#39: Setting my sights 🖼️
A suspiciously anti-phone newsletter plus some small business shopping recs, a good science book, and CAT
When I got my permit, I hated driving. I was 15 and hadn’t started antidepressants yet, so the mere act of sitting in the driver’s seat gave me the anxiety level of a person being hunted for sport.
In retrospect, I have an immense amount of pity and appreciation for people who helped me learn how to drive. I was really bad at it: I’d freeze up halfway into a turn, causing the car to veer into the oncoming lane. I’d adjust the mirror so the inside half showed the car itself, not the space behind it. And (perhaps the hardest habit to break) I kept my gaze trained on the asphalt just past the car’s hood.
The problem here is that I wasn’t seeing far enough in the distance. When I was only looking twenty feet in front of the car, I didn’t have enough time to react to the stuff that was, well, farther away than twenty feet. If we’re going to mix our metaphors, we could say that I was seeing the singular tree planted right in my line of sight and missing the whole damn forest.
Lifting my sightline from what was just in front of me required a degree of disentanglement. Rather than focusing on proximity, I had to consider more things. I had to watch for deer and other drivers and potholes. With a wider view comes a wider variety of stuff that I had to think about.
But eventually I realized that that stuff was in my view anyway. If a deer was going to dart out in front of me, a deer was going to dart out in front of me. Where I looked didn’t change that fact. What looking up did do was give me more of a chance to see the rolling hills of farmland that surround my neighborhood. I started to see the way the sky turns gold in the morning, especially because I leave before it crests the horizon.
“Required” reading:
Adding this to my to-do list for spring 📚 how to plan a solo writing retreat from The Good Trade
Speaking of offline activities ☎️ gtfo your phone february from
Continuing the theme ❌ the hot girl’s guide to deleting social media from
And one more for good measure 📌 better sources of inspiration than pinterest from
A good read especially after Timmy’s SNL episode this weekend 🍝 how Hollywood has embraced the noodle boy from NYT (gift link)
Yes it’s winter but gelato season is eternal 🍦 gelato 101 from
Wait this sounds so cute 🕹️ the joys of an offline board game club from NYT (gift link)
For when you both need to be emotionally fulfilled and utterly destroyed 🥲 books that will speak to your soul from
Pinning:
Some cutie little things I saw on Pinterest this week 🥹
Weekly report:
Reading 📚 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, which is making me simultaneously love and hate science
Eating 🍯 date caramel and lasagna soup, though not at the same time
Playing 🎧 Jason Isbell’s Southeastern album; so so so good
Obsessing 😻 my Hatch alarm clock
Recommending 💗 Kodiak’s double chocolate protein muffins; they taste a little proteiny but will satisfy a sweet tooth
Treating 🍫 the Home Goods candle section; I impulsively bought three candles the other day while ignoring the 15 other candles I already have but it’s FINE
Also:
A really good ad blocker that makes Pinterest… pleasant again?
This needlepoint chart is adorable (and reasonably priced) for Valentine’s day
Found this Etsy shop that makes the sweetest little dog & cat collars! I ordered this floral one and this striped one for my cat and they’re going to look so precious with his little orange stripes 🥹
Y’all have a good weekend; hope you’re as snug as this little bug 💗
Thank you so much for the shoutout! 🫶✨