Hey there,

Ever have those weeks where you are just SO GLAD it’s Friday? Me too. Today is such a day for me. It’s been a good week, just a full one, and I’m ready to get off the train and hang out at Weekend Station.

Yesterday we watched Tate’s theater group performance of The Music Man (she wasn’t in it this time; we went to support our friends) and it was such a simple delight to be in an audience watching a performance. Tonight we mosey 200 steps from our front door to the local coffee shop to watch an outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and somehow it feels just how it should be.

I hope you uncover your sliver of goodness waiting for you today.

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. 👉 New episode of A Drink With a Friend! 👈 Good stories matter — we all know this. But how do these good stories shape us, form our imaginations, make us better parents, and remind us what really matters? Why do the best stories sacramentally peel back the surface to reveal what’s really there? Seth and I talk to our friend, novelist Shawn Smucker, about what it means to immerse your life in good stories — and why it’s not optional. LOVED this chat.

2. The importance of staring out the window. “The point is, paradoxically, not to find out what is going on outside.”

3. I nodded my way reading about this concept of “soft fascination.” There’s a reason being in nature restores us, but it’s hard to describe. This reason seems to make sense, and boy howdy, so does the idea of overworked attention. Gonna sit with this idea for a bit.

4. If you find yourself dragging in the morning, here’s a lovely list of 10 ways to start your day on a more joy-filled note. (Gonna do number 9 as soon as I send you this letter!)

5. And finally… All the yesses! and amens! to this love letter to granny cooking. “In the temple of gastronomy, it’s the wise women who were the oracles, but it’s the merchants, the stall holders, who’ve been given the acclaim.” Related: I’ve now bookmarked this channel.

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 🎧

• The Family Tree: The Roots, The Branches, and The Leaves, by Radical Face (with bonus guidebook)

Quotable 💬

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

—G.K. Chesterton #

From inside The Commonplace 🏡

This week I asked subscribers to name a good book, podcast, or movie/series they’re enjoying lately. As always, you didn’t disappoint with your suggestions!

Subscribe to The Commonplace

Elsewhere 📍

Tsh Oxenreider ☕️ @tsh

Same. 🤷‍♀️

Jen Fulwiler @jenfulwiler

Be careful seeking an answer to that question. That’s how I became Catholic https://t.co/yoLeA7F86Z

4:02 PM ∙ Jun 20, 2021

Question For You to Ponder… 🤔

What’s one thing you hope people say about you at your funeral? (Follow-up: How would this answer affect what you do today?)

Have a good weekend!

xo, Tsh

p.s. Friendly reminder to you lovely subscribers: this next Monday at 7 pm EST we’re live-chatting! Look for the link on Monday morning, and join in even if you haven’t read our book selection; I’m happy to do a little AMA afterward. Should be a delightful conversation all around!