Paris

I just returned from spending two weeks in Paris with my husband and son. It was my first time to Paris and my first trip overseas in 20 years. The last time I was in Europe, I used an MCI calling card to call home…on a payphone. Obviously a lot has changed since then, not least of all myself.

It was such a treat to see my son, who is 11, experience his first proper trip and to be reminded of the importance of travel not only in shaping your sensibility and how you see the world, but also how it can foster gratitude for home and your own day to day life.

We ate, and walked, and saw art. I practiced my French and saw my French teacher twice, a delight after only knowing each other through the screen for the last several months.

Before we left Seattle I spent a lot of time figuring out what clothes to pack: how things could go together, how I could wear something over and over again, how I could be comfortable but also look pulled together and feel like myself. I have never planned my wardrobe quite this thoroughly and it was a really enjoyable experience. It made adjusting to the shifts in weather, activity, or mood a piece of cake.

Here I am heading to the airport doing my best layering for temp regulation, options, and depth (one of the many things I’ve learned from Amy Smilovic this year). Some of those layers became a scarf, a pillow, or a blanket on the trip over, plus it saved room in my luggage…

Speaking of luggage, we bought The Medium from Away just before the trip which was the perfect size and I used my small carry-on as well…

My favorite simple go-to tote is this Baggu crossbody duck bag (seen below) which I used nearly everyday. It has an adjustable strap and hugs close to the body, and easily fit our umbrellas and jambon et beurre sandwiches…

Also from Baggu, I usually have one of these standard bags folded up in my bag (not just while traveling but at home as well) just in case…

The most important thing I brought with me to Paris were my Brooks Ghost 15 shoes. I also packed my Nike Jumbos which are no doubt “cooler” but since I knew the primary thing we would be doing is walking on concrete, I built my wardrobe around these shoes.

I walked at least 18,000 steps every day for two weeks straight, and my body felt fantastic. It solidified what I already know, that walking is incredibly important and necessary for us humans and something I am going to double-down on and prioritize at home.

Something else that I wore repeatedly and worked well with the Brooks style-wise were a slouchy pair of trousers. I scored these Tibi Stella ones on sale (and then took them to Nordstrom to be hemmed) and they are a fantastic pant. The current ones can be found here…

I also wore this Uniqlo cashmere crew neck sweater over and over, sometimes just as a scarf…

And this Uniqlo merino turtleneck…

And possibly my favorite, this dropped-shoulder boiled wool sweater from COS (seen above with that Baggu duck bag)…

Unsurprisingly, we found lots of delicious things to eat.

We enjoyed a magnificent food tour in the Marais with Paris by Mouth. Our fantastic guide Faye (a Brit and now Parisienne for 14 years) was so delightful (she also showed up wearing a Wu-Tang beanie) that it was one of the highlights of the whole trip. And my son, who at home I’d classify as a picky eater, tried it all with gusto - the stinky cheeses, the pâté, the wine…

We had a spectacular lunch at Mokonuts, which had been on my list after reading this article about them in the NYT a few years ago…

Petit Bao was also great. We visited twice to get our fill of dumplings. And I had the best smash burger of my life at Blend (which we also visited twice)…

But the front runner was our incredible Lebanese meal at Kubri…

Everything was so bright and flavorful and complex but accessible that even my (now formerly picky) son was wowed. At his request we made a reservation for lunch the following week…

Another highlight was my son searching for Invaders. I first learned about Invader through Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop, but was reminded by my friend Omar about the FlashInvaders app that tracks the Invaders you find. We would make a point of taking the long way to the restaurant so we could wind through the streets and look for them. After dinner one night in Saint-Germain it was pouring and dark but we spent some time walking around before catching the metro home and were rewarded by finding a very cool Chewbacca and C-3PO. It was fun in and of itself but as a parent raising a human in this time of constantly being cajoled into looking into your screen instead of what’s around you, I was especially proud when he said “Can you imagine if you were just walking around the street looking at your phone, you’d never see them!”

We also went to see the incredible Rothko exhibit currently happening at Fondation Louis Vuitton which is my favorite museum experience to date…

And now it feels wonderful settling back in at home, seeing my clients, and re-stocking the fridge and thinking about what to cook. I am making time for that daily walk, looking forward to seeing my French teacher once again on the screen next week, and am paying gratitude for this life I get to live.

I will leave you with this from James Clear’s always insightful weekly newsletter:

Historian and author, Howard Zinn, on the importance of what you choose to emphasize:

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

— Howard Zinn

April 19

Happy spring! It’s still very chilly here in Seattle and I’ve delayed starting my garden, but the birds are singing, the light is returning and I just finished a big spring clean-out at home…

While I wait for my Piet Oudolf inspired perennial backyard to make its return I’ve been paging through Piet’s new book which is full of inspiration…

Speaking of inspiration, my friend Jessie introduced me to Amy Smilovic’s amazing book The Creative Pragmatist. It’s the most favorite thing I’ve purchased for myself in a long time...

Continuing on the topic of fashion, I just bought these superwide-leg jeans from Madewell that I love and feel great in…

And I wore these new Adidas Always Original pants to the studio this week and four clients asked me for a link so they too could get them. You can’t tell in the photo but the stripes are sheer. They do have a très bizarre “whale tale” insert (why?!) that you can see in the photos, but I just took a pair of scissors and cut it out and now they are a normal but très cool pair of pants…

My husband needed a new speaker for his studio and selected this compact but mighty (and beautiful!) Marshall bluetooth speaker…

For a long time I used to make my own almond milk which isn’t difficult but it is time consuming. I just discovered this almond milk concentrate from JOI (it’s made with just almonds so it’s essentially a blanched almond butter) and it is so good and so easy I will never go back. Available directly from JOI or Amazon…

Over the last several months I have been learning French. We have an upcoming trip to Paris later this year which gave me the nudge to start, but I am continuing with such devotion motivated purely by my own enjoyment of practicing and seeing it slowly come together. It makes me so happy to practice and it has been such a treat to learn something completely new at 40+ that is not related to my work. There are so many great resources out there if you want to learn a language. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Fluent Forever is great for ear training and pronunciation.

• Super Duolingo (the paid version) is incredibly fun.

• Duolingo French podcast has really improved my listening and they also provide full transcripts.

• Short Stories in French - there is an audiobook component available as well.

• Alliance Française to practice with real people!

**Bonus tip for my devoted readers: how to reliably get rid of hiccups!

“Momentum goes both ways.

Don’t move, feel sluggish. Start moving, feel like moving a little more.

Don’t talk, feel timid. Start chatting, conversation gets a little easier.

Don’t ship, feel stuck. Start creating, ideas begin to flow.”

— James Clear

Nandi Bushell

I can’t believe I haven’t shared this before now, but last year I watched Nandi Bushell play this cover of Everlong by the Foo Fighters. Her talent is incredible but I’ve watched it so many times (my favorite part is at 3:38) just to witness the pure, absolute joy of her playing.

Nandi Bushell via youtube

(Her drum battle challenge to Dave Grohl was accepted which you can watch on her channel.) But after you watch the above, watch her play live this last summer with the Foo Fighters at The Forum in LA. I had tears streaming down my face. #purejoy

Begin Again

Hello at long last.

My son started school last week. For the first time in 17 months he will be in school full-time, in the building and out of the house. Closures, quarantines, and remote school are still a possibility as we move along, but I am so grateful to have rediscovered some time and space for myself nonetheless. My brother has started taking long solo walks while his kids are in school. It feels like such a gift to care for ourselves as individuals once again.

We enjoyed a very low-key summer here at home. We bought a hammock.

I turned 40 and hosted a small dinner party. It felt so wonderful to cook for friends after such a long hiatus…

As a birthday gift to myself I bought two of these beautiful Convivial minimal pasta bowls that fit right in with all of my Heath coupe dinnerware…

After a very dry summer (and a record heatwave) the temps have started to cool here in Seattle and it feels like fall, still my favorite season - a good time to regroup and begin again.

I’ve been reading a lot and am fully engrossed in Sally Rooney’s latest, Beautiful World, Where Are You. She is a master and I can’t put it down…

I recently listened to Tim Ferriss’s conversation with neurobiologist Dr. Andrew Huberman. They talk at length about optimizing sleep, using our body to control the mind and reduce anxiety among other things. I learned so much and highly recommend it…

Via Tim Ferriss

I also just revisited the endearing film The Lunch Box. It is a special one and you can rent it here.

Just as I sometimes still feel a bit awkward socializing and carrying on a conversation these days, I feel a bit out of practice writing here after so many months away. But it feels good to return to this space.

A parting quote I’ve been thinking about:

“The habitual tendency when things get tough is that we protect ourselves, we get hard, we get rigid. But…that’s the time to soften and see how we might play or dance with the situation.
”

— Jeff Bridges

One Year On

These beautiful and poignant photos of normally bustling cities empty of humans are my favorite images captured of the lockdown last year.

Andrea Montovani for The New York Times

Today is the one year anniversary of our family’s pandemic experience. March 12, 2020 is the day I first closed my Pilates studio and the day my son’s school closed for a “two-week” quarantine.

In March of last year I think it’s safe to say that most of us couldn’t imagine that we’d still be living with such restrictions one year in the future. And yet here we are. Continuing to stretch ourselves and practicing the very important skill of being uncomfortable.

A few months before the pandemic I listened to Brené Brown’s excellent audiobook The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting. She talks about the importance of having a family gratitude practice with respect to the question: How do you raise kids who have everything they need to not be entitled? (And equally important, as an adult who has everything I need how do I keep myself from being entitled?) So two weeks before lockdown we all started writing in our own Five Minute Journal recommended by Tim Ferriss in his great conversation with (again) Brené Brown. My son has the kid version. In the beginning it was a great way for all of us to remind ourselves of how fortunate we were, right when it seemed as if all the “good stuff” was being taken from us. Now a year into the pandemic with all of its uncertainties, a few minutes spent writing in my gratitude journal has become an essential part of my morning routine.

When I think of gratitude I immediately think of David Steindl-Rast’s conversation with Krista Tippett. It resonated deeply with me when I first heard it years ago and I have been revisiting his words this week. As Krista writes “He calls joy ‘the happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.’ And his gratefulness is not an easy gratitude or thanksgiving – but a full-blooded, reality-based practice and choice.”

From their conversation:

“Br. Steindl-Rast: Well, for me, this idea of listening and really looking and beholding — that comes in when people ask, “Well, how shall we practice this gratefulness?” And there is a very simple kind of methodology to it: Stop, look, go. Most of us — caught up in schedules and deadlines and rushing around, and so the first thing is that we have to stop, because otherwise we are not really coming into this present moment at all, and we can’t even appreciate the opportunity that is given to us, because we rush by, and it rushes by. So stopping is the first thing.

But that doesn’t have to be long. When you are in practice, a split second is enough — “stop.” And then you look: What is, now, the opportunity of this given moment, only this moment, and the unique opportunity this moment gives? And that is where this beholding comes in. And if we really see what the opportunity is, we must, of course, not stop there, but we must do something with it: Go. Avail yourself of that opportunity. And if you do that, if you try practicing that at this moment, tonight, we will already be happier people, because it has an immediate feedback of joy.

I always say, not — I don’t speak of the gift, because not for everything that’s given to you can you really be grateful. You can’t be grateful for war in a given situation, or violence or domestic violence or sickness, things like that. There are many things for which you cannot be grateful. But in every moment, you can be grateful.

For instance, the opportunity to learn something from a very difficult experience — what to grow by it, or even to protest, to stand up and take a stand — that is a wonderful gift in a situation in which things are not the way they ought to be. So opportunity is really the key when people ask, “Can you be grateful for everything?” — no, not for everything, but in every moment.”

My favorite film of late is the documentary The Biggest Little Farm. The cinematography is stunning, it is joyful, and it is a beautiful depiction of the complexity and wisdom found within the systems of nature. As Molly the farmer states, “The hardships we face make the dream feel so much more alive.” Rent it or watch it currently on Hulu. At a minimum watch the trailer…

Wise words from Alice Walker…

Alice Walker via Nitch

“Some periods of our growth are so confusing that we don’t even recognize that growth is happening. We may feel hostile or angry or weepy and hysterical, or we may feel depressed. It would never occur to us, unless we stumbled on a book or a person who explained to us, that we were in fact in the process of change... Whenever we grow, we tend to feel it, as a young seed must feel the weight and inertia of the earth as it seeks to break out of its shell on its way to becoming a plant... Often the feeling is anything but pleasant. But what is most unpleasant is the not knowing what is happening... Those long periods when something inside ourselves seems to be waiting, holding its breath, unsure about what the next step should be, eventually become the periods we wait for, for it is in those periods that we realize we are being prepared for the next phase of our life and that, in all probability, a new level of personality is about to be revealed.”

— Alice Walker

Creativity + Ego

“Creativity and ego cannot go together. If you free yourself from the comparing and jealous mind, your creativity opens up endlessly. Just as water springs from a fountain, creativity springs from every moment. You must not be your own obstacle. You must not be owned by the environment you are in. You must own the environment, the phenomenal world around you. You must be able to freely move in and out of your mind. This is being free. There is no way you can’t open up your creativity. There is no ego to speak of.”

— Jeong Kwan

Netflix

I have watched Jeong Kwan’s Chef’s Table episode three times over the last year. She is so calming, wise, and inspirational.

I made Samin Nosrat’s speedy and delicious spinach and cilantro soup for lunch today. I prefer it a little thicker so I use one cup less stock and start with less salt since my stock is already seasoned. If you have some leftover rice in your fridge add that to your bowl…

Photo by Ty Mecham via Food52

The Everlane Perform Bra is my new favorite…

I’ve been reading Big Ideas for Curious Minds with my son and it is wonderful. It’s from the folks at School of Life who do such great stuff…

It is filled with important little essays and delightful drawings and is equally appropriate for adults with things like ‘Learn to Say What’s on Your Mind’…

And ‘Why it’s Hard to Know What to Do With Your Life’…

Pomofocus is a cool tool.

And I think this shirt is made for me…

February 11

Listening to birdsong is one of the most delightful and calming things I can think of. Until their joyful chatter returns to my yard in abundance, I am happy to have discovered tree fm which is kind of magic. It is especially lovely to listen to while soaking in the tub…

Speaking of birds ornithologist Drew Lanham’s words in his recent On Being conversation really resonated with me:

“In that moment of that little brown bird that’s always so inquisitive, that sings reliably — in that moment that I’m thinking about that wren, I’m not thinking about anything else. That’s joy. And so sometimes I think we have to recognize the joy that the world didn’t give us and that the world can’t take away, in the midst of the world taking away what it can.”

I added his book The Home Place to my reading list. Listen to him read a short excerpt here:

I read Sally Rooney’s wonderful book Normal People cover to cover one Saturday a few weeks ago and am still thinking about it. There is also a 12 part series on Hulu which was exquisitely done…

I am a consummate list-maker of all things and these free downloads from Appointed make me happy…

I have been back in the studio teaching which also means I’ve been getting to play and work on my own Pilates practice which is one of the most joyful things I get to do…

This gorgeous painting below is not a two-dimensional scene but a real person painted by the artist Alexa Meade. It’s worth listening to her short TED talk if you need motivation to step off your current path but feel too invested to make a change. She graduated with a political science degree and a dream to work in government only to be moved by a curiosity that compelled her to return home to her parents’ basement where she taught herself how to paint by painting the shadows on the ground, on her face, on her food…

Along similar lines, Seth Godin’s recent blog post struck a chord especially after living and working through this year of the “pivot.”

“Is ‘nimble’ a good thing? Should we seek to be flexible, resilient and quick to be able to shift and adapt?

Because often, it seems as though we work to create an environment where it’s difficult indeed to be nimble. We buy expensive assets, lock into long-term systems and fail to ignore sunk costs. We set foundations in concrete instead of using a lightweight tent…”

It’s hard to choose a favorite time of year in my garden, but when new green shoots start to emerge from the dirt it always feels like a miracle and I’m surprised every time it happens. These chives are making a go of it…

And the quote I’m taking to heart these days…

“You don’t always have to be doing something. You can just be, and that’s enough.”

— Alice Walker

October 29

The temp has dropped here in Seattle and now it really feels like fall. I am learning how to build a proper fire and chop wood. The wood chopping needs some work but it is super satisfying. I snapped this shot on my way out yesterday…

You can’t see them well in the photo above but my super cool Vans are these from Hedley & Bennett…

We have this beautifully simple, made-in-Seattle Filson log carrier to haul all that freshly chopped wood…

Over these last several months at home, I lost the desire to drink alcohol. I didn’t make any big decision, it just happened. And when I thought about it further it became clear that my desire for a cocktail to mark the evening or enjoying a beer after working all day in the yard was about the ritual or celebration and not the alcohol itself. However, most non-alcoholic beverages seem to lack that special something that a proper drink has when it comes to marking an occasion.

With perfect timing, Julia Bainbridge’s excellent book Good Drinks came out last month…

She writes in the introduction: “It can be difficult to snap a backbone onto a mixed drink without wine or spirits. Alcohol provides structure and complexity, and it’s often pleasantly bitter and bracing. Remove it from a cocktail, and you’re left with sugar, acid, and some cold water…Until recently, nonalcoholic mixed drinks have been treated as afterthoughts. A higher level of effort and care anoints them as proper drinks. Good Drinks.”

She also wrote Pleasantly Bitter and Thoroughly Grown-Up, No Alcohol Needed for the NYT this summer. Mentioned in the article is For Bitter For Worse out of Portland. My favorite evening cocktail fireside these days is this negroni style deliciousness…

4 oz The Saskatoon

1 oz simple syrup (or juniper syrup)

1/2oz - 1oz lemon juice

Shake over ice in a shaker, and as the bottle states “serve over ice with style and intention.” (I like a big ice cube like this.)

Another one to add to your bar cart are the SOM vinegar cordials created by Andy Ricker of Pok Pok fame…

“You get something sweet, tart, in some cases savory, and in some cases tannic, all in one pour,” says Ricker. “You don’t have to make a simple syrup or add a botanical to it or muddle anything.”  SOM and soda make a fantastic savor-worthy beverage…

A few other things bringing me joy these days…

YNAB! You Need a Budget. I wrote about YNAB here four years ago and have mentioned it a few times since. I am an unabashed YNAB pusher and think everyone should use this amazing life-changing tool…

We are going through a lot of soap these days and this everyone foaming hand soap is our favorite for the bathroom…

I like this liquid version in the kitchen. Their lemon coconut hand sanitizer and wipes are great as well…

The Dream Pant from Everlane is really good. Soft, midweight fabric and an excellent cut makes for great loungewear that is really pulled together and smart looking…

Over the summer we made a lot of pizza. We’ve had a little Ooni pizza oven for the last few years but only really pulled it out one or two times a year which was a shame. It is so easy to use and we really put it to work this summer. Even with the cooling temps we plan to keep her firing all through the fall and winter.

We have an older model but this Ooni Koda is comparable…

And Joe Beddia’s Pizza Camp is my pizza bible. The perfect dough, sauce, and technique are all found here. In fact the technique he teaches uses a standard home oven so if you don’t have a pizza oven definitely don’t let let that stop you. We use both the Ooni and our kitchen oven with excellent results.

One of the many restaurants to close in our city due to the pandemic is the acclaimed Tilth. I thought chef Maria Hines’ words in The Seattle Times were beautiful…

But Hines also holds hope for the future. Of “the heart and soul” of an enterprise like Tilth, she says, “My love and my creativity and my desire to share happiness with the world through my craft - all of that still is there. It’s just that the vessel is going to change. Whatever form that takes, you can’t take that away.”

Seattle fans who’d like a last taste of Hines’ shared happiness in its current incarnation can still try for takeout or day-of patio reservations, weather permitting, through Oct. 30. Then Tilth goes dark. But Hines calls the restaurant’s last days a celebration. She continues, “There’s this sense that it’s ending - that there’s a finality to it… we really need to look towards the light, and think about all that light we still have in us. Don’t let the temporary darkness block that out.”

Ken Lambert - The Seattle Times

And I’ve been thinking about this quote…

“Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We’ll need writers who can remember freedom—poets, visionaries—realists of a larger reality.”

— Ursula K. Le Guin

Here We Are

Hello there. It has been a while.

Like many others, I have spent the last several months contemplating all the things, and thinking about the shape of my life. My home and family life, my work. Asking the question, is this how I want my life to look? And if not, how can I reimagine it so it does? I love this Daily Stoic from a few month’s back on how much of what we do and say is not essential.

“There has never been a better time to go through your life and ask yourself about all the things you do and say and think, “Is this necessary?” “Is this essential?” “Why am I doing this?” “What would happen if I changed?””

— Ryan Holiday

It’s been a wonderful exercise and it is amazing how asking those questions regularly really brings our priorities into high relief. I’ve also found the central Stoic tenet that the only thing we have control over in our lives is the way we respond to be deeply grounding and liberating, and I would argue, vital in times like these.

In addition to all this reflection, I have been using this time to get as creatively inspired and recharged as possible. I spent most of the summer working in the backyard with my husband. Pouring over all of my Piet Oudolf books and trying to follow his example. It has been a true labor of love transforming the slope between our house and the studio, which for the last decade has been overrun by weeds and blackberries…

I’m so proud of how it turned out and can’t wait to see how it looks next year when it fills in and looks more Oudolf Field-like…

Now that the yard project is done I’m largely filling my time reading, including Ryan Holiday’s newest…

Even more enjoyable than reading for myself right now is reading aloud to my son. We just finished the The Golden Compass, the first book of Philip Pullman’s triology His Dark Materials. I don’t know who is more excited each night to read together, him or me. He is a stellar reader on his own, but there is something kind of magical about being read to (and something magical in being the reader as well).

To go with all this reading, I am so grateful for my Caddis Readers which make a huge difference. They are also blue-light blockers which is something to consider since many of us are sitting in front of computer screens more than ever these days…

I’m learning how to draw using this fantastic workbook…

I’ve also noticed that I’ve been gravitating toward things that I find deeply moving and poignant. Things that remind me how beautiful it is to be alive, and be human. I’ve been listening to a lot of Max Richter. I’d really like to watch the film on his 8.5 hour work Sleep…

We finally watched Jojo Rabbit. It has been a long time since I was so touched my a movie. If you watch on HBO, make sure to watch the short “making of“ clip following the film and listen to director Taika Waititi talk about creating the film through the eyes of a ten year old boy…

The Rainer Maria Rilke line at the end of the film from his poem Go to the Limits of Your Longing was spot on.

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.”

We also recently re-watched Arrival which is my favorite film. The trailer in no way indicates just how beautiful and thought provoking it is.

I will part with the delightful Frog and Toad (thank you R for sending this to me months ago!)…

Frog and Toad Tentatively Go Outside After Months in Self-Quarantine

Learning Comes from Doing

As most of us are now weeks into being locked down at home, I’ve been thinking a lot about learning and doing. In her On Being conversation, the poet Marie Howe said - “When you’re very sad, the only thing to do is to go learn something.”

I think learning something is especially important not just in sadness, but during times of uncertainty and upheaval.

The photo above was taken the month before the current stay at home order. Our backyard studio (i.e. my husband’s new workspace) was nearing completion. We had no idea then that this would soon be shared creative space!

As work has now stopped for both of us, we are collectively planning and strategizing about moving forward. We are finding “strength in the places we’d never thought to develop, spaces we didn’t know we’d occupy, room to reach beyond ourselves,” and are focusing our energy into learning how to do new things.

My husband is learning how to use his shiny new power tools by building things. He built shop tables for the studio…

And this beautiful Donald Judd inspired chair out of leftover wood from the studio construction…

@aaronleitz

I’m learning how to do Pilates videos for my clients. The challenge for me is not in the logistics of the curriculum, but in getting over my fear of the camera and finding my voice so that it actually sounds like me and how I teach in person.

Accepting that I’m not going to be an expert right out of the gate is something I’ve always struggled with.

I have to walk my talk and “Respect the Process” (which is the mantra I continually espouse) and even put on the Pilates Everyday “about” page:

“Prioritize repetition over perfection. It isn’t going to be good right out the gate. Don’t worry, just keep at it and do your best. Through repetition and deliberate practice it will start to come together. Just move. Pay attention. Don’t rush. Enjoy yourself. Repeat. Respect the process.”

Creating videos and expanding my practice online had always been on my mind but seemed like a far off consideration in the context of my normal life/work routine. I felt like I didn’t have any extra space or energy to devote to it.

Our friend Alison Pickart posted this quote last week which I printed out and put on my fridge…

“The amazing thing about human nature is that people find themselves gravitating toward things that they innately know how to do. For some very lucky ones, they will discover a passion that now has the time to be realized, which may inadvertently become a new life’s work. Great things come out of crisis, often because they have to.”

— Alison Pickart

Seth Godin nails this idea (and also accurately conveys the level of work required) in his blog post But what could you learn instead? .

“Learning takes effort, and it’s hard to find the effort when the world is in flux, when we’re feeling uncertain and when we’re being inundated with bad news. But that’s the moment when learning is more important than ever…This shift is difficult to commit to, because unlike education, learning demands change. Learning makes us incompetent just before it enables us to grasp mastery. Learning opens our eyes and changes the way we see, communicate and act.

It’s way easier to get someone to watch–a YouTube comic, a Netflix show, a movie–than it is to encourage them to do something. But it’s the doing that allows us to become our best selves, and it’s the doing that creates our future.”

Read Seth’s entire post here.

Learning something doesn’t always have to be a BIG thing. There is so much joy to be found in the process of learning small day to day things.

My fridge looks a lot different these days than it did in January…

I have pretty good chops in the kitchen but I am learning new ways to make use of what we have in the pantry and freezer, substituting ingredients, using recipes as inspiration rather than rigid instructions and trusting my instincts. Forced to simplify, this time has unlocked a new culinary creativity.

I am starting seeds inside, something I have never done before…

The sewing machine is out and being put to use making masks: the perfect project to hone my sewing skills acquired last spring at Drygoods Design’s beginner sewing series.

Repetition is the mother of all learning - Repetitio mater studiorum est.

All this learning of new THINGS is really learning a new way to BE. Attentive. Deliberate. Comfortable with discomfort. Intentional. Grateful.