Plot Points #51 💌
Fast fashion, embodied living, shopping my house, and a conversation about mental health.
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Hi there and happy Friday to you all!
I missed last week’s post because it’s the summer and summer, my friends, is chaos. It’s the very best kind of chaos, to be sure—kids running around, messes everywhere, friends over to join in the fun—but chaos nonetheless. I’ll just consider this preparation for the fall when I become a homeschool mom again.
Also, I’m THRILLED to share a conversation I had with one of my dearest friends, Rosalie, who has a massive YouTube music reaction channel and invited me on last week to react to the viral video “Hi Ren” by the U.K.-based artist of the same name.
I was completely blown away by his musicality and the poetic and visual representation of what it’s like to live with mental illness. I think this song is one we can all connect with on some level because it taps into our deepest fears about the purpose of pain and suffering. I’m grateful to Rose for the invitation and for giving me an opportunity to share about my experiences as a woman, mother, and artist who lives each day with a diagnosis of her own. You can check out the full conversation right here.
That’s all for now, friends. We’ve got cushioned porch chairs and a swing now, so I’m headed out to enjoy this peaceful morning with a cup of coffee. Have a beautiful weekend!
Wendi
Word of the Week ✍🏻
Vorfreude: (n.) The joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures.
Point #1: So true it hurts.
This SNL fast-fashion ad is just saying the quiet part out loud.
Point #2: “We’re desperate for skills.”
’s latest essay hits the nail on the head (an apt metaphor, if I do say so myself) as she examines what it means for us to truly be a cultured people. How can we live embodied, when so much of how we function is digital? What are we leaving behind for future generations? (I swear, one day people are going to start making “Go to the bathroom with me!” reels and hocking gold toilet paper from their Amazon store fronts.) A cultural shift is already underway, as Millennials and Gen Z are looking deeper at how tech has driven our lives, but what will we carry forward for our own children? I sure hope it’s something worthwhile.Point #3: Feminism needs an adjustment.
What I mean by that is true equity is not achieved by working to replace one power differential with another. The goal of feminism, as discussed in this essay from
, isn’t to be “the victor in a heirarchal domination system” but to create “a new system altogether.” Such a good read for all of us!Point #4: Speaking of skills…
The National Gallery of Art hosts free monthly classes online, taught by leading artists, where you can learn to sketch famous works from their collection. This is an amazing example of tech used with purpose and I think it’s a great idea for the whole family! Thanks to
and for the rec!)Receipts from a No-Buy Year 🧾
I’m really proud of myself, you guys. These past two weeks, I only bought extra coffee two times and made a bunch of lattes at home. I also minimized my already small-ish closet down to sixty total items, including all my winter clothing. (This doesn’t include pajamas, accessories, underwear, or shoes.) Like many of us, I wear the same things over and over and it’s time to stop fooling myself about that. Honestly, it feels amazing to look in my closet and know that, with the exception of a few pieces I need to have mended, I love every item in there.
Coffee: $16.70
My sisters (and new baby niece!) came over one morning this week to spend the day together (#thebest) and I was so inspired by my little sister’s organization and practicality (her diaper bag was organized with smaller zipped bags for every item and her car was immaculate) that I cleaned out my car and put together smaller kits for the console and trunk with items I already had at home. The internet is rife with organizational videos, but I wanted to avoid the temptation to spend, so I used an old pink storage tray to hold a hair clip, wipes, pads, a Tide pen, deodorant, and hand cream. Then I found a clear travel bag to make a mini first-aid kit. For the trunk, I used an empty storage bin we had in the living room to hold my umbrella, ice scraper, and reusable grocery bags. It was like a game going around the house to put these kits together. I was amazed at how much I already owned! I did go online later and buy a sunglasses clip, car trash bag, and glass break/seatbelt cutter key chain, but I think we can agree those items are necessities, especially with kids in the car.
Car Stuff: $32.42
Another thing I’m proud to have accomplished this week was putting the remainder of our profit from the sale of the house in savings, giving us a total of three months emergency income, and setting our tithe to ten percent each month. Please know I don’t share this information for pats on the back; I share it because we’ve been married for sixteen whole-ass years this November and we’ve finally reached our financial goals. It’s worth celebrating! The early days of our marriage included lots of credit card debt and we regularly had panic moments about the status of our bank account. We’ve worked hard to get here and I’m so thankful for how God has blessed our family. I hope we will continue to steward well what we’ve been given. It’s not always easy!
Total: $49.12
Reading in The Nook 📚
This week, I finished The Light at Wyndcliff, another inspirational historical fiction by Sarah Ladd, which I loved. All her books are running together at this point, but this genre makes me feel so lighthearted and happy I really could not care less.
I also started What Happened to Rachel Riley?, a middle grade novel that tackles bullying, friendship, and issues of consent by one of my favorite Substackers
. I’m waiting for her latest novel The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County to be available at our local library (current hold status: 12 out of 36 🫠) but I’m loving this one while I wait!Coming up on my list from the library:
And Yet: Poems by the incomparable Kate Baer (She’s an auto-read every time!)
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett
How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key
What are you reading right now? 👇🏻
(Please note all book links are affiliates. Thank you for supporting The Nook with your purchase through Bookshop.org.)
“Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.”
—Charlotte Mason—
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