Hi there,

I’m sipping a gallon of coffee this morning because last night was my English class’ Exhibition Night, a thing our school does four times a year (but each class does it just once). We transformed the gym into a 1940s-era British pub/café, where the students then read original stories a la old-school radio show style, complete with foley art sound effects and dapper costumes. They did so well, and I’m so proud of them, and also I literally dreamed last night that we moved to a giant house and it was full of people needing me or wanting to talk to me, and all I was trying to do was find my new bedroom so I could be alone. No lie.

It was a great night last night, and also I’m so glad it’s almost the weekend. 😴 Both those things are true.

*Crossing the Pasture*, by Winslow Homer (1871) #

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. 👉 New episode of A Drink With a Friend! 👈 Seth and I had a delightful time chatting with our friends Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart-Holland from the podcast Pantsuit Politics — we talked with them about what it looks like to listen and learn from others when it feels like we disagree on almost everything.
2. I was flummoxed, like most of the world at the time, when I first learned about the day Agatha Christie disappeared. Straight out of one of her own stories.
3. "Why is it so much easier to be unkind when you can't see the person? Herein, I think, lies the answer: when we speak unkindly to someone's face, we can see hurt. We can see pain. But our devices take that connection, that physical connection, and break it off... We have lost the ability to be ashamed of ourselves for these comments, and I think that in this, we are losing the ability to communicate with each other as a whole." A good word.
4. A fascinating thread on nostalgia — why are we always longing for “the good old days”?
5. And finally, I loved this chat with Abigail Favale, one of my current favorite thinkers. Long, and you may not agree with everything (I don’t), but worth the listen (here it is in audio, if you prefer).

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📻

This silly little Upbeat playlist I made years ago but is scratching my current the-school-year-is-almost-over itch…

Quotable 💬

“For those who expect everything, there are many curses. For those who appreciate everything, there are many blessings.”

— James Clear #

ICYMI 🏘

If you’re a paying subscriber of The Commonplace, this week I started answering your many, many questions in my inbox about why I became Catholic. It won’t be a straightforward Q&A series, because this journey of mine is long, winding, and nuanced. But I’ll share in ways that I can, here and there in tidbits:

“I only knew of the earliest Church in vague historical periods: the Roman Empire, the Medieval period, the Renaissance, and I only knew generalities about them — a few important dates, the culture, types of art. I didn’t know about anyone specific, really, and definitely not what they thought about, wrote, or taught. I’d heard of folks like Hildegard von Bingen, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, and Augustine. But anything about them? Why I still know of them today? Hardly an iota of an idea. For me, someone who loves history, this felt like a gut-punch of a realization. It seemed like a perplexing gap in my knowledge, especially considering my childhood church’s love of knowledge and expository teaching.”

Read the Rest...

Quick Links 🔗

Italy! 🇮🇹

gray concrete building — Photo by Carlos Ibáñez on Unsplash

Reminder: For the month of May, you’ll get $250 off your registration for our trip to Tuscany if you sign up by the end of the month! It’s coming soon and you don’t want to miss it — I’d love to have you there. All are welcome.

Head Here for More Details 🍷

Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔

What are you grateful for today?

Have a great weekend,

Tsh

p.s. I feel seen.

5 Quick Things #238 🤝