Hey there,

Even though it’s still only early February and goodness knows we don’t have it too wintery here in central Texas, I’m seriously itching to get started on my spring gardening again. I planted strawberries this week because they arrived at our local nursery and I couldn’t help myself, even though a freeze is predicted for next week. (I always plant strawberries too late though, so maybe this year it’ll be different…)

I know we (and by “we” I mean “all humans ever”) always remark on how fast time flies, but doesn’t it seem like it was just March 2020 and we were all shocked by a sudden pandemic? Here we are, almost a full year later. It’s mind-boggling, really. January usually feels like six weeks to me, but 2021’s whooshed right on by. 🌬

Dogs play on the ice-covered surface of Lake Balik in Turkey. #

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. I wrote an essay published this week at America — how wisdom from two long-ago saints help guide my ordinary decision-making (here’s my method).

2. This week, Seth and I are joined around the cafe table with Haley Stewart! The three of us talk about creating over consuming, and whether we just might all be hard-wired to join in the act of creation more than participating in our culture’s default of consumption.

3. I really loved Amber’s witness, work, and word and can’t wait to hear more of this from her. Such a gifted writer.

4. One simple technique to learn anything. I like this breakdown of the growth mindset, which we talk about frequently at my kids’ school.

5. “Our goal is not to be better than other people; it’s just to be better than our previous selves.” I like this woman’s explanation of how she finally got herself to start exericising.

Currently Reading 📚

• Quit Like a Millionaire, by Kristy Shen & Bryce Leung

• (I’m also re-reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which I adore)

Quotable 💬

“The world will be a quieter, less hostile place if we replace the desire to shout with the desire to be heard, if we replace the desire to win the argument with the desire to move the person who wants to argue, and if we reserve for ourselves some of the toughest questions we can conjure up.”

― Trey Gowdy #

Elsewhere (by someone else*) 📍

Heidi N. Moore @moorehn

My harsh writing advice is that any writing that is done with the motivation of status or glory is always bad - even if many people think it's good. A worm at the core of the apple. Good writing only exists when you want and need to say something, and never otherwise.

4:40 PM ∙ Jan 29, 2021

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*Because I’m not on social media much these days while I work on another writing project. But I agree with these wise words. 👆

Have a good weekend!

xo, Tsh

p.s. If you’re a Books & Crannies subscriber, be sure to check out this week’s chat space — I love what everyone’s sharing about their surprising internet deep-dive fascinations! Pompeii, trees, and homesteading, oh my…