What It Really Means to be Happy – I love this piece on Tiny Buddha, which asserts that happiness is an orientation towards our lives rather than a single mood. Oh yes. As someone who has publicly decried the emphasis on “happiness” as life’s ultimate goal, this piece really spoke to me.
9 Learnings from 9 Years of Brain Pickings – Thank you to Tracy, who sent this link from Maria Popova’s wonderful site to me. It won’t surprise you, probably, that my favorites are #4, “build pockets of stillness into your life,” #6, “presence is a far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity,” an #8, “seek out what magnifies your spirit.” The whole list – concise, wise, powerful – is worth reading.
Motherhood is Always Saying Goodbye – “Mothering holds within it, then, ancient wisdom that comes from millennia of women devoted to the hard practice of letting go.” Yes. Nothing I can say to add to the glory of this piece, which asserts that motherhood and life itself is about letting go and living with farewells but YES. I often find the work on Literary Mama resonant, and this essay touches me more than most.
I’m reading Anne-Marie Slaughter’s Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family and finding it compelling, both a call to action and a reminder that I am doing okay. I had the privilege of meeting her last week, which was absolutely fantastic.
We are back into Homeland and I continue to think it’s incredible. Top 40 again continues to dominate my playlist (which is almost entirely in the car) – right now, loving Rob Thomas’ Hold On Forever and I’m still not sick of Passenger’s Let Her Go.
What are you reading, thinking about, and listening to lately?
I write these Things I Love pieces approximately monthly. You can see all previous posts here.
I enjoyed all of these, but oh my, Motherhood is Always Saying Good-bye, just broke me open today. Really hit home. Thank you.
Lindsey, thank you so much for the Literary Mama link about letting go. That essay spoke to me deeply. Just yesterday I was thinking what a strange and slightly cruel trick motherhood can be, how we are tethered so closely to our babies, and yet the ultimate goal is to let go, to release them into the world. It’s both heartbreaking and heart building work.
Have you heard the beautiful cover of Passenger by the super young and talented teenager Jasmine Thompson? Worth a listen. My daughter plays it on repeat 🙂
I’m currently savoring Mothering Through the Darkness essays, and just finished a wonderful collection of short stories, Mothers Tell Your Daughters, by Bonnie Jo Campbell.
I haven’t heard the Passenger cover. Will check it out! And I love the Mothering Through the Darkness anthology. Have heard that Bonnie Jo Campbell’s book is fantastic. Must find it. xox
Right? Me too. xox
I always love your faves, Lindsey. Heading over to check out the Literary Mama piece. Thank you.
Wow. I just read Motherhood is Always Saying Goodbye and it is stunning. Thank you for sharing that, Lindsey.
And I love these every time! I thought of you when I was in Zara in Tel Aviv. (We don’t have one.) I remember YEARS ago when we bonded over that store on your site.
Great list, Linds! Off to check out your links. xo