Somehow bubbles seem to be the theme of life or something like that. Beautiful, full of color, invisible, or see through, and short-lived. Well, Sophie you just inspire me.
Thank you for saying, “Thank you for being.” Thank you for being. When my daughter was too young to read, my therapist suggested that I let her color on some of the pages of my diary. I now have a diary of my time in the throes of new parenthood with her little drawings alongside. It’s both beautiful and sad.
Every one of your newsletters is such a gift. Thank you. I have so many ferrets crashing through my life these days too. It feels like I can't keep up. On Thursday, I got up at 8am, and spent... every minute of the day until after 12:30 that night checking off tasks. I was focused, I was efficient and somehow it wasn't even a drop in the bucket. I may have had a bit of a meltdown, that led to a fight with my husband, that led to a good discussion because I had no energy left to filter myself.
And so the last few days have been slower, more present, more filled with noticing. I've been feeling pulled to re-read Four Thousand Weeks, and this is probably the sign I needed. Oliver Burkeman was also recently on the Upstream podcast, and I really enjoyed his interview there.
By the way, those Woodies will also make great face paint if you get them wet, which my son was really into when he was about two to three years old. He painted his face each day before going to daycare and also instructed me how he wanted his face painted on special days, like the day of his Red Party, when I was instructed to paint a red heart that covers his face (his sister, on the right, did her own make up, also with Woodies):
"How much I like working with cheap materials, like copy paper, Flair pens, crayons, composition notebooks, and index cards." - yes yes yes! I have always journaled in marble composition books. Anything leather-bound is WAY too high stakes!
Somehow bubbles seem to be the theme of life or something like that. Beautiful, full of color, invisible, or see through, and short-lived. Well, Sophie you just inspire me.
Thank you for saying, “Thank you for being.” Thank you for being. When my daughter was too young to read, my therapist suggested that I let her color on some of the pages of my diary. I now have a diary of my time in the throes of new parenthood with her little drawings alongside. It’s both beautiful and sad.
Every one of your newsletters is such a gift. Thank you. I have so many ferrets crashing through my life these days too. It feels like I can't keep up. On Thursday, I got up at 8am, and spent... every minute of the day until after 12:30 that night checking off tasks. I was focused, I was efficient and somehow it wasn't even a drop in the bucket. I may have had a bit of a meltdown, that led to a fight with my husband, that led to a good discussion because I had no energy left to filter myself.
And so the last few days have been slower, more present, more filled with noticing. I've been feeling pulled to re-read Four Thousand Weeks, and this is probably the sign I needed. Oliver Burkeman was also recently on the Upstream podcast, and I really enjoyed his interview there.
By the way, those Woodies will also make great face paint if you get them wet, which my son was really into when he was about two to three years old. He painted his face each day before going to daycare and also instructed me how he wanted his face painted on special days, like the day of his Red Party, when I was instructed to paint a red heart that covers his face (his sister, on the right, did her own make up, also with Woodies):
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=196313293719813&id=100000234313461&set=a.196313150386494
Or the last day of daycare before Christmas, here on the right (his sister at our annual Messy Party on the left):
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=352239574793850&id=100000234313461&set=a.129810257036784
Also, Sophie, what essays are you having the middle schoolers read about drawing? I’d be interested 🤩
Same! x
dear sophie,
thank you for this as always.
here are some things i love about this post and also other things i love:
i love lynda barry.
i love making silly art.
i love "Is a dream fiction or nonfiction?"
i love your asking "DOES everyone have twenty minutes a day?" (it's like a zen koan)
i love zen koans.
i love "four thousand weeks" by oliver burkeman.
i love napping energy (the concept and the paradoxicality of the phrase).
i love that colorful cardboard and the joy it creates in T, in you, in me.
i love this newsletter.
i love you.
thank you!
love,
myq
"How much I like working with cheap materials, like copy paper, Flair pens, crayons, composition notebooks, and index cards." - yes yes yes! I have always journaled in marble composition books. Anything leather-bound is WAY too high stakes!
Really enjoyed this. Your daughter’s art reminds me of a fish or a koi pond