5 Quick Things #202 👋

generations — meh, gifts in motion, flowers in traffic, & our neighbor's name

Aug 20, 2021

Hey there,

Ever have those weeks when it seems like every square is filled with some non-negotiable event, and when you zoom in on your daily calendar it feels like every hour is accounted for? 🙋‍♀️ That was me this week. It was a good week, but boy howdy am I glad it’s Friday…

This evening Kyle’s whisking me away to — somewhere. (?) Not sure where yet, but I know it’s a quick overnighter nearby to celebrate my upcoming birthday, and I could not be more excited for it because while I know it’ll be somewhere less than an hour away, I always think of Friends when Pete (the rich boyfriend) takes Monica out for Italian food — in Rome. One can always aim high, right? So long as one is also perfectly delighted with Tex-Mex an hour away.

The 14th century Sumela monastery in Turkey's Trabzon province. (Lots of good, important photos in this week's *Atlantic* collection.)

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. 👉 New episode of A Drink With a Friend! 👈 We’re back! To kick off the new season, Seth and I talk about Dunbar’s number: turns out there’s some anthropological science to the overwhelm we feel when we keep track of thousands of people online yet don’t know our neighbor’s name across the street. Perhaps this isn’t how we’re designed to live?
2. “Indeed, the entire notion of ‘generations’ is completely made up.” Thank you. I find this whole trend of we’re-like-this-because-we’re-X-generation really tiresome.
3. This summer we noticed a plethora of ‘help wanted’ signs all over from Texas through Oregon. Yet this is true, too, and it’s fascinating to ponder: Why are so many knowledge workers quitting these days? (via The New Yorker)
4. I love this story. And as a mama of an autistic child, I’m eager to get my hands on his forthcoming book.
5. And finally… What a delightful, poignant short (under two minutes) film.

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh

(actually the ‘currently’ is misleading because I finally read it this summer, but oh-my-gosh-so-good)

Quotable 💬

“If all the world is a commodity, how poor we grow. When all the world is a gift in motion, how wealthy we become… a great longing is upon us, to live again in a world made of gifts.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer #

Inside The Commonplace 🏡

This week I returned from my break with a WRLD at Home installment taking us to Afghanistan:

“It’s overwhelming that there’s very little we can do from our own homes beyond pray and learn. So? Let’s do that well. Let’s learn about the political situation, the precarious situation so many beautiful people find themselves in, and pass that knowledge on to others, yes. But let’s not stop at news headlines and sound bytes — let’s take this time as an invitation to learn more deeply about the people and the culture.”

I then share a YouTuber who’s helping us do just that — I really appreciate his work as a travel videographer, and I’ve included links to a few of his recent videos in Afghanistan. If you’re a subscriber, head here to read the rest. (And thank you for your support!)

Subscribe to The Commonplace

Elsewhere 📍

Tsh Oxenreider ☕️ @tsh

My oldest kid just passed her driver's test and is in line to get her for-real license. 🤯 I.... I don't know which emotion I am feeling right now.

Question For You to Ponder… 🤔

What’s one thing on my agenda today that will refresh me?

Have a good weekend!

xo, Tsh

p.s. On my birthday wishlist: time to make this, finally getting one of these from someone (probably her), and pretty much anything from this collection.