Week 52 (2021)
the wisdom pyramid & a framework of reflection, limitations & monasticism, tending our digital commons & the medium as the message
(Open in your browser — emails cut off at the end!)
to read: essays, articles
A Social (Media) Experiment: Kicking the Habit — Seth Haines, The Examined Life — Having thoroughly enjoyed both his books, I’ve also found value in his newsletter. These four questions he poses should be plastered on my computer this year:
Who do I want to be when I die?
What can I do today to be more connected to my family or my community?
What books, articles, and white papers will help me make better sense of the world?
How should I think about the changing world environment?
Why Substack? Why Now? — Judy Wu Dominick, Life Reconsidered — For another thoughtful critique of low-friction internet usage, and an option for cultivating one better way. Here are four reasons moving her forward:
I’m abandoning social media.
I want to give readers the best of what I have to offer as a writer.
I’m exploring what it means to tend the digital commons.
Finally, I like both the patronage model offered through Substack and the greater flexibility it offers for controlling who sees what content and how comments are moderated.
2021 Reflections — Jen Pollock Michel, Post Script — A simple, bare-bones framework of reflection which I loved reading her examples of: what worked and what didn’t, in various categories of life.
Best Books, Next Books — Leah Libresco Sargeant, Other Feminisms — Honestly, I literally printed out and made note of both her 2021 and 2022 lists… because I like the way she thinks, and want to incorporate more in-depth reading on the topics she discusses.
You Are Free To Not Despair — Samuel D. James, Insights — “In 2022, you can breathe. You can enjoy. You can rest. You can lose yourself and not Instagram it. It’s allowed. You are free to not despair. The light of the world has come and the darkness still has not overcome it. Never act like it might.”
This Wisdom Pyramid — Brett McCracken — He wrote a whole book expanding on this idea, but the short post might be just as helpful. I’d love this visual up in our home, somehow someway.
to read: books
A Spacious Life, Ashley Hales — audio — Hearing this read in the author’s own voice was perfect for a book drawing us into a more full, and truly human life. It felt like a child of the books You Are Not Your Own and Dedicated: The Case For Commitment In An Age Of Infinite Browsing (two of the most impactful non-fiction books I read this year.) She wrote a teaser of the book for Mere Orthodoxy, and there’s an adaptation from chapter 1 at Front Porch Republic.
The Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris — kindle — It only took me 12 whole months, but a slow reading of this was the perfect companion through this year. I think I renewed the kindle book loan at least 15 times. Such a meandering and unique memoir of sorts, in the best kind of way. Who knew you could find yourself so wrapped up in the life of monks and nuns, in awe of their way of life, and fascinated by their ancient communities? The vignettes of stories & commentary lent themselves to being read by a tired mom who kept picking up and putting down the book over the course of a year. I’m now freshly determined to re-read her book Acedia and Me, because Kathleen Norris is a fun hang and a treasure trove of eclectic experiences & good, perceptive wisdom.
2021 Books — Here’s what I read this past year.
to watch
A Pruned Life — Andy Crouch — Saved one of my all-time favorite talks for the last post of the year.
The concept of higher-friction things in life tending to foster long-term flourishing ties into the first two posts I linked at the top. And it’s a big influence as to why I collect things here, specifically, to share.
(Pick up any of his books and you won’t be disappointed. Strong and Weak blew my mind.)
to listen: music
Paper Airplanes — Blue Water Highway — Texas natives who Jakob and I listened to the first time we dated. Love the new album’s vibes.
to listen: audio
Ashely Hales talking about her book A Spacious Life with the good folks at Mere Fidelity, and also with Jen Pollock Michel at the Englewood Review. (Having just finished The Cloister Walk, I loved that this conversation revolved around the themes of the two books I just completed: our good limitations & what we can learn from monasticism.)
The Laundry Episode — Finding Holy — Ashely Hales has her own podcast, though I never checked it out until recently. I found this a fun one to start with, especially since I’m familiar with most of these folks.
to cook
This year solidified the fact that my cooking & baking style is much more defined by ad-libbing and free-styling (or going by memory) than one which follows defined recipes for meals… or even baked goods.
This year, whenever I did follow a recipe, I made so many personalized additions or changes that I found sharing the caveats along with the recipe cumbersome!
I still like to try new recipes, but it’s always going to be with a free-spirited flare. More often than not, being in the kitchen is a cathartic, creative outlet more than it is a precisely mechanized chore for me. So with that, I’m just going to enjoy the foods I (or Jakob and I) make without always trying to scrape together hobbled recipes for y’all.
to celebrate
Christmas and the New Year! This was taken on Christmas, the day before my day in bed puking from the stomach bug.
to remember, reflect
A Year Ago...
South Texas for Christmas and Lukas in-utero.
These Last Two Weeks...
Teaching the tiny Chick-fil-A employee how to make coffee. Visiting family in south Texas. Our first plane flight with both boys. Me, the toddler, and the baby sick and vomiting from the stomach bug (in descending order of severity). Warm weather, Dorito picnics, and lots of homemade food. Christmas Morning hot wheel tracks. Baby Foster Wallace. Our first real snow in Wisconsin. Organizing every note, card, letter we had collected over multiple years (a several hour project I thoroughly enjoyed). Plans to continue some iteration of this newsletter in the new year. Plans to put together some year-end posts, but we will see when that happens. As strangers like to say, I “have my hands full!” Thanks to those who have been opening these things each week.
“the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26