How have you been? This year has been rough. I am so discouraged by the growing division and hatred that I see. So many things that shouldn’t be political have become so. I support the Black Lives Matter movement and have been thinking a lot about how I can learn and grow as a white woman in America. I don’t think we can wait for our politicians to grow up and work together; we each need to do our part. Hopefully we will grow as people and find a way to kindness and inclusivity before this year is over.
Watching…
Seachange. TV shows about someone that chucks it all to move to and start life-afresh in a seaside village have become my go-to comfort food – the more exotic the locale the better. They don’t even have to be that good. I’m almost finished with the first season of this. The 4th season was released last year, but the first three are pretty old (ie not HD). It has a fun Australian location and stars Sigrid Thorton (for those of you that are fans of The Man from Snowy River). I cringe everytime I see the font used in the title sequence, but otherwise I’m enjoying it. If you also like these kinds of shows, I recommend: The Durrells in Corfu; The Good Karma Hospital; 800 Words; and Doc Martin.
Reading…
An American Marriage. Reading is the only way I’ve found to really get into someone else’s mind. As much as it’s possible, you become someone else and can view the world through the lens of someone that’s from a different race and culture. I’m realizing that my reading has not been as diverse as I would like. Thankfully, COVID brain has started to loosen its grip and I’ve begun reading again. I flew through this book last week. There’s a reason that this novel, about a wrongly imprisoned black man and his family, was on all the “Best of 2019” lists. If you have not read this one, I recommend you add it to your TBR list. I think I initially resisted it because I thought it would be depressing. While the topic is rather depressing, the book itself is more thought-provoking than anything and will not one of those books that you will dread picking up after a break.
Listening to…
10 Things to Tell You: A Conversation about Race. In addition to diversifying my reading, I’ve also been on the lookout for good podcasts that discuss race issues. This is the best one I’ve listened to so far. Laura Tremaine grew up in “small” town Oklahoma (not near as small as I did) and is roughly my age; so I frequently can relate to her. This episode of her podcast is a conversation between her and three black women, friends of hers from high school. I loved that this was a real conversation between friends. I hope we can be open to and have more of those.
Using…
Calm App. I discovered that my American Express Blue Cash Preferred is offering a free year’s subscription to Calm. If you don’t have this Amex card, I highly recommend it. The rewards are more than worth the annual fee (you can earn $250 cashback using this referral link). I’ve periodically used the free offerings on Calm, but hadn’t dived into a subscription until I found this offer. I’m working on getting in the habit of doing the Daily Calm and exploring the sleep-related offerings.
Drinking…
Limoncello La Croix. I’ve been looking for some healthy ways to treat myself. I picked up a case of La Croix the other day at Costco. I had no idea if I would like the flavors that it included. This Limoncello is a treat! It’s the perfect mix of lemon and vanilla. I highly recommend it.
What have you been up to lately?
Leave a Reply