Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and minor wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

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Hey everyone!

Happy Friday! This one’s a real smorgasbord for you. From summer salads to casting cats and aligned AI.

Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, how can those all go together?

Well, I wanted to offer a little buffet this week. Life’s nuanced and so are we. :)

With love and delight,

˜ Monica

Something to delight you

If you’ve read this newsletter for a while, you probably know that I love cats and have several of my own (three, to be precise). My manx, Freya, is verrrryyyy food motivated and I’ve been able to teach her how to sit, to give me her paw, and a few other less-impressive (and less fully-realized) tricks.

So when I read this article, I had to share it with you, for all my fellow cat-lovers. Did you know that movies use multiple cats for the same cat, often? It makes sense, if I think about it — it’s like using twins (Mary Kate and Ashley Olson, anyone?) for babies who are in an ongoing tv series.

I’ll leave you with my favorite line from the article:

SKUNKS y’all. Cats are harder to work with than SKUNKS. 😂😂😂

Something to use up your extra zucchini

There are all sorts of jokes about neighbors’ summer squashes showing up on your doorstep, in your car’s driver seat and on your porch swing. (Not that I have a porch swing, but a gal can dream). Squashes and zucchinis are abundant this time of year where I live, and in much of this portion of the United States. I like ‘em grilled, sauteed, and even raw (in salads). But I’m pretty sure this chocolate zucchini loaf is my foster kid’s favorite way for me to make ‘em.

The only downside is that you have to turn the oven on for baking.

But, if you time it right for the evening, you’ll have the whole night for the heat to dissipate on its own.

I never follow recipes as-is, but this one was pretty perfect.

Something to guide your AI use if, if that’s your jam

Lots of folks have opinions about AI —specifically generative AI that’s using L(arge) L(anguage) M(odels) aka LLMs. It’s terrible. It’s the best thing since sliced-bread. It’s going to take over humanity. It’s really dumb. And then there’s the environmental aspects, the tech-bro aspects, and more.

I believe it’s a technology —and many philosophers from Socrates to Nietzsche to Heidegger to today’s philosophers have ALL debated and discussed the meaning of technology and its uses. Techne (the spirit) was associated with art, craft and technical skill. And the root of the word — techne — ties back into making (praxis doing).

I don’t think that LLMs will go away and I’ve come to rest in a space that’s hyper-nuanced around how and where and when to use them.

This article, How to Use AI Without Losing Your Soul by George Kao hits on some similarities to my own position.

This is a good summary of his thoughts:

If you’re interested to learn about his IDEA framework which looks at how to actually implement and interact with LLMs, check out the article.

Something to read

This piece by Jamila Bradley is dense, in the best possible way. Dense like this pine nut and pistachio olive oil cake I baked a few years back.

Bradley’s article, “Why You Need A Daily Disobedience Practice” came to my attention via Leela Sinha, who shared it on FB at some point this spring.

Bradley makes the argument for a daily disobedience practice as a sort of jumping jack — training us in a small act daily so that when we’re required to do something with a higher-stakes outcome, with a bigger ask on our nervous system, that we’re ready.

One of my favorite sections is this part:

“There is a lie floating around that courage is something you discover in a moment. Like one day the big day comes and you suddenly transform into the version of yourself who can refuse. But the body does not work like that. You do not rise to the occasion. You default to your training. That is why we need routine resistance. We need daily disobedience, not as an aesthetic, but as embodied training. We need the unlearning and retuning of our nervous systems to allow us to tolerate the distress and counteract the fear that comes with transgression. We need practice…..

…

Use your own head.

That sentence is a revolution all by itself, because dominance based systems train you to outsource your head. It trains you to treat authority as inherently legitimate. It trains you to treat rules as neutral. It trains you to confuse obedience with goodness. It trains you to confuse punishment with accountability. It trains you to mistake your own fear for your own values. It trains you to interpret your own flinch as good sense, when sometimes your flinch is simply a memory of consequence. A daily disobedience practice is not about being reckless. It is not about collecting consequences. It is not about romanticizing deviance. It is about becoming unprogrammable. This requires imagination. It also requires play.”

And this part where she talks more about play:

Something to cook

One of my go-to meals once we hit the hot humid days of July and August here in balmy-Maryland, is this chickpea salad. Bean salads (lentil ones too!) are great sources of protein, they last for more days than a lettuce salad, and they can be flavorful and most-importantly, COOLING when we’re having days that are so hot you have to stay inside. And, bonus, they don’t require turning on an oven or a stove.

Do you have any favorite meals for hot days?

That’s all from me for this week.

While I enjoy the Instagram-heavy newsletters, there’s also something so delightful in these iterations of Things You’ll Love, where it’s less video, longer-form, different-engagement required. I hope you dig it.

˜M

PS: Did you catch my convo with Jill this past week? We talked about Inner Mothers, small acts of delight and care, and so much more. It’s 30 minutes, so a quick listen!

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and small wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

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I got to sit down with Jill Clifton again, our second time doing this, and it felt like picking up a conversation we never really put down.

I was still coming off being properly sick last week. Sick enough that I rescheduled a public event, which is not a thing I do easily. But rather than seeing it as failure, I saw it as care.

In this conversation, we got into what care actually feels like, and the difference between breadcrumbs and what Jill called “gourmet croutons.”

Jill’s got a free workshop running right now called Orienting to the Inner Mother, more on that below.

Show Notes

• Little things that don’t fit as to-do lists: pool afternoons, garden tomatoes, warm blueberries pulled straight off the vine

• Permission as self-care: rescheduling a public event while sick, and learning that’s care.

• Breadcrumbs vs. gourmet croutons: the difference between scraping by on self-care and giving yourself something small but genuinely nourishing

• The inner mother: Jill’s workshop work on who takes care of the needs the inner child holds, and why most of us are under-resourced for it

• The socks story: Monica’s memory of a friend putting socks on her feet while she was sick, and what that moment taught her about the feeling of being cared for

• Jill’s free workshop: Orienting to the Inner Mother, running two more times (Fri the 14th and Thu the 20th) at landscapeofmothers.com

Thank you, Jill, for coming back and doing this with me again! I love these conversations more every time.

If Jill’s workshop caught your attention, you can find Orienting to the Inner Mother at landscapeofmothers.com.

It’s free, and there are two more sessions coming up.

˜M

Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and minor wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

Subscribe now

Hey everyone!

Sometimes when I put these together, they're themed, and other times, not as much so, even though each curation is deliberate.

This week's issue highlights a number of things I've found helpful over the past 6 months or so, plus some delightful seasonal items.

The weather here this morning is absolutely perfect and I want to get outside and love up on it some — about 70 F / 21 C — so I'll keep this short.

˜ With love and delight, Monica

Something to watch

If you haven’t seen Kubo and the Two Strings, you should. The movie came out in 2016, and I first saw it a few years back. The protagonist, Kubo, has only one eye, as his left one was stolen when he was an infant. Kubo cares for himself and his mother by playing his magical shamisen, which is a Japanese stringed instrument. When he plays, origami comes to life.

Kubo and his come-to-life wooden Monkey charm go off in search of his father’s armor. Along the way, they face many strong enemies. The film is stop-motion animated and just delightful all around.

Something to cook

I found this amazing Summer Toast Recipes article on Instagram, originally.

(photo from Jessie Daye’s website)

I mean, look at those. Don’t they scream summer? I think the fresh fruit is what does it the most for me. Immediately I had to share it with a friend who LOVES hot honey (the peach and burrata one). And, I’m excited to try out the brie and blackberry/cherry one. Prep time at most is under 15 minutes, and IMO, they look super luscious and extravagant, even if they’re quick to prep.

Plus, they’re beautiful. And couldn’t we all use a bit more beauty in our lives?

If you try any of them out, let us know in the comments which was your favorite!

Something to listen to

If you, like me, are of a <cough> certain age, then you may have fond memories of Reading Rainbow, Levar Burton, and the OG theme song—

We know that music is tied to memories and full sensation memories, at that. What a delight then, to stumble onto this clip, a few months back, on Instagram. It's not often that singers of theme songs get the recognition they deserve — let alone people knowing their name.

Something to help you relax

Do you know about Pandora (for music streaming)?

Well, here’s a Pandora Station that I’ve curated for about 10 years. There’s a lot of soundtrack music of the Last of the Mohicans and Outlander variety, so if you enjoy soundtrack music, especially by Bear McCreary, you’ll probably like this. I love Pandora and have used it since 2012 — just the free version, with timeouts, etc.

Do they track my algorithmic data? Maybe. I’m not sure. But, it feels the closest I can get to actual radio without radio. And recently I’ve been craving more and more analog devices, even as I use digital tools like Canva and Claude.

Something for your teens, tweens, kids, and any young ones in your life.

Okay, so each parent / relative/ auntie will have to decide for themselves at what age to share these books with the teenagers (or tweens) in their life. Of course, if you’re not the parent, check it out with the parent first before sharing these books with said tween or teen.

A friend recommended this series to me for the foster kid who’s living with me, and they actually were taking the books and reading them(!) in their room. Lots.

The series is co-written by **Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang and has fantastic illustrations that are not (too) cringe.**

Welcome to your Boobs

Welcome to your Period

Welcome to Consent

Welcome to Sex!

Something I’m Exploring

As I continue to dive into foster parenting and all that entails for me, one thing that’s really stood out is Jill Clifton‘s work on the Inner Mothers. So I’m very much looking forward to her free workshop next week, Orienting to the Inner Mother.

I'd done Inner Mother work previously, but so much more is coming up for me these days as my experiences broaden into a new area of life in parenting as a 40 something, rather than the parenting I did as a child with my siblings or parents.

That's all from me for this week! Let us know in the comments what you liked best from the smorgasbord.

˜M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Share

Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and minor wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

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Hey everyone!

Y’all. My laptop was at the shop for several weeks after water spilled on it. 😬 10/10 do not recommend. Thankfully, though, it’s back now. Subsequently, this week’s Things You’ll Love are of the IG variety; I could look through my saved ones easily on my phone and pick out the best for this week.

With love and delight, Monica

Something for whimsy

This creator on IG has a love of pastel— which usually isn’t my fave — but, I adore how they decorate and think about making their home more their own. If you look at their earliest posts, where they were still finding their voice + angle, there are lots of fun and whimsical decor ideas.

Something to read

Dante Stewart is a black, Southern, theologian from Georgia, and he frequently posts essays on IG in a carousel format. This particular short essay discusses the complexities of the multiple griefs each of us is holding these days, the complexity of the systemic oppressions… and importantly, imo, lands on a place of hopefulness and a place of action, not solely contemplation.

Something to spark hope

To me, this feels like one of the actions that Dante Stewart ends on above. A small action that recognizes others’ humanity. The regulations around clothing are absolutely designed to keep people from staying connected with their loved ones and with support.

Pax Christi NJ

Something to help you relax

Marbled-edge books being dipped into the marbled paint wasn’t on my bingo card for relaxing, but here we are. The artistry and skill surprised me, even though they shouldn’t have. Plus, it was like ASMR for the eyes.

Something to watch

This conversation with Jon Stewart between an Israeli and a Palestinian is another one that speaks to Dante Stewart’s suggestions for how to show up and be present with nuance and humanity. It’s on the longer side, but worthwhile.

Watch here

Wildcard - Something to make you laugh

We’ll all miss Stephen Colbert and the humanity and humor he brought to late night (I featured the show finale in an issue a few weeks back). This clip of him and John Krasinski leg wrestling is very… unique.
Enjoy.

My conversation with Alexis Morgan from *The Bad Hand Cast* had to be postponed due to the laptop issue, but we’re hopefully going to speak next week (!) So keep your eyes out for an email about that live getting scheduled.

Have a great week, and let me know in the comments where you found delight or joy this past week.

˜M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now

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Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and minor wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

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Hey everyone!

Happy Friday, folks! Here’s the latest collection of curiosities and wonders.

What are you seeing or finding out in the world that’s delighting you?

Something cool to see

I don’t remember how this article caught my attention, but women who are practicing their cultural craft while fighting for the environment as well?

Sounds pretty cool to me.

The documentary “The Last of the Sea Women,” out Friday on Apple TV+, explores the lives of a group of these “real-life mermaids,” as the haenyeo are known, as they strive to protect their livelihood and ancestral craft from a range of external forces.

The divers harvest abalone, sea urchins and more by venturing into dark waters without the aid of oxygen tanks or professional diving equipment, instead using instruments like nets and hoes.

In the 1960s, the haenyeo numbered in the 30,000s.

Despite being included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, today they hover around 3,200 today.

Something witchy to read

Sometimes Instagram serves up things that take me down the best of rabbit holes, and this is one of them!

As someone who publishes witch notebooks, when my friend Katherine shared this on IG, I had to see if I could find it for y’all (and for myself!).

The reel, as do many things social media, makes it seem pretty easy to track down, but that wasn’t actually the case. It took a bit of searching, but I finally found it here.

There are nearly 200 items in the collection; each one is named and photographed, and in each record you can also find a link to the digitized version of the full text, if it is currently available.

Here are some samples of what you might find:

Something to make

If you have elderberry bushes in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend that you try making elderflower cordial (or its elderberry sibling when the season is right!)

It’s a lot of work. You start with removing the flowers from the stems.

And then you end up with something like this sorted bowl full of tiny magical flowers.

Which you leave in a simple syrup for several days

and then strain out the flowers:

and you’re left with this:

The other option is to just pop the flowers into a jar and then add your favorite alcohol - vodka, grain alcohol, gin. This will allow you to make a tincture that you can use in 6-8 weeks, or a couple months, as you prefer!

Something to listen to

When I was growing up, my dad loved to listen to classical music, and as a flutist, I played a lot of classical music.

So, when this came across my Instagram feed, I knew I had to share it here. I took a deep dive into their IG and grabbed two of my favorites (the first is what brought me to their page!)

Alanna calls the music “modern classical music” and I like that name. It reminds me of some of the soundtrack composers like John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Bear McCreary, and Ramin Djawadi (realizing these were all men took me down a rabbit hole to find this list of 15 women composers).

A good friend who’s very knowledgeable about soundtrack composers said Hildur Guðnadóttir should definitely be on the list.

Wildcard — something that made me smile

It’s fitting to you that I’m writing this to you on my birthday (a week before it goes out, more or less), because this reel is ALL about birthdays, as you’ll see.

watch here

That’s it for me for this week! Also, apologies - we had to postpone last week’s live with Alexis due to my laptop dying, but we’ll reschedule it soon!

Which of today’s delights was your favorite? Tell me below!

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Share

Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and minor wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

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Hey everyone!

We’re back to a more word-centric issue this week! I loved putting these together for y’all. Some of the items I’ve been saving for over a year (phew).

Tell me which one was your favorites down below!

˜ With love and delight, Monica

Something for fun

If you enjoy rich, interwoven stories/books, this one’s for you.

Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (affiliate link. Non-affiliate link here) tells the story of Minli, a young girl, who travels away from her home, in search of changing her family’s fortune. Along the way she meets a dragon, a boy, a king, some twins, and eventually, the Old Man of the Moon.

I read this with my foster kid, over the course of several months, at bedtime, and they were enchanted, even though they’re a teenager. Lin’s full-color illustrations are stunning, and each chapter’s header includes a small pen sketch/illustration.

Thematically, the story deftly weaves in a child who’s taken on responsibilities of a parent, community, sacrifice, the power of story, and more. And, it was so delightful (and engaging) that I bought the second and third books, which are connected, but not directly tied to, Minli and her journey. (We’ve already finished the second! I’ll report back after we finish the third)

Something to read

WESTENBERG

"Passive Income" Destroyed a Generation of Entrepreneurs

I had coffee with a guy who was drop shipping jade face rollers he’d never used. Bought them on Alibaba for $1.20, sold them on Shopify for $29.99. He never talked to a single customer. Five months in, he was $800 in the hole. I bought him another coffee because I genuinely didn’t know what else to do…

Listen now

4 months ago · 8 likes · JA Westenberg

If you run a business and you’ve been online for any length of time, you need to go read this article (I know, it’s a video embed, (I originally read the article on a page that doesn’t exist anymore) but has the transcript which is the same content).

Some favorite bits:

“But passive income as an organizing philosophy for your entire business life, for how you think about work, is almost perfectly designed to produce garbage. When you make passivity the thing you’re optimizing for, you stop caring about anything a customer might actually want. Caring is active, caring takes time, caring is work.” (emphasis mine)

“The machine keeps running, it just swaps out the brochure. But I’ve started to notice a few more people talking about what I’d call “giving a shit businesses”. People who make furniture and run small companies, write software they actually use themselves. Stuff where the answer to why does your business exists isn’t to generate passive income.”

“Where it went wrong is that the whole movement confused “build a good product that scales” with “build any mechanism that extracts money without you being involved”. And I don’t think that confusion was accidental; I think the confusion was the point. Because if you’re teaching people to build real businesses, you have to sit with hard and boring questions about whether anyone actually wants what you’re selling.” (emphasis mine)

It’s kinda like he’s talking about the MLM of the online business space.

Something to watch

Last spring, I stumbled on to Dying for Sex when it originally aired on Hulu. Michelle Williams stars as Molly, a woman who leaves her husband shortly after getting a terminal cancer diagnosis. (If cancer’s touchy for you, just skip to the next segment below 💖)

As the show progresses, Molly seeks out an orgasm, which she’s never had before, and along the way uncovers trauma and falls in love again.

I fell in love with Jenny Slate who plays the lead’s (very messy) best friend, who agrees to be Molly’s cancer person and go to all the treatments, etc.

The script’s loosely based on a memoir written by Molly Kochan, and what really impressed me was how deftly the show deals with a lot of the nuances of illness and relationships.

Plus, Sissy Spacek has some amazing scenes as Molly’s mother.

Something to cook

A few years ago, some friends introduced me to the Costco Stuffed Peppers — and my life hasn’t been the same since.

These weren’t anything like I remembered stuffed peppers tasting! They were savory and had layers of umami to them.

I loved them so much that I had to figure out how to make them from home, and finally, this spring, I got to experiment with some recipes.

If you, too, like the idea of stuffed peppers, but don’t have a Costco nearby, try combining these two recipes:

https://howto.cooking/recipes/easy-copycat-costco-stuffed-peppers/

https://foodiecreator.com/costco-stuffed-pepper/

I like to combine whatever cheeses I have on hand, not just the parmesan that the recipes focus on, and then I also add cheese to the top for broiling at the very end. Be careful, or you might, like me, end up with a layer of black carbon instead of cheesy on the top.

Something to help if you have pets

I could’ve used something like this quality of life assessment (that one of my friend’s recently shared) when my first cat Jade got sick.

The assessment helps you walk through what’s important for your pet and helps you think ahead about how you’ll navigate what’ll inevitably be a hard thing.

Wildcard: Something cozy for you!

This one’s another book! If you enjoy cozy magical romances, check out this romance, Winter Wishes at Full Moon Diner, by Ali Sterling, about an efficiency expert who inherits a magical diner with an attractive cook who makes the most enchanted food. Sparks (literally) fly as their worlds collide.

(I worked on the cover, edits, and maybe even some character names 😉 for this one)

Plus! If you prefer to listen to your books, an audiobook with Virtual Voices just came out, for your ears to enjoy. 😊

Well, looking back over this issue, it sure is reading-heavy. Guess that’s the sort of vibe I’m going for this week. Enjoy, and I’ll see y’all here in a couple weeks with another issue!

And next week, on June 23rd (during my birthday week!) for a live with Bunny Morgan Brown of The Bad Hand Cast, where we’ll discuss magic and more.

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and minor wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

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Hey everyone!

Last issue, I spoke briefly about my family chaos over the past 9 months.

Today, I wanted to touch on the other factor that led to pausing this newsletter.

The name: Things I’m Loving.

When I first started this several years ago, it was prompted by a conversation with a friend. She’d spoken of always saving whatever I sent their way: the things I was loving in the moment. But over time, the focus on me in the name of the newsletter fell flat.

Things I’m Loving has always come together because I know so many interesting people with diverse interests and opinions. And, the whole idea of the commons and keeping everything not paywalled, supported by those who are able to financially contribute, is again, not just about me. It’s about community and gathering.

So, today, I want to share with you the new name: Things You’ll Love. This name re-orients the newsletter to both the individual ‘you’ and the plural /communal ‘you’ (English is such a useless language in this way, compared to the Romance languages, which have a plural you. I think the closest we have is something akin to ‘y’all). I can’t promise that you’ll love every thing I share, but my hope is that at least one of the things in each issue adds to your week.

And with that, let’s dive into this week’s finds, which are Instagram-focused again (next issue we’ll be back to a broader net of sources).

˜ With love and delight, Monica

Something to brighten your week.

Generally, I hate all the cameras we have around. However, I’m grateful in this instance for a home’s backyard camera that captured the specificity of this playtime between a mama bear and her cubs. Hope you enjoy it too!

Something to make you smile

Two grown men following the dance moves of children? Yes please. Never fails to make me smile.

Some news to make your day

Click here to watch it

Did you know that there was a woman who ran the Boston Marathon before the first woman to run it as a participant?

I love how this story demonstrates a couple things:

1. the layers of change-making that occur before a new norm is possible. Bobbie Gibbs ran the marathon in 1966 but wasn’t an official participant (like Katherine Switzer was in 1967).

2. the multi-dimensionalness of a person where we get to see both athleticism and creativity/artistic skill and talent

Something to inspire creativity

Artists amaze me. What a functional and beautiful table to have in your home.

Something to delight you

This traveling museum of “tiny, lost, and forgotten things” is full of whimsy and joy: the sounds of people touching different items, the colors and attention to detail. I really hope this museum comes through Maryland at some point so I can check it out.

Which item caught your attention??

Wildcard: Something to bring joy

Stephen Colbert will be missed. And, this sequence was really incredible. I’m not as familiar with ‘Jump Up’, so it meant very little. But the second half, where they’re all singing ‘Hello Goodbye’ had me crying by the end. The mixture of joy and grief and celebration and loss. It’s what life’s really all about, isn’t it?

Clearly I had a LOT to share when I was putting this one together. I hope that y’all found something that tickled your fancy or made you pause or dance or smile or sing.

Which of today’s delights was your favorite? Tell me below!

˜M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Share

Hi, I’m Monica. Things You’ll Love is where I share what I’m collecting: books, music, recipes, slow rituals, and small wonders. Think of it as my kitchen table. You’re always welcome here.

Subscribe now

Welcome to this very first Substack live! I had the pleasure to chat with my friend and colleague .

Jill is a writer, ocean scientist, and the creator of Landscape of Mothers. We met through Randi Buckley’s boundaries work, pre-pandemic, and we’ve been in each other’s orbits ever since.

During our chat, we talked about recapturing your own attention: what that means, why it matters, and what the natural world has to do with it.

Related: We discussed what it means to belong somewhere that isn’t made of noise, and the birds in our yards — the mockingbirds at my suet feeder and the cowbird at Jill’s.

I think you’ll love her.

For anyone who wants to keep going with what we talked about today, find Jill at landscapeofmothers.com and on Substack.

Her email course Mother Nature starts June 3rd with a live gathering on June 17th. I’m taking it and I cannot wait!

And for those of you who are new here: thank you for showing up. This newsletter is a place to notice what’s worth noticing, and conversations like this one are part of how we do that together.

~M

PS:
If you’re checking this out after June 3rd, explore Jill’s work here.

This publication is free, and it will stay that way. These conversations are the kind that make you want to go pour a cup of something slow and look out the window. If that feels supportive to you, consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Either way, I appreciate you.

Subscribe now

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Hey everyone!

It’s hard for me to believe that I haven’t sent y’all one of these since August, but here we are, and it’s nearly the end of May.

My family plate has been one of those circus acts, where the performer starts out and they’re lackadaisically juggling a few plates to an upbeat song… and by the end of the act, they’re tossing a dozen flaming bowling pins and sharp knives into the air and you’re on the edge of your seat, hoping that the ambulance doesn’t get called in, as heavy classical death/fight music is playing and you’re not sure if you’re in a mosh pit or at a public execution.

During the chaos, I didn’t feel like I had time to curate and gather, to select and write up, items that I thought you all would love. Everything was full gas and it’s only in the past few weeks that I’ve felt like I could exhale a smidge (although those fiery pins and stabby knives are still freewheeling in the air, I’m at least not a novice anymore).

AND, as I reflected on everything that’s gone on in my personal (and familial) life, to say nothing of the world flaming out in all the ways, I realized that during the past months, seeking out these delights, might have actually helped.

So I’m back at my proverbial desk, typing to you from my sofa, writing up some future issues so that if I get tossed something else dangerous to juggle, I don’t have to worry about injuring myself or someone else.

More news next time on a long-coming name change to the publication(!!!)

Without further ado, I present to you another instagram-focused issue (and very short intros, to get us started again).

˜ With love and delight, Monica

Something to make you smile

When I was in high school, one of my classmate’s brothers was able to sing like Kermit the Frog. This cute choral arrangement took me back to that. I love how the school supported this talent.

Something to stop you in your tracks

Bet you didn’t know Whitney could sing opera! I definitely didn’t.

Something for hope

Given the egregious history of residential schools in the United States, there’s something deeply important about this celebration, about the joyfulness and full-bodiedness of these youth at their high school prom, a quintessential rite of passage.

Something to get you moving

Videos of littles dancing around almost feels like a cheat code to any sort of bad day.

Something to delight your ears

What a matchup this is! As a flautist, I approve.

Something to help you slow down

Dolly Parton is a national treasure, and hearing this cover of one of her older songs was a delight.

Wildcard- Something to strengthen you

I can’t recall how I first came to this, but it might be my favorite haka I’ve ever seen.

That’s it for me this week! Thanks for hanging around through the break and savoring this week’s issue.

Which of today’s delights was your favorite? Tell me below!

˜M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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This publication is many things. It’s part love letter to small delights that make us pause and smile, part face-forward reckoning with the harder stuff. It’s a place to find a new recipe or song or artist or craft. It’s about joy and grief, loss and the immense gratitude of being alive.

And hopefully, it’s a place you’ll come to love as much as I do.

I grew up in community (literally, in a cult 🤣) around tables, in kitchens, in the kind of spaces where something is always simmering or baking. That sensibility is baked into everything I do.

I believe that to be human means to belong — both to belong in the traditional sense we mean that word and to “be-long(ing)” as in longing for something beyond the human experience.

I believe in radical generosity.

I believe in small acts of tenderness and kindness (NOT the same thing as niceness) that accumulate into something meaningful.

One more thing I believe about belonging: We don’t have to be okay to belong — and we don’t have to trauma-bond to find belonging either.

So this is a space where I don’t pretend, and hopefully you don’t have to either. It’s a space of nuance and delight, of joy and community.

Welcome.

What you’ll find here

A mix of things I collect along the way, that I share here in the hope of making your days a bit more joyful. Books, music, slow rituals and strange internet findings - like a cabinet of curiosities meant to awaken your sense of wonder.

Imagine this to be my kitchen table, where you’re always welcome to take a seat. Grab a spoon, explore, open the archive pantry whenever you need more — you’ll always find plenty. Leave a comment when something makes you smile, and share it with a friend.

If you love what you find here and would like to support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I appreciate you.

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A few ways to go deeper

Mindful Moments: 52 Prompts on the Sacred and Mundane is available and I’m delighted it’s in the world. If you have a copy, I’d love to hear how it’s helped you, and see a picture of it!

Strategy work: I work with a small number of people on business strategy. If that’s you, you’ll find more info on my website here

Book editing: I help writers shape their manuscripts. Reach out if you’re working on something.

~M

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This issue is very nearly completely brought to you by my taking pics of things I’m using and doing in my day-to-day at home.

Enjoy the peek inside Casa de Monica!

Something for grieving

I first heard of this book from my cousin, Laura (who runs the best facebook group in the world, btw), when she organized a Cookie Table for the folks in Uvalde.

Tear Soup tells the story of Grandy, a woman who’s suffered a big loss. Although Laura had introduced me to the book a few years back, it wasn’t until this past year that it felt like a book I needed in my house. The book is great for kids and adults who are mourning ANYTHING— and it does a brilliant job of talking to the uniqueness in each person’s loss experience, as well as the truth of loss not just being about death.

Something to read

Back at the end of July, I returned to Good Contrivance Farm, where I’ve taken multiple writing classes, for an author event with Ross Gay. Like a good literary citizen, I brought my copies of Gay’s books. BUT, I didn’t have his most recent, The Book of (More) Delights, and so I bought it from the local bookshop rep who was there.

Boy am I glad I did. I’ve been reading through these in the morning with my single cup of espresso. What a good way to anchor the start of my day.

Here’s one I read recently and absolutely loved.

Something to help you relax

Several months ago I found kits for the two brighter images below at my local Five Below and grabbed them for my nieces to do while they visited. In a plot twist, I ended up doing the sun/moon one on my own and one of my nieces worked on the fruit one a couple weeks back!

What I realized as I worked on the sun/moon one was that the slow, methodical application of the diamond gems was relaxing and meditative. Some people do cross stitch or embroidery — I fell in love with moving tiny parts onto a slightly sticky pad that had color coded numbers and letters.

You can see in the fairy image above how the process looks as you go along.

There are loads of these on Amazon, but I’m trying to link there less, so feel free to do some digging there on your own!

Something to help you slow down

I’m using my own book to help me take some time and exhale 😅.

Here’s a prompt I saw today and thought y’all might enjoy.

The picture is of two bowls with bread dough rising and the prompt asks:

“How can you proactively carve out space from some breathing room?”

Wildcard- Something that brought me joy

I love sending and receiving mail. Nothing’s more exciting than finding an unexpected piece of real mail in my mailbox.

Here’s a piece I recently received, from a business strategy client of mine. Isn’t the sticker she made so fun???

From selecting the actual card, to the pen color, and stickers on the envelope, sending a note can be just as exciting as putting together a care package.

That’s it from me this week!

What are some of the things YOU’RE LOVING? Let us know in the comments. Maybe it’ll spark something for another person. 😊

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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It’s been a full couple weeks over here. Last week I drove down to Memphis, TN (in a car without air conditioning) and back to Maryland over the course of 3 days(!). My 12-year-old niece is visiting me and we drive back again this Friday (by the time you’re reading this, we’ll hopefully be a few hours into our drive already) for a day, then back again, to Maryland on Sunday. Am I bonkers? Maybe. ;) But I sure do love my nieces.

Also, last week my soon-to-be brother in law was diagnosed with lymphoma and they began chemo immediately. Again, by the time you read this, he’ll be home from the hospital and doing the post-chemo session healing/hell. My brother set up a GoFundMe, if you’re interested in learning more or checking out more details about his particular flavor of lymphoma.

So yeah. Pretty full week, even with normal life stuff happening.

I really love looking for these moments of delight and joy to share with y’all. They help me, too.

Something for play

Okay. Hear me out. Kinetic or play sand.

You can buy it at the store (Five Below often has some or any of the many Dollar store iterations). You can make your own, like this 2-ingredient recipe or this 3-ingredient one.

If you want to fancy it up, use food coloring to bring in some extra pop or joy. Or, use something like purple yam flakes to add natural colors if you want to avoid food dyes. (Avocado pits will make purple dye, and onion peels a goldish hue, did you know?)

There are loads of recipes out there— some titled moon sand, others titled play or kinetic. The DIY recipes aren’t actually true kinetic sand — for that you’d need to coat the “sand particles” with silicone, and that’s just not possible for most folks to do at home.

I bought some kinetic sand that was pink and added little toys from a dollar store. Using a plastic container keeps the mess contained + portable. Playing with filling molds or just scraping the surface with a fork has been fun and grounding (both of which I can use more of!)

Something to listen to

It’s not often that I find a new musical that really captures my imagination and pulls me in. But SIX is one of them. Pandora served it up for me on one of my 10 or 15 year old stations and I absolutely love it.

SIX tells the story of six of Henry VIII’s wives, and it's told in the format of a Reality TV show pop competition, ala American Idol or The Voice, almost. If you want to check out the entire musical, I found it here on YouTube.

Something to help you relax

This simple body scan from YouTube is something I’ve been doing with my niece in the morning. The animations are interesting, and keep her attention. It’s a 3 minute mediation of checking in with your body.

I don’t always do this sort of morning meditation, but it’s nice to be experimenting with different ways to access relaxation and calm.

Will report back if I see anything significant as far as impact. 😊

Something to watch

Okay. So this technically falls into “something to listen to” as well, but I’m putting it here, because the visual aspect is the coolest part.

If you like epic music, you have to check out this playlist of fan art animations that accompany EPIC: The Musical.

EPIC was another musical that Pandora served me up alongside SIX mentioned above. Every once in a while they hit one outta the park with the algorithm, and that week I was super lucky and got two. 😆

EPIC is a nine-part series that tells Homer’s Odyssey in musical form. Apparently, it was a TikTok sensation— Jorge Rivera-Herrans started to work on it in 2019 as his senior college thesis.

I hope you enjoy this musical as much as I do!

Wildcard - Something I’m proud of

Look at these beautiful bath items from Avril at Beautiful Freak Cosmetics!

The soap bar is reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf figurine that's roughly 30,000 years old, the stars are shower steamers and the jar contains similarly color-themed bath salts. (I used the salts last night and they’re glorious and shimmery). The journal (designed by me) contains a self-love ritual + spell written by Sara Mastros.

If you’re interested in purchasing any version of the items combined into a kit, they’re listed here.

I don’t get any earnings from these, just really love Avril’s work and was super delighted to be a part of this collaboration.

That’s all for this week!

My only other news is that I’m still sharing Mindful Moments: 52 Prompts on the Sacred and Mundane which came out a couple weeks ago!

If you’ve ordered a copy, I’d love to see a picture of you holding it and/or know what you think!! Even though there’s been loads happening, I’m super delighted that it’s in the world.

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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As much as I can’t stand Zuckerface and his sprawling company, IG was at one time a balm— and I find it can still be one, if you can manage to work around the algorithm.

Without further ado, here are some things to delight and carry you through the next few weeks!

Something(s) to read

Hungry for some books that speak to the moment we’re living in?

Toi offers thoughtful and nuanced perspectives, and I really appreciated this list of books that she curated.

I’m especially looking forward to reading Care and Dignity Not Debt.

Something I’m loving

I’m not usually a fan of covers, except when they offer a new interpretation of the song that piques my curiosity. This cover of Radiohead’s Creep, featuring a mother/son duo does just that.

If you enjoy this, check out the original source of the reel, over on YouTube.

Something to inspire you

There are certain songs that carry my spirit up, even when the lyrics aren’t particularly inspiring. Hozier’s Take me to Church is one of those songs (a bonus, and I think I’ve featured it here before - his song Nina Cried Power also feeds the depths of me.)

Are Hozier’s songs so powerful because he grew up in Ireland in the 90s? I don’t know. But, I do know this rendition of Take Me to Church that crossed my feed was everything I needed in the moment.

One Day Choir + Hozier for the win.

And of course, any listening of this song wouldn’t be complete without the breathtaking beauty of Sergei Polunin’s dancing.

Wildcard #1 - Something to make you laugh

To me, this reel epitomizes the delight that IG can still offer, when the algo gods are working in your favor. Make sure you have sound on.

Wildcard #2 - Something to ground you

If you’re at all interested in inner healing in a way that doesn’t just navel gaze inward, but also looks at the bigger picture and transformation at the ancestral, communal, and other levels, then you have to check out Jill’s workshop next Tuesday!

When I first read Jill’s seminal work, Landscape of Mothers, I knew that the framework she teaches was applicable for me in my life, and therefore for more than just mothers. And, I’m so excited that she’s starting to share more about other lenses to use as you approach the work.

That’s it for me from this week! See you in a couple weeks.

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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Mindful Moments: 52 Prompts on the Sacred + Mundane is officially live and available for purchase!

This book, which has been such a quiet (and sometimes frustrating) labor of love, went out into the world, yesterday, with a steady hum that mirrored my work on it since this past December.

I am so deeply grateful to share this with you, and especially grateful to all who’ve received photo prompts over on my Patreon over the years.

My hope is that this book will offer balm and respite amongst the noise and chaos of the times we live in.

The prompts are simple, but powerful.

Skim through the book or just pick one image to chew on. The choice is yours.

I hope you’ll consider grabbing a copy for yourself. I know there’s lots to hate about Amazon, but I am grateful that I can easily produce and publish a book with the tools they offer.

If you do order a copy, send me an email with proof of purchase (monica@monicaherald.com) and let me know! I’ll send you a PDF version of the book so you have an electronic copy as well.

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming this Friday with the latest issue of Things I’m Loving!

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Happy June, y’all!

By the time you read this, I’ll have just turned 42 (iykyk).

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Something to read

On a whim I ordered Robin Wall Kimmerer’s latest book, The Serviceberry, a couple months back. For weeks, it became my morning companion while I drank my espresso. Both, the type of experience you savor.

We need more serviceberry in our lives — the sort of communal giving and support (reciprocity) she talks about as she explores the plant and her relationship with it. The book features beautiful illustrations that reminded me of old school plant drawings from field guides.

Here’s an excerpt I loved:

Something to make

My local Costco sells a VERY LARGE box of goat chunks; and although I didn’t purchase it immediately, I finally did!

After breaking down the box into smaller bagged portions, I made this goat curry recipe. As someone who loves Indian food, I’m always on the lookout for great recipes that taste like Indian food you’d get at a restaurant or at someone’s house (psst: did you know that there are LOTS of different types of Indian cuisines, not just what we get in restaurants here in the US).

This recipe really nailed the spice profile in a perfect way. Feel free to add or subtract heat per your taste preferences.

Here are some pics of my cooking process + my final taste.

1. Toasting the spices is a multi-step process 🙃. Here’s the first step!

2. Adding the goat cubes.

3. It’s pretty liquidy here - at this point the goat is cooking and I’m waiting for some of the liquid to boil away.

4. The liquid has simmered away and this was my final product before divvying up into freezer containers and eating it. 😊

5. Success!! Tastes + smells AHH-Mazing.

Something to watch

Dick Van Dyke. There’s not much more to say.

I love Coldplay’s music — especially their earlier stuff — and I love Dick Van Dyke.

Watching the joy and delight in Van Dyke’s face, was so much fun. It’s rare to see folks this old (can you believe he’s a 99 year old man in this?) celebrated, and I’ll always highlight this type of thing when I see it. We need more like this.

The retrospective of Van Dyke throughout his career is also a delight; and he can still sing—kinda.

Something to protect your health

I first learned about Flo Masks from my youngest brother. Although it’s not “cool” to talk about masks anymore, I think it’s super important to keep using them, especially in large outdoor gatherings and in the day to day errands and/or travel.

What I love about the Flo Mask is that it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a mask, really. There’s a giant gap (intentional + sealed) around your mouth area and this is wildly different from how the paper / one use masks are.

Another fun thing about the Flo Mask is that you can customize the cover. I haven’t customized mine, but something about having a fun cover makes it feel cooler than not having one.

Wildcard - Something I’m proud of

It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over a year since I first published the Hekate Journal notebook, a collaboration between Sara Mastros and me(!!!) — the first of the Witch Notebooks series.

Although I’d begun to experiment with the notebooks in January 2024, it wasn’t until we worked together that I really found the format I loved.

We made another notebook after that (the Solomon one I mentioned a few months back) and now I’m in the process of collaborating on notebook series with several other teachers + writers…

I love this work. It feels creative and meaningful.

In personal news, the thing I’m loving most right now is that my brother and his partner of many years got engaged recently and we’ve finally added Malik to the family group chat (#NowItsReal). The best part of this was that they both planned on asking each other on the same trip— and Malik called each of us before the trip to ask our blessings (totally unnecessary), so we ALL KNEW. It brought so much delight, waiting and being in on the secret from both sides.

P.S: I have a tiny book coming out soon!!! It’s called Mindful Moments, and I’ll share more with you here in the next issue. If you follow me over on Patreon, you’ll get some info next week. 🙂

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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The week before this past week was a busy(!) week. I participated in the Mess of Success summit and then on Friday, thanks to a county grant program, my furnace, hot water heater, and heat pump were all replaced(!) At one point there were six different crews of guys in my (tiny) house. 😮

With such a busy week, I had fun putting this week’s TIL together in a low key sort of way. That’s what my nervous system needs anyways.

Hope you find something here that tickles your fancy!

Something that defies categorization

Have you seen the movie Sing Sing?

Until this past weekend, I hadn’t.

This movie tells the story of imprisoned men who participate in a program called Rehabilitation Through the Arts and the transformation and healing that occurs in this space.

*At some point in the future, I may write an essay about the movie. But for now I’ll share a few summary thoughts with you.*

• The movie was co-written and contributors included folks who’d been incarcerated. Many of the actors were also formerly incarcerated.

• The movie wasn’t prison porn or tragedy porn. It was real and nuanced and complex. That’s possible when you have #ownvoices involved and spearheading the telling of their own stories.

• It’s also the story of men loving and supporting men in a vulnerable way. They fight, they cry, they celebrate and encourage.

• For the production of the film, they hired a therapist to be there and present to the former inmates, to address anything that came up while they were in prison garb, in actual prisons. How responsible of them. They also had pay equity for everyone involved in the film, not just the actors.

Although this poster says coming soon, the movie itself premiered in 2023.

In a time where hope continues to be something we must actively watch for and tend to, this movie added so much hope to my week.

Here are two quotes that really capture what I think was most incredible about the film.

“There are times when a film can give you a glimpse of hope about humanity, about the human condition that mostly goes unseen, and about real human connection with others. It can shape how you view the world and others. That's the deep impact films have - if you're lucky. And that comes wonderfully packaged in the beautifully poetic film Sing Sing.”

– Trust the Process: A Conversation with the Filmmakers Behind the Critically Acclaimed Film ‘Sing Sing’ via Script Magazine

and

Our Take: Superior dramas inevitably find a way to present micro- and macro-conflicts through thoughtful writing that emphasizes depth of character and inspired performances like Domingo and Maclin give in Sing Sing. Such films work exposition into granular detail and give us a sense of what’s truly happening without stating it outright. And so Sing Sing is absolutely not a putting-on-a-show narrative building tension to the big third-act drawing of the curtain, but rather, a ruminative exploration of three exquisitely layered conflicts: The ideologically suspect foundation of a punitive American prison system, the existential weight on men incarcerated justly or unjustly, and the inner identity crises of Divine G and Divine Eye.

– Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Sing Sing’ on Max, a Deeply Moving Prison Drama Featuring an Oscar-Nominated Performance By Colman Domingo via Decider

Something to make you laugh

Okay. Now I know you’re saying to yourself (unless you have teenagers or are super into internet trends) WHY am I looking at this weird pic of your face, Monica? I know I still ask myself that everytime I see a pic like this.

I was first introduced to this angle photo (I think it’s called a .5 photo?) when we were all in TN for my brother-in-law’s funeral in January. We were eating at a Mexican restaurant, the night before the funeral, and my youngest brother, who’s also much cooler than I went around and took these photos of each of us from above.

Since then, I’ve received an innumerable amount of these from my nieces and sent my fair share.

I’ll admit. I don’t understand it one bit.

But, I know it keeps me connected to them, and harms nobody, so I’m in.

If you don’t have teenagers or tweens that are into this, maybe touch base with some other fun way to stay connected to the folks you love and care about.

Something(s) to listen to

Also via my nieces.

This Good Kid song, Mimi’s Delivery Service, is definitely the whitest of white alternative indie rock. The band itself is out of Canada (so sorry to all my Canadians for the dumbo who keeps threatening y’all’s sovereignty).

My nieces are capital O obsessed with this band. The tunes are catchy and remind me of early to mid Good Charlotte.

As always, if you have a song or band to recommend, please let me know! I’m always on the lookout for interesting music and my tastes are varied and far-reaching.

Wildcard: Something cool

I thought this post from Badger Run Wildlife Rehab on Facebook was really neat. I love how it’s sharing about animal communal care.

My friend who runs The Drachenhohle pointed out when they shared the post that:

“Animals understand community, even across lines of genus and species”

A necessary reminder for these days and times.

That’s it from me for this week!

If you enjoyed this and know someone else who’d find value in it, please pass it along and share with them. (and welcome to our new subscribers!)

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

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The days are long but the years are short, and boy am I feeling that this past month.

How about y’all?

Something to bring you (and others) joy

Many years ago — 2009? 2010? I discovered Postcrossing and immediately dove headfirst into sending postcards.

Why? Well, as a kid I’d collected stamps, and who didn’t love mail. Postcrossing seemed like the perfect way to combine the two + my love of travel and learning about different cultures and peoples.

At some point (maybe 2016? 2017?) I stopped sending or receiving postcards — I forgot about Postcrossing, kinda like Jackie Paper seemed to forget Puff the Magic Dragon. But then a few weeks ago, a FB friend (Shari) shared about her discovery of Postcrossing and it reminded me all over again of how much I loved it.

The timing seems right to share it with y’all, for with all the fearmongering and othering that’s happening (and despots talking about annexing other countries), connecting with people around the world seems more important than ever.

Something to listen to

Back in 2006, I worked for a hot minute at a local church as a youth minister/pastor. Although there’s lots of awful that happened during that time, one good thing that remains is the multiple friendships that are still a part of my life.

My friend Megan and I were recently saying how can it be that we’ve been friends for nearly 20 years — I read at her wedding, threw her baby shower, and now that baby is going to be attending high school in the fall (what?!).

Back in the early days of the pandemic, Megan and I started to watch TV shows over Zoom every Wednesday night and continued for maybe 3 years before life got back in the way.

Recently I was texting Megan and bemoaning how we hadn’t seen each other in a long time (and boy did I miss the days of watching weekly tv with her, but it didn’t seem like the season for it now). She asked if I’d heard this song before and when I said no, shared the video with me.

I love how there’s conflict in the song among the friends, but also a familiarity and an ability to agree + disagree.

Idk about you, but I for one, am doubling down on nourishing and tending to the connections and relationships in my life.

They keep me standing… and vice versa.

Something to help you slow down (if you run a business)

On Monday March 24th, my talk for the Mess of Success Summit (affiliate link!) will go live!

The summit, hosted by Ruth Poundwhite, is having honest behind-the-scenes convos about what it’s like to navigate business with different types of challenges.

In my presentation, I talk about my experience as someone who lives with depression and chronic pain + a neurodivergentesque brain. I also share some tips about what I’ve found that helps me run my business alongside depression + back pain.

The summit is free to attend— and has some upgrade options for lifetime access to recordings.

Wildcard- something that made me laugh-cry

Y’all have to go look through this entire slide.

The one that had me in tears though, was the astrological signs as cats and dogs.

It’s another short + sweet one for y’all this week.

My nieces have been here (and they’re my other TIL, if I’m being honest w/y’all 😉) and leave in a couple days, so I wanna spend as much time as possible with them til then.

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

I hope your holidays were smooth and that you’re finding ways to connect and recharge despite all the troubling things happening in the world.

For my part, the end-of-year holidays were truncated when my brother-in-law died unexpectedly the day after Christmas. It’s impacted my sister and nieces more than me, and, seeing someone my own age suddenly dead by a health-related surprise was sobering in its own right.

In the midst of this, I’ve shuffled along with little sparkles of joy and delight, as well as a hefty dose of loved ones to keep me going. And with that, here are three things I’m loving right now that are getting me through the days.

Something to bring joy

Okay, so I know we’ve had Richard Simmons here before, but this particular song is worth clicking through to, if you’re of a certain age (and definitely if you’re of that age and from the USA).

My friend in Ohio and I started back up with our FaceTime Richard Simmons mornings, and it’s a bit of a wheel of fortune sort of roll of the dice to see which Richard Simmons video we do. This was one of our more recent ones, and neither of us could make it through this song without laughing.

Our process is simple: at 9 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we FT and do 15-20 min of a video (mostly) together, synced up as best as possible. Having someone to do the video with makes it more fun and more likely that I’ll actually take action. Since uncovering this song, I’ve gone back to it several times on my own, just for the laughter (and endorphins!).

Something to cut through the noise

If you’re following along with any of Trump and Musk’s shenanigans, you know that the onslaught of updates is even worse than last time, both in frequency and in impact. And, that it’s really challenging to discern what’s important to pay attention to, what’s actually happening, and to avoid doomscrolling.

One way I’ve managed to short circuit this is through my friend Avril Korman’s Street Politics group - it’s informative, succinct, and hopeful.

As my friend Sara Mastros described in her most recent newsletter,

“Avril grew up enmeshed in the trenches of NYC democratic politics; she really understands all the gritty, shady reality of how politics works, and is great at explaining it. Avril is who I most trust to stay on top of all the terrible, dig through all the noise, and know what’s important and what’s theatrics to keep plebs like me distracted.

She has a weekly livestream, and moderates a community of smart, educated people…discussing politics, called ‘Street Politics’.”

At $5/month to subscribe, it’s a steal and well-worth the price of admission.

Something to delight you

Lastly, these hand-crafted dollhouse miniatures are absolutely delighting me.

Facebook pushed several groups to my feed (I have no idea how) and I am not mad about it. I love seeing people’s resourcefulness with everyday items that many folks just toss into the bin.

Although I haven’t jumped in myself (yet, hahahahaha), I did find several additional groups and pages to follow so that these gems jump into my feed more often.

It’s a short one this week, folks! Next time we’ll be back to our normal 4-5.

In the meantime, as always, if you find something you’re loving, let me know so I can check it out!

~M

Something for beauty

I've been lucky enough to watch these beautiful ladies as Theresia's drawn them and then turned them into stationary that you can frame as a print or send to a beloved…

There's something magical about them, isn't there?

I immediately claimed one of the prints she had available a few weeks back and I can't wait to order some of the packs of cards so I can mail them to clients.

You can find more info about them here.

Something to make you laugh

I've had this “Gift Guide for People You Hate” saved for a few years now, waiting to share it with y’all. This year feels like the right moment.

If you enjoy satire, this is for you.

Hopefully you're not “of the people grudgingly buying an obligatory and hopefully inexpensive gift for someone they can’t stand.”

PSsssss: If you are, remember— you don't have to!

Something to savor

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the flavor combo of Mint + Chocolate. In fact, my favorite candy bar evvveeerrrrr is the ever-elusive, usually not-in-production Hershey's Cookie 'N’ Mint bar.

My sister may have bought me a full box of them at Wal-Mart one year when they were brought back for a short time. That box lived in my freezer for over a year(!) as I enjoyed them slowly.

But, I've found a frighteningly close runner-up for my fav combo of this flavor profile.

It's the Fannie May Mint Meltaways. One of my friends brought them back for me after a trip to Chicago.

Ya’ll. They are divine. Smooth doesn't begin to capture how silky they feel in your mouth. And the flavor is the perfect balance of mint/chocolate without an overpowering mint or an underwhelming mint. That's HARD to do.

Something to help you relax

Over the past few weeks I've had a few stressful things happening.

Instead of turning to video games, books, food, or movement, I turned to decorating for the winter early.

For the first time ever, I discovered WINDOW CLINGS. And I have to say, I am a convert. They're all over the windows in my home and I'm going to leave them up through a chunk of March, probably.

Here's a picture of the upstairs window at the front of my house:

And here is my back dining room area:

And finally, here's my guest room (which I got ready for my brother who was staying overnight during Thanksgiving week).

I purchased an inordinate amount of these, but I figure that they're good for many years to come. You can find them all over, but the village was hard to find, so I'll share that one with you!

Something to help you slow down

One easy meal that I've been enjoying the past few weeks is homemade wonton soup. I found a discounted bag of pre-made wontons and have been adding them to my own broth. It's a quick meal — the only real waiting time is for the flavors to meld together in the broth.

I've been using a combination of this recipe, this recipe, and this recipe, along with my own add-ins from other sites.

Here's my rough approximation in case you'd like to try:

Pull out chicken stock and pour into pot (I use my own frozen/pre-made, but you can also purchase in store).

Gather the following:

1. soy sauce

2. sesame oil (dark or toasted is great)

3. sriracha

4. salt/ pepper

5. fresh ginger

6. green onions / scallions

Add to broth to taste. For me I had the highest amount of soy sauce, a few swirls of sesame oil, a good squirt of sriracha and a giant chunk of (sliced) ginger. The ginger is an addition from a local Chinese restaurant's recipe.

Adjust each time you make until you land on the perfect combo for your palate.

Bring broth to a boil and add wontons. If desired, add fresh greens (spinach, kale, collards, etc) at the very end.

Although I haven't gotten the recipe to 100%, it's pretty close and I'm really pleased with it.

Wildcard: Something to protect your privacy

Finally, if you're interested in protecting your biometric (and other) data, especially with holiday travel, you'll want to check out this site.

Someone I follow on Instagram created it, and I've found it super helpful. I used the languaging they recommend when I traveled over the summer to and from Italy, to opt out of having my face scanned at Customs and at the airport security line.

Hope your next two weeks have some moments of calm and joy, despite the holiday hustle that's been creeping up on us since October.

~M

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This is a softer collection of Things I'm Loving — but that was how I was feeling when I'd originally selected them back in mid-October(!)

Something for play

If you loved fridge word magnets and you like Cards Against Humanity or Apples To Apples, you might want to check out this cool game:

Ransom Notes

I haven't played it with others yet, but I have used it to get my own creative juices going in the morning.

Thanks to Maggie Piper for putting it on my radar!

Something that might make you cry

I stumbled onto Grave of the Fireflies accidentally and watched it because it was a Studio Ghibli film.

Early on in the movie, I was distracted for a moment, which left me surprised and devastated by the ending (as I missed a key reveal).

The film is based on the short story written by Akiyuki Nosaka; it's a semi-autobiographical story about his experience during the bombing of Kobe in 1945. During that time, his adoptive father, an adoptive sister, and another sister all died.

Although the film was sad, it also was beautiful and tender. It brought into (even sharper) relief the experience of children in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Libya, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

I don't have answers, but I do know that sometime have personalized examples of the impact (anecdotal) are more tangible than words like 100,000 or 2 million or "casualties” versus "dead children, mothers, grandmothers, fathers,” etc.

Something beautiful to watch

About a month ago I saw the Northern Lights FROM MY BACKYARD in Maryland (USA). Experiencing that magic reminded me of this beautiful short film shared with me by Sami Storyteller, Stina Fagertun about 18 months ago.

The film is silent, the animation enchanting, and the story engaging.

Give yourself the gift of 6 minutes to watch and let it fill you up. It tells of the creation of the night sky, the constellations, and the gifts of the animals.

Wildcard: Something to prompt delight

I have no idea where I learned of this site, but maybe it was on Facebook?

The site is in Japanese, but the images need no words. The craftsmanship and skill that must go into creating these works of art is incredible.

Their Instagram account has an abundance of pieces. Here are some of my favorites.

Because this is only coming out a week apart from the previous TIL, I've kept this issue on the shorter side.

I hope that as we head into the end of the year madness, you're able to find things and people who can keep you grounded and energized.

˜Monica

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