Good Morning, you stalwart lovelies.

I read somewhere 2020 referred to as The Lost Year and I’ve been…thinking about that a lot. Mostly, what about it is hooking me. Time is so precious. And I know too many people who would give anything for just one more year… even this one. What finally got me to understand what was bumping me about the whole Lost Year thing, was a connection I made to a phenomenon I’ve experienced in writing.

When I’m writing, I love watching that word count go up. I love when a writing day yields thousands of words. Not necessarily all good words, but it’s comforting to see a lot of them. Makes me feel like I’m “putting the work in.”

But, then there are the other days/weeks/months when the word count is slow, but somehow in the middle of the day I’ll crack something BIG. No, that’s not that character THIS is that character. THAT wouldn’t be enough motivation for her, but THIS sure would. No, wait… holy shit, this is how I should end this thing. There’s no flashy word count, but the tectonic shift to the work is beyond quantifiable. It’s the quiet, deep internal work that illuminates a clearer, more meaningful path forward.

That’s how I look at this year: A tectonic shift - anchored in quiet, deep internal work - that is - at least for me - illuminating a clearer, more meaningful path forward.

A path that will yield both more AND better words.

Each Monday morning, I’ll gather:

❤️funny tweets

🤩stuff to watch, read and listen to

🤝great follows on social media

🌈 music to soothe

🕯calming things

*****

❤️

Overheard On Duty @OverheardOnDuty

This is the content we all need today.

May 13th 2020

5,276 Retweets20,927 Likes

Andrew Cotter @MrAndrewCotter

Still having the company meetings online.

May 11th 2020

45,241 Retweets179,999 Likes

Room Rater @ratemyskyperoom

The room is an 8. The cat fight is 10/10

May 16th 2020

9,063 Retweets41,350 Likes

🤩

• Perfume Genius has a new album out and it’s GREAT. (Thank you to Annie for this one)

• This brilliant book, Strong Women: 15 Biographies of Influential Women History Overlooked, by Kari Koeppel celebrates the lives of some of history’s brightest - and oft forgotten - women.

• Nadiya Hussain has a new show on Netflix and it’s lovely.

• I am a sucker for a cozy - or even not so cozy mystery - series. I’m trying to write a list and… I am legit panicking. So, let’s start… okay, aside from all the Sally Wainwrights and all the Agatha Christies…they are all my children. (I have so many more that are my favorites, but this is a good place to start.)

• This sanguine, pastoral blog about everyday life in Spitalfields, London is a lovely respite. (Thank you to Leila for this one)

• I love movie scores. And lately, I’ve taken to scouring the internet for the recording sessions. Fell down QUITE the rabbit hole.

• Finally saw the new Emma. Loved it.

🤝

• Follow Patrick Stewart for his Sonnet A Day and maybe a guest star from time to time.

sirpatstew

#ASonnetADay

May 12, 2020

• Follow Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola for comedy, inspiration and a great podcast.

rashidasheedz

YEAR 6 IN DA BAG. THIS HUGE DELIVERY HAPPENED JUST NOW IN CHICAGO TO THE SCHOOLS! #THANKYOU TO ALL 171 of you who donated to 6th Annual Sheedz Success Team Student / Teacher Drive. Because of you 400+ underserved children on #southside / #westside #Chicago grades K-12th will be fully prepared for school with back packs, meal AND travel (ventra CTA) cards, and about 8-10 group home/foster children will be able to go school shopping while having ALL of their school fees covered and paid for. And #Teachers got supplies for their rooms too! And other nice things they DESERVE. THANK YOU AGAIN TO MY SPONSORS & SUPPORT : @cecilystrong , @unconditionalgiving , @lisabexperience , @chrisreddis , @knowgeno , @genelafunk , @denisedoylechambers & Family, and all others! I also wanna thank all #volunteers back in Chicago that worked a week straight to make sure things went right, that every bag is perfect and all other tangible stuff that takes a lot of work. All those who showed up today to help on the scene when I called last night. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP! IT WILL GO A LONG WAY I PROMISE! WE HAVE TO LIFT, LOVE AND #INVEST in one another #EachOneReachOne ❤️🖤💚

August 28, 2019

• Follow GBBO alum, Nancy Birtwhistle for eco-friendly kitchen hacks, amazing recipes and a soundtrack of the best wedding reception music you’ve ever badly danced to.

nancy.birtwhistle

QUICK LEMON CURD - all in the pan together. Low heat and keep stirring until thickened. Keeps two weeks in the fridge. See today’s Story for step-by-step. Use to fill a Swiss Roll, top a Meringue, flavour a Buttercream, great in a Cheesecake or spread it just on it’s own. #lemoncurd #quick #easyrecipes #lemon #desserts

May 5, 2020

🌈

🕯

• I’ve rediscovered Noislii and love that they added a pomodoro timer along with several curated playlists.

• I partnered with the brilliant Jody Tixier to make a video with Dr. Vinita Mehta where she provides 10 minutes of therapy to help with anxiety during lockdown. She helped me so much and hopefully you’ll find comfort in it, as well.

• There is something magical about a Squishmallow. They’re comforting, soft and huggable and have been known to help with anxiety. I have Humphrey. He gets it. (thank you to Sarah for this one)

• I don’t know who this Spotify profile is, but her playlists are INCREDIBLE.

👭 I am here. Together, we will endeavor to just do the next right thing. 👭

See you Monday.