5 Quick Things #301 🍂

darker days, quitting comfort, bigger families, & —yep, again— technology

Hey there,

This letter is coming to you later in the morning than I prefer, but that’s because I slept in a bit... Last night I climbed into bed at almost midnight after having driven to and from Waco for my delightful event at Fabled — and I loved every second of it! Thank you to those of you who came; it was a sweet evening getting to meet you all. And golly day, do I love Fabled… Their fall drinks are on point—I enjoyed every sip of my Pearwell to Arms latte. ☕️

Because I’ve got the day’s work ahead of me and so do you, I’ll get right to it!

Harvest at La Crau, with Montmajour in the Background, by Vincent van Gogh (1888) #

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5 Quick Things ☕️

1. Here in Texas it still feels like summer in probably, oh, Missouri (just a guess), but tomorrow we’re getting a cool front and the day’s high will finally be in the 70s¹. While we wait for it to feel like autumn here, I appreciate those who are already in the thick of it — a reminder from

Katherine May

on how to light the dark months is lovely: “For the past couple of years, I’ve put up my Christmas lights early, making my front garden twinkle from November. I don’t take them down until Candlemas in February. This is because: well, why not? I’ve given up worrying whether it’s tacky. It makes the dark evenings feel friendlier and delights passing children. That’s all I need to know.”

2. The more I learn about and read from St. John Henry Newman, the more I love the guy — this is a short, sweet tribute to his integrity and what we can learn from it: “Do I stand ready to quit the pretty places and comfortable settings of my life? Am I prepared to lose the esteem of others? We must hold the comforts of our lives lightly. And we certainly can’t let them hold us. We are meant to seek truth, and when we find it, follow it wherever it leads.”

3. An interesting new poll from Gallup shows an American increase in preference for larger families. I immediately thought of the delightful couple I met in line at the book signing last night with their two-week-old newborn. I asked if it was their first. “No,” she replied, “Our tenth.” I love it! (And hello to you, if you’re reading this!)

4. “Only a few decades ago, you could have visited a friend’s house and lit up a cigarette with children present, and possibly nobody would have cared—while today it would be a scandal. But to suggest that people don’t bring their phones into your home, or use them in front of your children, would itself be a scandal in most homes today.” Oof.

Ruth Gaskovski

and her co-writer husband

Peco

knock it out of the park again with this long-form essay that’s worth every word.

5. This is such a great conversation—come for the intellectual insight, stay for the man’s gorgeous Civil War general-esque accent that reminds me of my Grandad and makes me grin ear-to-ear. I could listen to him read the phone book.

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Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📻

This Volume 6 Playlist I created + shared for the fall quarter subscriber’s periodical

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Quotable 💬

“If I were a bird, I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns.”

- George Eliot

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Where would you most like to travel with friends? 🌍

The full poll question was “If you were to go on a trip with a group of like-minded kindred spirits, where would you most like to go (out of these options)?” Yes, the spirit of these questions involves future potential pilgrimages of mine, but I also love hearing from folks about what's on their dream travel list... I'm pretty convinced there's no wrong answer here!

• The British Isles: 41%

• The Holy Land: 16.5%

• Italy: 15.1%

• Austria, Switzerland, & Germany: 11%

• Greece & Turkey: 7%

• Spain & Portugal: 5.3%

• France & Belgium: 4.2%

Find this week’s poll here.

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Quick Links 🔗

• 📐Create your own Rule of Life

• 🎧 Listen to A Drink With a Friend

• 📔 Order First Light & Eventide

• 🇬🇷 Join Me in Greece: June 20-30, 2024

Gythio, by Pantelis Zografos #

We’ve got 24 folks signed up for Greece already — join us! Spots will fill up fast and I’d love you to come.

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Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔

That challenge you're facing right now... Do you need more information and a better strategy, or do you need to take action?

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Have a great weekend,

- Tsh

p.s. Fifteen cents to mail a kid.

1. I’m ignoring our mid-80 highs the following week…