It’s beginning to feel a bit more like fall here in California. I still don’t understand the obsession with pumpkin spice. Hope you’re heading into a nice weekend wherever you are.
Quote of the week:
“Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences; all events are blessings given to us to learn from. There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.” –Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
What I’m reading:
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. It doesn’t come out until April 2023, but I was lucky to score an early copy on Netgalley. I’m also reading May Sarton’s Journal of Solitude.
What I’m listening to:
Just finished Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings by Chrysta Bilton. What a fascinating memoir.
What I’m watching:
I started Sins of Our Mother on Netflix last night. I’m a sucker for true crime.
Writing news:
I’m almost done with the latest round of edits on my new manuscript. Then I’ll do another read-through before sending it out!
What I’m talking about:
- Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard, giving away the $3 billion company to fight climate change. Quite the gift. I wish more billionaires were focusing on this instead of, like, going to space
- Talk of a national abortion ban. I love how Republicans emphasized that overturning Roe just meant they were giving authority back to the states. And now this…
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott saying he’s going to withhold data on pregnancy-related deaths until after the election. Meaning, banning abortion there must be associated with more pregnancy-related deaths (as many predicted it would be)
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending two planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Florida Democratic Chair Manny Diaz said, “Even for Ron DeSantis, this is a new low. There is nothing that DeSantis won’t do, and nobody that he won’t hurt, in order to score political points.” Truly sickening
Interesting things I learned this week:
- The Mars rover, Curiosity, sang “Happy Birthday” to itself after one year in space
- The smell of freshly cut grass is the smell of grass trying to heal itself
- The US will soon drop out of the top 50 nations in terms of life expectancy
- Archaeologists found evidence of the oldest known surgery–a skeleton with an amputated leg from 31,000 years ago
- Nearly 1 in 4 American women will have an abortion by age 45
- Child poverty has fallen by more than half since the early 1990s
- Rainwater everywhere on Earth is now unsafe to drink due to chemicals
- Christians could make up less than half of the US population within a few decades, according to the Pew Research Center
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Dream about whales.” I had this very intense dream that I was on a boat in a cove teeming with whales–mostly gray whales, but there was one orca. This is what googling informed me: “Whales are known for their cooperative behavior with others of their kind. So if your dream featured a group of whales, it may be linked to teamwork or family life. This kind of dream can often be connected to facing a period of challenge in your life… The whales in your dream may be reminding you of the support and assistance available from those around you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.” Very poignant, actually.
What I’m grateful for:
- Cooler temperatures! That heat wave was brutal. So glad it’s over
- Good news for my doggie, Vinny. He does not have cancer! The vet was worried about a growth, but she now thinks it’s a lymph node in a weird location
- My daughter completing the Covid vaccine series. Hopefully the bivalent booster will be available for kids soon
A few snapshots:
