have it and read parts from time to time.
Excited to check these out. AND I just learned about Laura Munson on ADR’s blog and have been meaning to download her book. Thanks for the tips! xox