5 Quick Things #283 👑

dangerous living, beautiful words, glorious uselessness, & DIY

Hello!

This morning I’m sipping coffee from Hedwig, my favorite mug, while the cat’s motor purrs next to me. The windows are fogged with condensation because it’s that time of year, and I hear the chickens stir in the coop outside. Today, there is blessedly nothing on the calendar square 🎉, which is sweet relief because there has been something every single day otherwise this week, and the same goes for next week, too. I’ll take these pockets of sweetness when I can.

Last night my English class hosted our school’s exhibition, and like we’ve done before, the students read excerpts of their short stories from our literary magazine. Seniors also presented their capstone projects, their year-long endeavors related to what they hope to pursue after graduation. I was their advisor, so I felt like a mama bird with her brood, watching them stretch their wings as they tiptoe to the edge of the tree branch. Next week, these eight kiddos take flight at graduation. My own baby bird is one of them, and I just cannot believe it. It’s time.

Birds Nest, by Trudi Doyle #

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5 Quick Things ☕️

1. Poetry matters because it tells us how to love words and use them well. The same is just as true (maybe more true?) for children in their formative years, which is why it's also just as essential that we use the right words well, that we continue to craft them ourselves instead of lean on AI, and let good words form us. I love how Joseph Pearce's mind works, so this recent interview with him about all these things (and more) is a gem.

2. My youngest son’s exhibition project this session involved CO₂ cartridges and sixteen failed attempts and dangerous mishaps before successfully creating an exothermic pack. I’m used to this from my third-born, who loves building and dirt and fire and explosions—which is why I nodded my way through this.

3. Did you watch the coronation of King Charles III last weekend? I was enraptured and watched hours of it, which surprises no one in my near vicinity. I get that on the one hand, the whole thing could be seen as “man sits in chair and wears hat,” but on the other hand... it's history making. Here's a great piece that summarizes the glorious useless of monarchy.

4. It's not the main reason, but God used my love of history, symbolism, and ritual to move me from a lifetime practice of Protestantism (mostly evangelical, then Anglican) to the Catholic Church. This deep-dive from a Protestant explores well why the Middle Ages matter, and why this ancient beauty is still for all of us in the present modern world.

5. And finally, the power of doing it yourself. …No matter your resources, financial or otherwise, there really is something so satisfying about growing your own tomatoes or fixing that hole in the sweater.

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Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

• The Two Towers audiobook, by J.R.R. Tolkien & narrated by Andy Serkis*

*Just as captivating as his read of Fellowship.

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Quotable 💬

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.”

— Anne Frank #

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What’s your busiest month of the year? 🗓

I suspected as much. For me, I’ve somehow managed to conquer the December rigamarole, so even though it's busy, it's not at the top of our list. Our busiest month is a toss-up between August and May. School-age kids + teaching = yep.

Find this week’s poll here.

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Quick Links 🔗

• Ireland 2023 is sold out! 🇮🇪¹

• Create your own Rule of Life

• Subscribe to A Drink With a Friend

• Pre-order First Light & Eventide:

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Is This a Thing Worth Pursuing? 🧐

I've been asked by more than a few parents if I'd ever consider teaching an online class for their high school students. So, consider this me testing the waters — would you be interested in something like this? My thought is a weekly hour-long semester class, taught live online, the first offering being a creative writing elective.

source

We'd cover the basics of story structure and the craft of tight writing, and at the end of the class students would have a few solid short stories (or a few chapters of a novel), written by them with editing and feedback from me, ready for however they choose to wield it: college applications, scholarship possibilities, publication, etc. The class would serve a ¹⁄₂ elective or fine arts credit for their high school transcript, and would be available for any freshman through senior.

If you're interested, would you let me know? Doing so doesn't commit you to anything, it simply lets me know whether this is even an idea worth pursuing.

Thanks!

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Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔

Does a particular habit still add value to your life, or are you holding on to it out of …habit?

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Have a good one,

- Tsh

p.s.

1. Look soon for news about the summer 2024 pilgrimage… 🇬🇷