5 Quick Things #271 🎻
5 Quick Things #271 🎻
guest etiquette, sleep help, baroque cello, & a maternal saint
Hello!
Today's quite a full day for me — I'm going to an early morning Mass in a small town half an hour away from me, then chatting with a few folks about Chesterton, classical education, and other such nerdery that makes my heart sing. I'm then joining some girlfriends to San Antonio (not quite two hours from my home), where we'll have a lovely dinner together and then take in a new independent play about lady mystics like Julian of Norwich and Hildegard of Bingen. You know, as you do. …Needless to say, I'm very much looking forward to today.
In other news, this week I started my seeds for the spring garden — a bit later than I should have, I fear, but I think that every year and then somehow it all turns out okay. I'm a bit late in planting any lettuce or peas because central Texas weather is drunk and one minute we're in an ice storm and school is canceled for a week (last week), and the next minute the high is 90 (next week). I’m still hoping to get them in the ground this weekend.
(Related: I've never had much luck growing lettuce or peas here.)
5 Quick Things ☕️
1. In case you missed it, earlier this week I shared brief excerpts from my book about Lent, since the season begins next week: “If we’re athletes using our gifts, skills, and strengths to aim our lives toward an imperishable prize, a practice like Lent could be seen as a season of intense working out. Like Olympians before the worldwide games, we’re focused, determined, and ready to win the prize. Lent doesn’t earn our place in the game of life, but it makes us more ready for it.”
2. If you’re like me, you go through phases of sleeping well and — well, not so much. If the latter is you right now, some of these tips may help. …I may try the second idea tonight. (I yawned as soon as I typed this sentence.)
3. There’s a reason that Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, is my confirmation saint. (Read his loving words about his mom in Confessions and it’ll give you an idea why...)
4. “Do you refrain from doleful observations on the weather, the international situation, etc.?” A quiz from 1944 answers whether you’re a good guest.
5. And finally, if you need thirty minutes of beauty today, have this on in the background. Stunning.
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚
Introduction to the Devout Life, by St. Francis de Sales
Quotable 💬
“It takes a lot of energy to insist on being special all the time. Try for a moment to feel what relief there is in the ordinary.”
— Peter Høeg #
What’s the best day of the week? 🗓
We humans are so predictable. (Poor hump day.)
Find this week’s poll here.
Quick Links 🔗
Become a paying subscriber of The Commonplace (and thank you!)
Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔
Who could you encourage this weekend?
Have a good one,
- Tsh
Oh, I LOVE that you’re going to see We Sail On In Darkness. My dear, dear friend is the playwright and director and I’ve been reading versions of the script for years. We were fellow parishioners and neighbors in Boston and the women of our group still do weekly Bible study on zoom (though we’ve all now left Boston). We drove from Virginia to Texas last week to see the show (four of our Bible study members convened in San Antonio to support her) and I think they did such a fantastic job. It was truly beautiful and just a very cool piece of physical theater. So proud of her and the whole team. Enjoy!