Delightful Things In No Particular Order

You can probably skip this one.

Hi, it’s me.

October was busy with work and life. I think maybe I’m in a little bit of a funk. I’m working on a few writing projects that I’m excited about but not ready to share. Taking a newsletter break for all of these reasons is probably a good idea, but I get FOMO when ever I think about missing our weekly date. However, I also wonder if random, pointless, off-the-cuff ramblings like today’s feel like irritating clutter in your inbox. I envy people who write when they have something to say but otherwise shut up. Maybe someone envies me for writing every fucking week even when it’s hard and I have nothing to say?

Anyway, here are a few things keeping me above water lately…

• The other day I paused an episode of The Lowdown (on Hulu) to write down something a character said: “Betty Jo always called me sensitive. She meant it as weak, but it really means ‘quick to perceive things.’ To me, that’s a strength.”

• “Live your life! Live your life! Live your life!” - author Maurice Sendak in an interview with Terry Gross.

• The mention of a “liturgical dance troop” in Katharine Strange’s new book, Manly Man of God.

• 👆 I find that especially brilliant (and niche!) knowing Katharine was once in a Christian puppeteer group and I spent some time (in the 90s!) in a gospel mime group that performed in downtown Seattle (I’m probably in 100s of tourist photo albums around the world). 1990s-era evangelism was wild. 😂

• When I asked Bryan why he was in such good spirits after a long day at a stressful job, he said, “I listened to a delightful interview with Nick Offerman on my way home!” Hoping my list of delightful things in no particular order will have the same effect.

• I might not do holidays this year. At least not the decorations part. This maybe doesn’t sound delightful, but I’m thinking it may feel delightful to give myself a break from all the extra labor.

• There’s a tree on my street that I find comforting because, despite it being a wild thing, it looks in perfect order. When I look at it, my eyes soften a little and lose focus as the straight lines and crisp corners and perfect shape return me to my body. I think it might be hypnotizing me. Like The Mentalist.

  

  A tree on my street at sunset.

• “Delightful things in no particular order.” - me, writing a list of things with pen on paper, because the movement of my hand and the sound of the pen tip scratching and the feeling of my skin resting on paper helped quiet my busy brain.

• Binge listening to Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast and thinking about my favorite SNL characters: Target Lady; Stefon; Mary Katharine Gallagher; Wayne’s World; The Californians; the Alien Abduction Debrief skits; Church Lady; those super high strung cheerleaders in the 90s…so many more.

• Finally seeing Dustin Nickerson’s comedy show live and escaping into laughter for a couple of hours.

• A small gathering of friends around our fire pit, all in our 50s, 60s, 70s, and even one in her 80s, sharing personal stories in response to the question, “How would your teenage self be surprised about your life now?”

What’s delighting you right now? What’s making you laugh? Do you have a favorite SNL character? Have you ever been a Christian clown, or mime, or puppeteer? What would your teenage self think about your life now?

You can also ignore all of these questions and go about your day if that delights you.

Cheers and all that,

Jen

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