Of late: May Musings

       1/ Watermelon radish reverence.  2/ Hey Happy cafe in Victoria.  3/ Brown Ridge, Saturna Island.  4/ Emily Carr 2015 grad show.

5/ Hidden brook at corner of St. George & 11th.  6/ Bagels in Mt. Pleasant.  7/ IT'S OK at home.  8/ Raspberry rhubarb.

 I told you I'd write soon, and then a whole season went by. The cherry blossoms even came and went. No apologies-- because no posts means living my life; actually standing under the blossoms and having blossom fights (like snowball fights, but with pink petals), rather than documenting everything-- but I am eager to carve out a space for this once more.

This is just a little something, fashioned from a structure that I saw elsewheres, but it's enough to thrust me back into using my fingers to type the words that I feel so hard in my brain. 

I do hope you've been well.

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of late, I am...

Making// time for myself. I've been following the cues of my body and heart, and not overdoing social time. It might not make sense to an extrovert, but I'm finding that I am the most me and the most present when I schedule one friend date during the school week (usually one-on one), and then one other/ maybe bigger social event on the weekend (family date, bunch of friends for dinner, or another one on one). Anymore than that, and I go a little sideways. 

Drinking// warm lemon water in the morning, and ACV in hot water for the rest of the day. A sip of B's beer at dinner just for the taste.

Reading//  a novel and a half per week. Being a substitute means that there are stretches of time where I can close the classroom door, and get lost in words for a while. I've read more in the past three months than in the previous three school years, I think. I get recommendations from friends, the internet, then place books on hold at the library and visit their aisles routinely. 

Recent favourite: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. (electric)

Currently thumbing through: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (so good, even 60 pages in, even about BASEBALL)

Wanting// the feeling of peace and mindfulness to stick around. So golden in the moment you have it, but slippery too. Trying not to want it too much, and let things be.

Watching// the last season of Parenthood with B, and lamenting that it's almost over. A tiny bit let down by Season 3 of House of Cards so far. 

Listening// to traffic on Fraser St. and not being bothered by it. (this is drastically different from just eight months ago).

Eating// a bit too much sugar. And lots of home cooked meals. 

Feeling// a lot of love and wonder for my friends here in BC, and wishing those in the Yukon lived closer.

Wearing// all my prettiest shoes to school, without the need for snowboots or rainboots for the walk to work. This hasn't happened in four years. 

Noticing// that feelings come and go, always. Even the anger. Even the jubilation. 

Thinking// about softening. About being gentle with the critic. About the columns in my spreadsheet for our trip to Europe that are filling up with plane tickets, car rentals. About what these next months hold.

You?