First off, I want to take a moment to acknowledge 9/11. It’s hard to believe it was NINETEEN YEARS ago today. For many of us, it was such a turning point in our lives, and left such an imprint on our psyches, that it will always feel like it “just happened.” I think of the people who lost their lives often, and I think about their loved ones and how they have had to move forward, forever carrying their grief.
Quote of the Week:
“If we make the vulnerable choice to connect with empathy–to be vulnerable, excruciatingly so, in order to access that in me which has suffered as you are now suffering–we bring compassion alive by communicating that bond, so others know they are never alone.” –Sarah Krasnostein, The Trauma Cleaner
What I’m reading:
Tangerine by Christine Magan (finished this one; really enjoyed it)
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
How We Love by Milan and Kay Yerkovich
What I’m listening to:
A Star is Bored by Byron Lane (finished it; loved it)
The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein (excellent so far)
Nice White Parents (New York Times podcast)
What I’m watching:
“Class Action Park” (HBO Max) — documentary about a no-rules-all-mayhem amusement park in Jersey…spoiler alert: it gets kind of dark
“Love Fraud” (Showtime) — documentary series about a psycho narcissist who cons several women into marrying him before running off with their money
“How It Really Happened: Siegfried and Roy” (CNN) — I didn’t know this was so shrouded in mystery; pretty interesting
Writing news:
- All the Acorns on the Forest Floor comes out ON TUESDAY (9/15)
- All the Love: Healing Your Heart and Finding Meaning After Pregnancy Loss will be out on March 23. Follow us @allthelovetalk on Twitter and Instagram
- I just saw the new cover for the People Who Knew Me re-release and I cannot wait to share it
What I’m talking about:
- The wildfires on the west coast. People, this is global warming in action. Six of the 20 worst fires in California history have happened THIS YEAR (and we’re not even in the worst of the fire season yet). I just finished Uninhabitable Earth last week and the statistics in that book are (sadly) already outdated
- The Indonesian government’s plan to move its capital before it is completely under water (a climate change response strategy called “managed retreat” that some think needs to begin in US cities)
- Jesmyn Ward’s beautiful piece in Vanity Fair about the sudden death of her 33-year-old husband during COVID-19
- How some companies are pushing employees to return to the workplace (great article here)
- How going back to work, in general, continues to suck for mothers in this country (great article here)
- How gender reveal parties are stupid (even when they don’t start wildfires)
- The “Letters from Writers of the Black Literary Community” piece in this month’s Poets & Writers magazine (I found Shanay Bell’s essay particularly moving)
- Racism in sports (this article in the latest Runner’s World magazine was so eye-opening)
- The COVID-19 vaccine: Is it really coming as soon as November, or is that buzz an election ploy?
What I’m grateful for:
My family’s new BBQ. We took advantage of a Labor Day sale and finally got a BBQ for our deck. It’s nice to change up the meals a bit (and my daughter is very intrigued by it). Pay no mind to my husband’s face. He loves it.
