End of August
A happy roundup
Hi, everyone! Today is going to be a bit different. I've got a lot of things occupying my brain space at the moment, and I spent the time I would normally be writing today - which, as you're reading this, will be yesterday - knitting instead.
So we're going to skip straight to my as-of-yet unnamed end-of-the-month roundup of things that felt magical, inspiring, or important.
✨️A handful of mundane magics✨️
My two year old eating cherry tomatoes grown in my parents' garden - he ate every one that they had sitting on the counter (minus one he just squished at the end) with such joy.
My 4 year old telling me bedtime stories - she's taken to coming into my room and sitting on my bed with me while I stretch or do my some-lines-a-day journal, and she tells me such expressive stories. My favourite is when she uses words like, “suddenly…!”
Last week I listened to a podcast about circadian rhythms and decided to try waking up at sunrise every morning, and it's actually been so lovely. Since the timing is before my husband leaves for work, he will often wake me up so I don't have to use my alarm, and then I get at least 10 minutes by myself on the back deck to quietly wake up and absorb the morning light into my eyeballs. It also means I actually get to see and talk to him before he comes home later and has both kids and the dog literally jumping at him for attention. I love my new little ritual.
I started knitting a colourwork cowl as a surprise gift for one of my friends. And - thanks to spending several mornings in the chilly air - I found a brioche shawl pattern that I can use a few of my stash skeins for (it's a new technique for me, which is exciting), and just doing the swatch was really enjoyable, so I'm very excited to cast that on.1
I finished listening to Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day by
(which I wrote a bit about here) and I've now started going through my physical copy and underlining things and making notes in a small journal. I'm taking my time with it, and it makes me feel hopeful and capable, and I'm just really grateful for it. I can't recommend it enough.This weekend, my friends and I had a craft day to make autumn-y Hobbit door wreaths together, which was so much fun.
My husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary (which we both kinda forgot about 😅)
Links I loved:
I think I've been easing into the slow living sphere since I realized I was in autistic burnout and just needed a break last year. This is a great little piece by
that breaks down a bit of what it is and isn't, and how to apply that information to your life.This essay about boundaries, and growing up as the “good girl” and not being in touch with your own needs and desires by
- PHEW.Another one about slow living - this time, about the struggle to truly relax - by
(whose voice notes I find really comforting).I've been accepting recently that my trauma is probably affecting me a lot more than I previously realized, and this essay from D.L. Mayfield at
was really eye-opening. I (and my previous therapist) suspected I may have C-PTSD and this literally spurred me to restart my search for a new therapist to address it.A second post from
of The Magically Mundane because this essay is a really beautiful invitation to begin something that you have been dreaming about but maybe don't feel ready for, which is something I've been doing a lot of lately.
(There would probably be a few more links here, but I'm a bit behind on my inbox at the moment - I may include them next month if any feel worth it)
Books I finished and loved:
As I mentioned above, I finished (and restarted) Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day by Kaitlin Curtice. Beautiful. Important. All the stars. I'll be going back through this forever, I think.
I just finished listening to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which was a little slow to get into but felt so worth it by the end. Atmospheric and very unique. It's a definite re-read for me, because it's one of those books that you know you will understand and appreciate in different ways the second time.
If you enjoy smut (which I do) with an actually compelling story, then I recommend the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert. I finished Wicked Beauty and Radiant Sin this month - the 3rd and 4th in the series - and enjoyed them a lot.
That's it for this week! Thank you so much for continuing to join me here. I'd love to hear about your mundane magic moments, what you're reading, or anything else you found interesting lately and want to share in the comments.
As always, you're welcome to share.
If you understand none of this paragraph: it's okay - I forgive you. 😂