Before I get to this week’s list of happy distractions, I want to thank everyone for their response to my last post. It wasn’t difficult to write but it was difficult to publish. Truthfully, I wrote 90% of that post a week earlier without intending to publish it, but something came over me that morning and I decided to throw it out of the nest and see if it would fly. It wasn’t a coincidence that I spent the next three days away from the computer to resist the temptation to go back and edit or wait for each comment to roll in. I’m still marching through it, but your response has been such a comfort and I have already learned so much from you. Thank you! And, actually, after the post, Emily, a longtime reader, emailed me to suggest reading Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection and it is EXACTLY what I need right now. I’m only a few chapters in, but if you are one of the folks who mentioned wanting to make one of these lists for yourself, or just doing some self-examination and hoping to shake off the shame, this is the book to help you through it. Let me know if you are reading it — if there are enough of us, maybe we can do a bookclub or even just schedule one of those Facebook discussions. I want to keep it simple, but selfishly, I really want to explore this topic separate from my own experiences. Okay? Okay.
Now for the important stuff!
Men’s knitting: is it the new yoga?
The 40 preppiest names of all times.
I love, love, LOVED Cecily Strong as host of the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Her ‘Hillary pledge’ (around the 15:00 mark) was my favorite moment of the night.
Why swearing might actually be good for you.
Canadian slang. It’s a thing and it is adorable.
This map will let you know when/what your state can cheer “We’re #1!” Looking good, Minnesota.
Decorating tips from stylish Scandinavian interiors.
And, for those of us who can’t/won’t/don’t do minimalist, here is a glimpse inside the maximalist home of my rhinestone spirit animal, Iris Apfel.
Ummm. This poor chicken laid a big egg. You need to see this egg.
What is the difference between résumé virtues and eulogy virtues? The moral bucket list.
Hat’s off to Bruce Jenner. I was hesitant to watch the interview with Diane Sawyer, not because I don’t support Bruce’s choice but because I didn’t want to be a spectator to a private experience. It was so inspiring to see how frequently Bruce smiled in that interview, don’t you think? This essay from Bruce’s ex-wife, Linda Thompson, added a layer of depth to my empathy and understanding for what must be a incredibly painful (and happy?) experience. Go Bruce!
If you need a video that will give you tears of joy, this would be it.
All the hugs for Cleo the cat. All of them.
An infographic of design icon Jonathan Adler’s career. I wonder what it would look like if we all sat down and made our own infographic? Interesting.
oooh, I love Iris Apfel! She is who I want to be when I grow up! And live in an equally glamorous apartment!
Btw when I lived in Copenhagen EVERYONE I knew lived almost like in those pictures (Scandinavian interiors). It was always so exciting and inspiring to visit people when they had such nice apartments.
Ninette, every time you tell me something I want to move to somewhere gorgeous and Scandinavian. One day…one day!
So happy we chose to watch Bruce Jenner, as well. He certainly accomplished his humble goal of gaining some understanding, in our living room. Such a difficult issue to comprehend, but I so hope he finds peace and has many quality years left during which to enjoy it. Most importantly, his kids seem accepting. I just had to blog about it, too, and did so under “Friday Fare” on CMI. Yes, inspiring. Oh, and kudos to Diane Sawyer for her compassionate work herein; just love her style.
Indeed. Diane Sawyer did a fantastic job with it. Kuddos to her!
I love your Monday lists; the places you find. The morals post has me thinking. And what’s with Iowa and “Lost Chickens”? That’s where I grew up. I thought that was hilarious. Missing any chickens? Come to Iowa. We got ’em, somewhere. You might want to check Old Man Jenkins’ hayloft. I just wouldn’t eat any eggs you find.
I have an interesting reaction to the interiors you spotlighted. I find the Scandinavian one “sterile”. I don’t like homes where all the walls are white or a variation thereof. I know it’s my tastes, but white, cream, ivory, “with a ‘pop’ of color in black”, just strike me as playing to a realtor mentality. “Paint everything white so people can visualize their life in the rooms.” I don’t want to touch anything. I felt like I couldn’t sit down if I was invited over. It’s all so ‘prettified”. Only one room in that tour had a wall with any color on it. I think that’s sad.
And then there is Iris. The rooms scream “Everything in here is loved”. It’s a bit too much for me, I’d be looking to clear some things out, but the color, the patterns, the fabrics! I felt as if not only could I sit down, but if I admired something, she’d say, “Oh sweetie. Pick it up and look at the back. Isn’t that the most delicious pattern you’ve ever seen?”
I guess that’s why, while I can find things of interest at IKEA, I don’t immediately think of them when I want furnishings.
I’m with you on the whole “not wanting to participate in the Bruce Jenner as theater” experience. I didn’t watch the interview. Rightly or wrongly, I associate him with those who shall not be named and I expected there would be interviews with them and “how do you feel” questions. Instead of the interview being about his/her journey to the place he/she finds himself/herself, it would be turned into how did Kris feel being married to a woman? Perhaps that POV should be aired but her clan has a way of usurping events and making it about them and not the event at hand.
I have several transgender friends. For 2 of them, who have just finished the transition, I have to consciously remember they are the new gender. I often make the mistake of referring to them in the pronouns of who they were, not who they are, simply because we were friends before they transitioned. The other friends I have known long enough that I have to consciously remember they weren’t always the gender they are now.
So, while I know he/she is speaking out, going public, as a way to inspire and provide hope to others with gender issues, I feel like I want to just say, “Hey, I don’t care which gender you are. I like you the way you are. Want to get coffee and talk about cats?” I read Linda’s essay over the weekend and it was incredibly uplifting. I wish more people had someone that supportive and understanding. It won’t happen, but I can wish it.
Happy Monday, Peaches. I cleaned the garden shed. It’s been on the list of “get a round tuit”, for several years now. The tidying book I read about here first, has inspired me to clean my space. I can only do it in bits because I have RA and get tired easily, but I am going to clean my space. Also, I bought a lawn mower and needed to get it into the shed. I have sorted the flower pots contained therein into ‘save’ and ‘toss’. If you need flower pots for a craft idea, let me know. I swear the buggers were mating in the back of the shed. Did I really buy all of these?
The one thing I learned about that ‘blue and black dress / white and gold dress ‘ fiasco that swept social media a few weeks ago was that everyone’s eyeballs are constructed a little different. Some people cannot get their head straight in a room with too much visual stimulation (the Scandinavian style folks)…and some folks cannot function without color/pattern/stuff (the Maximalist-Iris-Apfel folks). I live as one but I admire the other! Everyone has great style. They just might not know it yet. 🙂
I would absolutely encourage you to watch the Bruce Jenner interview. I wasn’t going to watch it until a friend (who has made the transition) mentioned it on Facebook in praise of Bruce and said how different the world would have been if this interview had been part of mainstream conversations when she was growing up. That made me feel like it was almost a disservice to *not* watch. Granted, that’s one opinion that does not speak for a whole community — but you would be hard-pressed to find someone who says ABC didn’t do a great job with it. Really, it’s well done. It’s a mix of footage — a third is Bruce’s interview, a third is a documentary on transgender struggles, a third is biopic with perspective on his family’s reaction — including the Kardashians — but they dot steal the show and ABC wouldn’t be telling the story without ALL his family in it at least somewhere. I’m pretty confident that decades from now this interview will be seen as *the* tipping point on this issue — I would hate to miss it and Bruce’s bravery because my own good intentions. It’s worth a gander 🙂
UH.MAH.GAWD. After seeing Iris Apfel’s place, I think we have an idea of what your condo in Boca is going to look like when you retire to Florida one day, except yours will have more rhinestones and glitter on stuff. Those throw pillows on the sofa are divine! Great Monday list.
Oh, I can call myself a Maximalist now. Instead of someone who loves clutter : ) Lotsa good stuff in this post. Thanks.
I am Canadian and I have to admit, I havent heard quite a few of the slangs on that page. Maybe they are from further west than where I have been? lol. But in Newfoundland, they have a whole other set of slang that makes sense to no one else in Canada. I love the slang here!
Imagine going to Walmart and the girl packing up your purchases says to you: Have a lovely day my darling……with a smile..ON….HER……FACE…….. THAT is basically how it is in Newfoundland. And that is how you get spoken to here for the most part. I am still getting used to that.
Anyway, I wanted to post on your last post, but it seemed to be overwhelmed with comments and I figured I would say it here.
Your perfection is only surpassed by how much you are loved. Something to remember when you are feeling less than perfect…….
“Long may your big jib draw.”
Translation: May you have good fortune for a long time.
Love Rook xoxo
I will add to the Canadianisms.
One term (Newfounfland, I think) “Fill your boots” meaning to go all out, go for it.
Second term, “gaunch” (rhymes with launch) for underwear. (After 30 years living here), Guanch and heifer dust still crack me up
Aunt Peaches, I just wanted to tell you that I went back and re-read the Mrs. Dalloway post (and all of the comments). It took awhile. You are one popular individual! Anyway, that post is a masterpiece. Many thanks to you and to your readers who left nice comments.
Nancy, you are too sweet. I’m still a little shocked anyone read it top-to-bottom the first time (much less TWICE). It’s really hard to set your heart out there but it feels incredible to know some folks ‘get’ you. Thanks so much for your support.
It was beautifully written and inspiring.
xoxo
I’ll be honest, I’m feeling a little guilty about only posting now on the Mrs.Dalloway and this follow-up post, because it is incredibly brave to write so candidly, and I feel like I left you hanging by not responding. However, it was one of those posts that just struck a chord so deep, I had to process it for a little while. I am left with the following feelings: 1) i hope to become as brave a blogger as you, you are an inspiration in the midst of so many internet trolls, they scare me half to death. 2) You are not alone in your truths. At all.
Speaking of guilt, I’m totally game for a Brene Brown discussion. I just got her “Men, Woman, and Worthiness” audio CD in March and have been working on internalizing a lot of it. My copy of Gift of Imperfection will be arriving tomorrow! So so much of what you said resonated with me. Particularly the
weight loss items (and some other comments on here are offensive to me, but that comes with the territory of today’s fat-shaming society I guess).
Also, I finally read Marie Kondo’s book and I too have been on a purging spell in my house (I think I had about 70% of her theories down already from getting more organized the last couple years, but she does have some novel ideas in it that were well worth the $7 investment. Oddly enough, I think a lot of her stuff is similar to your “gut” post this week, about only surrounding and engaging in activities (or particularly relishing them, at least) and items that hit your gut as art, or spark joy. I do think that since I have the purging down pat already, I am shopping a little more- because I realize that my thrifty ways have left me with good deals that don’t make me happy. So this week I treated myself to a new purse and wallet that were screaming to me from the store shelves, and realized that my current ones just didn’t make me happy at all, or even function for me. But, I also think that from this new purchase I will probably get rid of the remaining purses I have saved in a closet, and can probably resell them for more than my new, giddy-inducing purchase. However I feel like being pretty thrifty will mean having to spend money as aI go through the process. I wear clothes that don’t spark joy pretty frequently. I can’t go naked, so if Marie is telling me to toss ’em, I guess i better go invest in nice ones. It’s a slippery slope I guess, if your basics aren’t what they should be.
However, I did go from 50 pairs of earrings to about 25 (I feel like that sounds horrific but in reality it doesn’t seem so bad) and realized that I was never wearing jewelry because all that “ehhh” stuff was skewing my excitement for what I love. So I feel like following this book will somewhat enhance purchasing (but for all the right reasons now), and in some areas completely curb it. Rant ended.
Thanks Beth, I really love hearing your thoughts and knowing you are following along in the fun. I admire your ability to cut your earring collection in half. Marie Kondo has helped me on MANY fronts, but my sparkle tooth runs deep and she has yet to penetrate my jewelry drawer just yet. You are a brave woman!