what I learned in January

One of my favorite follows on Instagram is Annie B. Jones, who runs The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Ga., and posts about books, musicals, channeling Kathleen Kelly and other lovely things. Last year, she shared monthly “what I learned” posts, and I enjoyed them so much I decided to try my own. We’ll see if it sticks, but here’s what I learned in January 2022:

• Slouchy sweaters can be a great comfort, even if you’re more of a fitted-silhouette kind of girl.
• One green curry paste IS different from another (learned while making this soup several times).
• Paperwhite bulbs might take a while to bloom, but they – like so many things – can surprise you. (See above – my final bulb is flourishing.)
• COVID brain fog is real. As are the emotions that come with it.
• It takes 15 minutes to walk from my house down the Golden Stairs to the end of Piers Park and back. And that is enough when it’s 14 degrees outside.
• It’s fun to be a beginner again, even – or especially – when it means stumbling through salsa steps with a roomful of other novices.
• Some books (e.g. The Warmth of Other Suns) are just going to take as long as they take.
• Just ask. (Still working on this one.)

What are you learning these days?

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an anti-racist reading list.

I posted this book stack the other day on Instagram – it was/is the result of a quick scan of my shelves, pulling off books by black authors that have been (for me) powerful and thought-provoking. Some are longtime favorites, some newer discoveries.

Like any book list, it is only a small beginning. I am reading and listening to black voices on social media: Osheta Moore, Austin Channing Brown, Well-Read Black Girl. I am ordering and placing library holds on books by black authors. I signed a NAACP petition calling for an independent investigation into the murder of George Floyd, and broader police reform. I donated to my local bail fund after more than 50 protesters were arrested this weekend in Boston.

None of this is “enough” or gets me off the hook for doing more. I share what I’ve been doing because so many of us white folks don’t know where to start. But we have to start, if we haven’t already. Until everyone is able to thrive in this country, the work will not be done. And we have to look hard at our own hearts – our biases and hesitation and fear – because the real work happens internally, too.

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Soldiering Through

Another writing exercise from Julia Cameron, this one called “Soldiering Through.” (Though it could just as aptly be titled “Crushing Your Inner Perfectionist.”)

Number 1 to 10 and finish this sentence as quickly as possible:

“If my ego would allow it, I’d try…”

1. Becoming fluent in French.
2. Taking up ballet.
3. Learning yoga.
4. Writing more poetry.
5. Playing the piano (well).
6. Learning to play guitar.
7. Moving overseas.
8. Going to graduate school.
9. Writing the extensive story of our time in Oxford.
10. Knitting a sweater or cape.

What is your inner perfectionist keeping YOU from? And does anyone have ideas on how to combat these blasted inner fiends?

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