Personal lettering, professional thought leadership, community resources
Super Tuesday.
It's a day of civic duty here in Illinois (and several other states). I always enjoy voting, contributing to the democratic process. It's something I can still do despite my lack of time and energy to canvass or campaign, which I hope to resume again when my children are old enough to walk door to door independently.
This quote is from Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl, and I think it sums up the promise of voting day quite nicely.
Leap year math is infinitely interesting but hard to understand. I prefer to just think we gain a day. Ideally, we could revert to ancient Egyptians 360-day calendar with a "leap week" of partying and festivals at the end of every year.
But in honor of having an extra day to use well, I'm practicing my brush lettering. I've been participating in #calligrabasics on Instagram, and it's really pushed me out of my tool comfort zone in some ways. I still have a ways to go with many mediums!
I'm in the mindset to not talk myself out of things. Might as well just start something, even if I'm not fully prepared or confident. What's the worst that could happen?
I'm reading The Hours by Michael Cunningham for my Skype book club that focuses on Pultizer Prize winners. Very fitting as I am also traveling to NYC (the book's setting) for work this week. New York is a city that I am happy to frequent, and be a somewhat privileged half tourist/half familiar of. I like being swept into its strange energy and pulsating humanity. And then I'm happy to return home, leaving its cut-throat crowded existence, it's "crush and heave" for another time.
I first learned of Andrew Wyeth from his striking portrait taken by Andrew Zuckerman in his book Wisdom. The more I learned, the more I liked of the aging artist. He died 7 years ago today. This quote of his is so good.
I've noticed several blog mavens (Natalie Creates and Emily McDowell among others) instead of doing resolutions for the new year are attributing an inspirational word to 2016. While I first thought this was a little too new age-y, I've come around to the idea.
For 2016 I'm adopting the word Quality.
For me, this is in terms of time spent and goods purchased. So, more intentional time, being more present in the task at hand, and generating an output that I can be proud of, both personally and professionally. I really want to try to not multi-task if "being with my children" is one of those tasks. And, in terms of goods purchased, I want to try to better avoid the disposable culture, surrounding myself with quality items that I purposefully choose to have in my life, in my house, on my plate.
Perhaps more broad than typical resolutions, prescribing a word to the year is also more universal. I hope to apply this to most situations where I need to make a deliberate choice. Here's to the best in 2016.
This past week my son turned 4. He asked for a party with a couple of his friends from school, doughnuts, and dragons. Clearly a young savant in terms of understanding "concept", these are definitely good criteria to build from.
On Saturday we invited a couple close family friends and three schoolmates to a "Dragons Love Donuts" brunch party. Loosely based on the book "Dragons Love Tacos", the party was about an over abundance of baked goods.
Usually party games are not my forte, but we did an activity that turned out well. Purchasing several rolls of thin washi tape and these donut balloons from Amazon, the kids decorated their doughnuts with sprinkles. Turned out to be a hit, as they then bounced the balloons all over the living room.
Even though it was a breakfast party, we still had cake, per request of the birthday boy. I made a chocolate cake and added doughnut sprinkles, which were actually decorated Cheerios. It wasn't as laborious as I thought, and a few went a long way.
Pure joy on the face of this birthday boy.
The best part of a doughnut party? It's over before lunch and you can get on with your day. (And, of course, the leftovers!)
Dragon decorations available on Amazon.
I found some inspiration via Pinterest - see the board I put together for details. And see all the party pictures here.
Last year I began a tradition of having those at my thanksgiving table make a formal list of what they are thankful for. This activity creates a platform to talk about the meaning of the holiday, and provides a written record of those in attendance. And showing gratitude is good for both society and the soul.
This time, Søren could write his own list. It's truly been a great year.
In November I try to slow down a little and be more grateful. Being in a perpetual state of Thanksgiving sounds arduous to start, but rewarding to succeed.
I recently read a New Yorker article about Thoreau's Walden which reframed my context of it. Sounds like Thoreau might have wished his ideals more than he acted upon them. But his sentiments are none-the-less still ponderable.
I'm not a big fan of Halloween (Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday), but I'm completely in love with October.
Today is my 8th wedding anniversary. To date, it is still one of the best decisions I've ever made (and the best party I've ever thrown).
I'm a pretty big fan of new beginnings, clear outlooks, endless possibility. Which means I really like the arrival of fall, with all of its promise and opportunity. (Wool sweaters, new school supplies, apple cider, and pumpkin patches aren't bad either.)
And as the leaves fall, autumn is a beautiful lesson in letting go.
