#34: I remember it all too well 🌺
This week, I'm in a post-Eras Tour (lavender) haze. Or maybe it's the pollen.
Last week, I got the PRIVILEGE to see Taylor Swift in concert. Yes, it was just as amazing (if not more) than the onslaught of TikToks say it is. What struck me most about the experience wasn’t the glittery costumes, the gorgeous maturity of Taylor’s voice, or the overall showmanship that is this tour’s hallmark.
Instead, what has stuck with me is the power that this singular artist has to bring together people in celebration of art. When a crowd of 70,000+ people (mostly women) are scream-singing All Too Well in unison, it’s impossible to not feel moved by the way art can unite us.
The most touching example of this was during Marjorie, which is a song Taylor wrote in honor of her late grandmother. Unprompted, everyone in the audience lit up their phone flashlights, creating a sea of swaying pinpricks of light. There was hardly a dry eye in the house, including the artist herself.
Because even if we haven’t lived the exact same lives as each other, art moves and inspires people to feel something. Whether we’re mourning those we’ve lost, celebrating new love, or coming to terms with ourselves, art reminds us of the ways we’ve grown, always in search of our truest, most aligned selves.
To-do list:
🍯 Buy some new tea and honey for your cabinet
🎨 Make a piece of art, even if it’s doodles in the margins
👚 Find one thing you’ve been hanging on to and figure out how to recycle or upcycle it
🪴 Incorporate fresh herbs into one of your recipes this week
💓 Next time you have a fond memory of someone, text or call them
“Required” reading:
The 2023 Women Who Travel Power List is here!! Loved reading about this incredible lineup of women (CN Traveler)
The best podcasts for writers (Podcast Review)
What should you do if you don’t have a friend group? (The Good Trade)
This article on the feminist history of botany!!! So interesting and cool (Bust)
The perfect 2-week carryon packing list; I’m bookmarking this for my Europe tripe this summer (Camille Styles)
Tote bag:
💐 Once I get the massive farmhouse dining table of my dreams, this gorgeous centerpiece is going right in the middle of it
☎️ A fun and funky phone case; loving the yellow color
🌼 The most perfect springy towels!! The price point is great as well
🎙️ My wallet will never recover from this Taylor Swift merch
Recipe box: easy teriyaki sauce
I love teriyaki chicken from our local hibachi place, but prebottled teriyaki never tastes quite as good. Luckily this easy recipe solves that problem. I had all the ingredients on-hand. The sauce also takes the perfect amount of time to cook; not too long, but also long enough that you can get your other ingredients ready while it thickens.
Background music:
Miscellany:
DIY shower steamers to help us all survive the pollen apocalypse
Two good follows: @poetryisnotaluxury and @girlscarryingshit
My darling friend Jess just released her first single!!! Give it a listen on Spotify and Apple
Who else remembers those little jars we’d use to make sand art??
Currently reading:
Title* by Author: one sentence description
Consumed* by Aja Barber: an exploration of how capitalism, climate change, fast fashion, and social justice intersect to harm our most vulnerable communities (and what we can do to stop it)
The Davenports* by Krystal Marquis: a rich Black family in 1910s Chicago navigates wealth, romance, and class differences in this charming YA novel
