The news continues to be utterly depressing and I’ve been thinking a lot about overwhelm, and how to reconcile my own relatively petty concerns with the much larger concerns of others in different parts of the world (or next door, for all I know). Basically, #empathproblems.
Quote of the week:
“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. It may mean a giving up of familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, relationships that have lost their meaning. As Dostoevsky put it, ‘Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.’ The real fear should be of the opposite course.” –Gail Sheehy
What I’m reading:
Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients, and the Legacy of Trauma by Galit Atlas —this wasn’t really the book I was expecting in that it didn’t include much empirical evidence or research. It was mostly just one therapist sharing some client stories that talk about how trauma is imprinted on us and passed down. The concept is interesting, but I would have liked more meat in this book.
I’m also still reading Red Comet, the Sylvia Plath biography. It’s amazing.
What I’m listening to:
In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado —started this on my run today. It’s about a woman who leads a group of novice climbers to Mt. Everest’s base, all the while coping with her own nerves of summiting. Good so far.
What I’m watching:
I haven’t been able to get into anything this week. I started Downfall: The Case Against Boeing last night but not sure I’ll finish it.
Writing news:
I found out this morning that Ways the World Could End got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. You can read the whole review here. A quote: “Hooper offers an insightful and finely crafted look at how a family copes with grief… This memorable and stirring story of survival brings the goods.”
I’m starting to do some interviews for the book. You can read my interview with Book Club Babble here.
What I’m talking about:
- The invasion of Ukraine. I’m so sad about what’s happening to the civilians there as Russia continues to expand its attacks. I’m torn about how the rest of the world should respond… We definitely don’t want a world war, but this is just devastating
- The Gender Pay Gap Bot that went to work on International Women’s Day to expose companies who claim support for women but pay them way less than men (read here)
- Gas prices. So insane. I have an all-electric car and I’ve had several people stop me in parking lots lately to ask if I like it (because they are over paying for gas)
Interesting things I learned this week:
- President Volodymyr Zelensky was the voice of Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian version of the animated film. He was also one of the most successful comedians in Ukraine
- Russia has a larger surface area than Pluto
- About 23% of adults in the US have not read a book in whole or in part in the previous year, according to a PEW Research Center survey in 2021 (I choose to look at this as 77% HAVE read a book in whole or in part in the past year)
- A record 7.1% of US adults self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something other than heterosexual. Among Gen Zers, 21% identify as LGBTQ
- Preet Chandi, a 32-year-old Army officer, is the first woman of color to explore the South Pole solo (read here)
- The Tibetan name for Mt. Everest is Chomolungma, which means “Mother Goddess of the World”
- The first half-marathon races in the US took place in 1964
- Fish eggs can still hatch after being eaten and excreted by ducks (wtf)
- About half of Americans believe in ghosts, according to a 2019 poll
- Sigmund Freud hated working with patients who were in love. He saw it as an irrational feeling, almost a semi psychosis, and considered it impossible for patients to have any genuine awareness while in this state
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Mongolian mark.” This was mentioned in a book I read a little bit ago and I needed a visual to go with it. It’s basically a blue-ish birthmark that usually appears at the base of the spine.
What I’m grateful for:
- Another 18-mile long run in the books—5 weeks until Boston!
- Connecting with good friends who fill my cup
- Plugging along on writing my new novel…it keeps taking weird turns
A few snapshots from this week:
