Weekly Roundup: June 26

Somehow we are at the end of June and summer has begun. Turns out time flies not only when you’re having fun, but also when you’re an anxious mess in the face of an uncertain world.

Quote of the week:
“Only seek advice from people whose lives you admire” –one of my best (and wisest) friends (who is also a psychologist)

What I’m reading:
(Same books as last week; it’s been a slow reading week)

• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary

What I’m listening to:

• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
• I just finished Behold the Dreamers on my morning run; one of the most well-narrated books I’ve ever listened to
• Otherppl: Brad Listi talks with author Susan Choi (podcast)
• Sugar Calling: Cheryl Strayed talks with poet Joy Harjo (podcast)

What I’m watching:

• I Know This Much Is True (HBO; finished it this week; well-done, but I think the book is better)
• Athlete A (Netflix; documentary about the women who survived abuse at the hands of USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar)
• Meeting the Enemy: A feminist comes to terms with the Men’s Rights Movement (Ted Talk; watched this because someone I don’t know commented on my being a feminist, saying that I should consider how hard the world is for men. Never said it wasn’t hard for men, but women face a lot of unique challenges. Felt like I was arguing with an “all lives matter” person)r

Writing news:

• Scary Mommy published my new essay about the working mom’s plight during this pandemic
• I’m enjoying writing my new novel. Since having my daughter, I’ve had to be really creative with my time. It’s helped me to have word count targets each week. I aim for 5,000 words a week and that seems to be going well
• Psst–rumor has it that there will be a big Goodreads giveaway for my new book, All the Acorns on the Forest Floor. Keep an eye out next week
• Just saw the cover options for my first-nonfiction book (co-written with two therapist-friends). I can’t wait to share the final cover and tell you more about this book (it comes out in Spring 2021)t

What I’m talking about:

• The Supreme Court decision protecting gay, lesbian, and transgender people from workplace discrimination (finally some good news)
• People who refuse to wear a mask. I don’t get it
• The death of Elijah McClain. The atrocities that are coming to light are truly horrifying. Reading Between the World and Me made me more aware of just how scary it is to live in the world as a Black person. If you are a parent to a Black child, you have to worry about his safety solely because of the color of his skin. This must take a massive emotional toll

What I’m grateful for:

My kitty, Leo. A little more than 2 weeks ago, he disappeared. He’s a mostly-indoor cat, but we let him outside for a couple hours each day. He always comes back in the evening. Seven months ago, this happened and he was gone for 12 days before showing up at our old house. We have no idea where he went or how he found his way there. This time, I kept hoping the same would happen…and it did! Exactly 12 days after leaving, the people at our old house saw him on their outdoor camera. We started going up there in the mornings to call for him and, lo and behold, he jumped out of the bushes. He seems very happy to be home, back with his best friend (our dog, Frankie). Cats are super weird. We are chalking this up to a midlife walkabout.