In a Word: Like New
Welcome to In a Word, a newsletter that cultivates thoughtfulness, one word at a time. If a friend forwarded you this email, click here to subscribe:
In this year of staring at the same walls and same floors (that have still not learned to sweep themselves), I have feasted on the memories of past travel. (It’s not like I would have been zipping off to Europe this year anyway, given my stage of life, but I think the fact that no one was making these trips made those memories feel like they exist in a different world. Which, of course, they do.)
I keep recalling my trip to Italy with Mike in 2015. We spent the first few days in Milan—not a destination high on my list, but the flight was cheaper and Mike really wanted to see da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Procuring an appointment to view the al fresco painting required an international phone call and a translation app. We had an appointment—probably, we were pretty sure—at 8am our second morning in Milan.
As the city stirred I awake, I anticipated drinking in a work of ancient genius on this day that felt newer than most. I noticed the sun hitting the cobblestones, in the same way it does every morning, but somehow felt my noticing lent the worn streets a transitive power of newness. New day after new day, the aging cobblestones are formed into something new.
I can vaguely remember the broad swaths of my biggest concerns back then, the rocks that tumbled around in my brain. Some of their rough edges smoothed, with new insight or experiences. Some I eventually set down.
There is little in my inner life or day to day life from then that is the same now. This is how it happens: the seemingly immutable problems and facts of life change by one degree until they are distant memories. I try to remember this in my current life, that the constants of life with a young child are, in fact, fleeting.
Yet I can still be whisked back to those cobblestone streets, as I was this morning, by the quickened breath of movement, by the eternal hope that putting one foot in front of the other, I am walking towards beauty.
I felt so free: across the Atlantic, walking with purpose but without the weight of the outer and inner expectations I felt bound by at home. The memory of that walk, that feeling, returned to me while I walked my routine route this morning.
I felt free in an entirely different way: by the endless potential for new discoveries in the paths I routinely travel, in the body and breath that carry me wherever I go. Whether through novelty or familiarity, there is no freedom like the mind’s capacity to stretch, to take a different route and still find its way home.
In this issue, you’ll find new-to-me breakfasts, frozen treats, and afternoon pick-me-up. Plus, a couple thought provoking articles, a summer reading guide, and of course, a benediction.
Allow me to introduce my new afternoon pick-me-up, an iced matcha latte. (I use this matcha collagen.)
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance to Start Over: In the understandable thirst to return to something resembling pre-pandemic life, what makes your list of things you don’t want to return to? This is a good framework for thinking about it.
The Shopping Cure: Ah, a non-shaming take on the self-soothing-by-way-of-consumption tendencies many of us have. I’ve been thinking and reading about this for years, yet this post offered new food for thought.
Anne Bogel released her tenth annual summer reading guide this week! I put an exorbitant number of books on hold from her list at the library. (I already enjoyed listening to this mystery last week!)
A friend told me about Mercari, an app for buying and selling clothes, shoes, anything really. (Kids’ stuff too!) I have had success when I am looking for a specific item, in a specific brand and size. For a myriad of reasons, I buy secondhand when I can, and this app is another easy way to do that. (It’s really easy to sell on the app, too!)
I love breakfast. Fancy breakfasts, decadent pastries, or simple eggs and raisin toast. Two new breakfasts I’ve incorporated lately:
Chia pudding with fruit, shredded coconut, hemp seeds, and nuts (whatever kind I feel like)
Cottage cheese with pistachios and a drizzle of honey (idea from my sister)
Trader Joe’s has new frozen treats! Since I am giving up summer cocktails (pregnancy), I am all in on ice cream. Cones! Sprinkles! Gelato! Bring on the BOGO! I’m happy Trader Joe’s has a few less dense options that still get the frozen treat job done. (I should also mention that the Sublime Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches are my all time favorite Trader Joe’s frozen dessert, if you want something decadent for this long weekend.)
Some last links worth a click:
New-to-me banana bread recipe (I include the optional chocolate chips, of course)
May we notice how the routine grooves of our lives are forming us into something new.
As always, I’d love to hear what this issue calls to mind for you! Simply respond to this email to share your thoughts with me.
Gratefully, Jacey
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