Happy Sunday, all.
On her podcast, Laura Tremaine always offers exceptional questions for reflection, especially at years’ end. Her most recent podcast - “10 Questions for the End of the Year” - was no different.
For today, I’m sharing my answers to the first question. I’d love to hear your answers.
Spending time in the backyard. This picture represents a daily practice for us in the early days of quarantine, once the weather warmed a bit. After we both finished the work day, we spent an hour or so outside together. Noah scrolled or napped in his hammock, I watched Instagram stories or read my Kindle. I recognized, maybe for the first time, the privilege of having a safe & private space outside.
Walks with my friend Michelle. Early in the pandemic, we decided to be walk buddies, and we took a weekly walk starting in March through October. Along the way, I got to experience a lot of new-to-me parks, and we talked about everything and nothing. Our conversations and her companionship eased the loneliness of this year in an unmeasurable way.
Quiet nights at home with Noah, usually in front of the TV. I’ll talk more about shows I loved this year in a future newsletter. :)
Summer camping. A new and I hope annual tradition for us - from a week-long (rainy) camping trip to Maine this summer (below) to a night away at the Indiana dunes.
Early voting. We waited in line for two hours in the cold with thousands of other Hoosiers. I felt a real sense of connection and hope that people showed up for democracy. (And I know the work is not over now that the election has passed!)
BLM Protests this summer and the ongoing question: how do I continue anti-racism work in every area of my life? Read more of my post-protest thoughts on IG.
Lots of work-related anxiety. One way I manage my anxiety is by planning and working ahead, which was almost impossible to do this year. The amount of unknown I faced everyday - whether it was about a potential upcoming move to virtual/ hybrid, as well as the nebulous but real risk of getting covid once I was teaching in-person again - took a toll. I worked a lot of hours this year, including all summer (my choice - what else was I going to do?), and definitely improved my virtual-teaching skills. Overall, it was extraordinarily hard. And also my job gave me a sense of purpose during a year when meaning was hard to come by.
(Also: the kids are not okay. If you know a teenager, please check in on them. Everyone is struggling, and teens are no exception.)
Fury & anxiety while running necessary errands and seeing people not masked, or not masking correctly, especially after a state-wide mask mandate. I stopped going to the grocery store for largely this reason. Grocery delivery is amazing (I use Instacart & think I will continue to.)
The paradoxical nature of being forced to live a more simple life. I am afraid we will forget how hard this year was and gloss over the angst with rose-colored retrospection about how we got “back to basics” in 2020. Early in the pandemic, it was nice to stay home - it felt like summer camp. But then “we don't have to go anywhere” turned into “we don't get to go anywhere,” which felt very difficult. We all experienced a loss of choice, which felt stifling to me at times. At the same time, our weekend brunch game has never been better.
New & Old Hobbies: sourdough, embroidery, baking, painting my nails with O&J
I’ve really loved painting my nails with Olive & June this year (in case you didn’t already hear!) This gentle, tactile practice has become a form of self-care, and meshes perfectly with my increased TV time in 2020. I’ve tried a number of different brands, and I find the O&J polish to be very forgiving and their method leads (truly) to salon-looking nails. You can see today’s Advent-inspired #nalfie on my IG story, and I’m excited to try to replicate this holiday mani later this week for Christmas:
This link will get you $10 off - but you can also find O&J at Target.
Starting Bluestocking Catalogue. Writing this newsletter has definitely brought me a lot of joy, connection and catharsis, as well as something to look forward to. Thanks for being along for the ride, and for sharing how this newsletter has intersected with your pandemic life.
As I said at the top, I’d love to hear what you’ll remember about this year.
No matter how you’re celebrating (or not celebrating), I hope you find some peace & comfort this coming week. 💙💙💙