5 Quick Things #226 ♥️
digital minimalism, book clubs, motherhood, & healthy-ish
Today is my baby girl’s SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY, and boy howdy can I hardly believe it! 🤯 I know, insert all the clichés: time flies, they grow up so fast, etc., etc., but clichés are what they are because they’re true. And I won’t apologize for getting all mushy and motherly about the day because it’s an important one for me, too. I’ve been a mama for seventeen years now. It’s the hat I’m most proud to wear, and it’s also the heaviest, the loveliest, the hardest to wear, and the one that never comes off.
Motherhood brings me daily to my knees more than anything else, no contest. And parenting adolescents have left my knees bruised and war-torn, if I'm honest… Still, I love the gig. I’m grateful for the gig. I’m humbled by the gig.
5 Quick Things ☕️
1. 👉 New episode of A Drink With a Friend! 👈 As you know, Seth is currently off social media and I’m limiting most of our resources to our 100-mile radius. How’s it going? What are we learning? We chat about these things. (Note: We moved the podcast to a section of The Commonplace, in case you’re curious, but it’s otherwise the exact same show.)
2. When it’s all too easy to bemoan the downsides of Zoom, as well as the anxious get-it-over-with-already feelings about the pandemic, it’s refreshing to read a piece about the simple joys of a book club that’s held via the ubiquitous platform.
3. A delightful telling of a memory of one’s mother.
4. This is an interesting conversation about digital minimalism from the founders of Wisephone. I haven’t switched over to a dumbed-down phone (though I very much see the merits), but even in sticking with a smartphone, it’s so wise to intentionally think through our choices. Good stuff.
5. And finally, this latest gem had me both nodding in agreement and laughing out loud (and not just in a ‘lol’ way). I love his approach to just about everything in life — moderation — and I so appreciate his ability to make just about every topic funny.
Currently Reading, (Re) Watching, Listening 📺
Downton Abbey — I needed to escape somewhere beautiful, so I just finished re-watching the series, and I think it was even better the second time. Matthew!
Bitter & Sweet 🍋
Delightful news: Bitter & Sweet is currently HALF-OFF at Christianbook! This price will last until this next Wednesday, February 16, so now is most definitely the time to order the book if you haven’t yet. Or if you already have (and thanks!), it’s a great price for buying multiple copies for families, friends, and small groups.
This price is only for a few days and if you’re like me, you’ll likely forget once you finish reading this 5QT — so get thee over there and place your order already! Your future self (or the people you buy it for) will thank you.
Quotable 💬
“I’m not saying that you have to be a reader to save your soul in the modern world. I’m saying it helps.”
— Walter Mosley #
Come to Italy 🍷
Another special price: A reminder that you’ve only got until next Friday, February 18 to secure your spot on our summer Italy trip at $350 off per person. You don’t need to pay in full right away — just the deposit for now, and you’re good to go. Use this link and you’ll get the discount! I’d love you to join us.
I’m going to take us to my favorite monastery (still in use — maybe we’ll hear vespers?), the restaurant I’m still talking about six years after I was last there, and perhaps you’ll join me in tearing up at witnessing Michelangelo’s David (I still do, every time). We’ll walk the cobblestoned streets of Assisi, stay in a Tuscan villa and go wine tasting in THE best place in the world to sip wine, explore the wild history of Siena, walk through the storied piazzas of Rome and Florence, and more. You won’t want to miss it. We’ll travel the way I love to do it: laid-back adventure.
Question For You to Ponder… 🤔
What should you spend more time on? What should you spend less time on?
Have a great weekend,
Tsh
p.s. Agreed.