Three Things

and some thoughts about this and that

Ohhhh, hi! Hello there, lovelies! How are you holding up? It’s so much. But don’t despair! There are so many of us. We are here, together, dependent and depending on each other (as always) and wide awake.

This is how wide awake I am! Ha ha ha. I cannot recommend it enough.

I’m trying to commit to a practice of gentleness, courage, and presence. I know it sounds like I’m writing you a postcard from bible camp, ha ha ha! But I really am! (Committing to that practice—not writing you from bible camp.) I’m trying to bring gentleness into my interactions with loved ones and strangers as a kind of resistance to brutality. I’m trying to be courageous in calling my elected officials via the 5calls app, every single day, so they can say, “My constituents are awake! And they will not tolerate the harm and suffering you mean to inflict!” I’m trying to donate uncomfortable amounts of money to organizations I believe in (this is a luxury that I can enjoy right now thanks to some recent international sales of my books—I know it’s not true for everyone), and I’m also planning to be courageous when it comes to marching, striking, and withholding my money from these mf pirates, aka boycotting.

And presence? Well, you know, that’s just the kind of being-in-the-moment approach to life, where you are doing one thing at a time. If I am not actively reading the news or political newsletters or making calls or connecting with other kinds of activism, then I am trying to focus on doing whatever the thing is that I am doing: cuddling the cats, eating a nourishing meal, eating an entire bag of Barbara’s cheese puffs, doing a crossword puzzle in the bath, walking in the gorgeous snow with my friends and their dogs, texting with my parents and my kids, reading good books, loving my husband. People will not be saved by my churning round-the-clock anxiety—only by my actions—so I am trying to stay grounded.

Anyways, here are those three things:

mug by Seinbergmade

1. I’ve been drinking this lovely sobacha buckwheat tea. It’s caffeine-free and gluten-free, and it’s very toasty and nutty and soothing. Plus, stay with me here, you brew it loose in your cup and then, when you’ve finished drinking it, you can spoon up the softened buckwheat grains and eat them! Picture Irish oatmeal crossed soggy Grape-Nuts crossed with bland kasha. I don’t know why this tea-and-snack experience is so utterly charming to me, but it is. If anyone has ever made this kind of tea simply from toasting and grinding buckwheat groats, please let me know, because I’m thrifty.

   

2. Cake. Yes, I know this picture is horrible. But that’s because I didn’t properly grease the mini bundt pans and I drizzled them with the donut-style glaze rather than dipping them, which works much better. Still, cake is required. (This is a niche rec for my gluten-free peeps, but we’ve found that Bob’s Red Mill makes the very best gf chocolate cake mix, although Pamela’s and King Arthur are also excellent. Or you can make this one from scratch, with either gluten or gluten-free flour, and it has no eggs, which is no joke right now.)

   

   It’s always worth making a Yay, it’s Wednesday cake! cake. More on that here.

3. I know I’m late to this party, but if you haven’t read Real Americans by Rachel Khong, do.

   

   Holy MOLY it’s good! I finally read it because I was getting to meet Rachel at a book event, and it was so page-turningly good that I became extra-strange as a person to meet, ha ha ha. Fan-girly and awkward, more than usual, oh well, even though she was so lovely. The book reminded me a little of The Goldfinch, in the way it feels so epic and shape-shifting, and like there are these distinct time periods. But also it’s political in a way that feels oddly resonant right now. I just loved it. Sorry if you’re waiting for the North Amherst library copy because now Michael’s reading it.

That’s what I’ve got today! Take good care of yourselves because we need you.

xo