5 Quick Things #332 🍅

nourishing your noggin, good Christian art, idle-free rest, & seriously—just choose not to be mad

May 24, 2024

Hey there,

This week began my backyard harvest for the year; I picked (and then pickled) five cucumbers, then collected two unseasonably red tomatoes and a handful of late peas (peas never work for me, but I still try every year because I love the idea of them.) It feels apropos that this mini harvest began during the same week my school year ended — I officially gave my class final exam on Monday and today I’ll have all my grades submitted! This academic year truly flew by, yet I am so ready for this break.

This weekend I’m going to (another) high school graduation, then I’ll be cleaning our bedroom (it’s been sorely neglected), and if I have time, sewing a few clothing items (mostly hemming). I’ll also be doing my absolute best to stave off my annual ooh-school’s-over?-let’s-get-sick cold that always rears its ugly head.

*The Hammock*, by William James Glackens (1919) #

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. New episode of A Drink With a Friend! In this one I’m chatting with artist Chris Lewis, who runs his business, Baritus Catholic, as both a ministry and an independent (mom-and-)pop shop. We talk about what is it that makes art objectively good, why beauty is also objective, and how AI is such an insult to bonafide human artists. I also ask him what we, as appreciators of good art, can do in our ordinary, modern lives, to support more artists like him. I loved our conversation, and I think you will, too.
2. ICYMI, earlier this week I shared my upcoming summer plans to go internet-free, and it feels really good to have publicly declared it (I made the decision back in late January): “A summer is only a summer. It’s not forever, and in the big scheme of things, this is no big deal. When I consider my favorite living authors, none of them have a strong social media presence, they take years to write their novels, and they’re dedicated to quality over quantity.” The feedback has been incredibly encouraging, so thank you, as always, for being the best readers out there.
3. Do you feel the need to better nourish your noggin? The summer’s a great time for some continuing education, and
Joel J Miller
’s has some great, practical suggestions: “Most every decent-sized town will have events at which authors and other topical experts will speak on their subjects. It could be the arts, music, social or spiritual issues, a reading from a new novel, whatever. Bookstores, community colleges, universities, and churches will often host such events, and they can be very enriching. You might even try auditing a course a your local college.”
4. I absolutely loved teaching three short stories and one Flannery O’Connor novel this past semester — she has a way of resonating with astute adolescents (and English teachers), and the more I read her stuff, the more I get out of it. I appreciate my pal
Claire Swinarski
’s homage to the wildcat, and how her work connects to good art today: “Christians’ attempts to sanitize art, to wipe it clean of any smudge or dirt so that it passes some kind of purity test will be at our peril. …These stories, stories of immense grace and truth, contain sin because human beings sin. These stories are not real, but they are true.”
5. And finally… As I said when I shared
matthew pierce
’s piece earlier this week, without hyperbole: this might actually be the best thinkpiece on the subject matter on which I am SO very tired of hearing: “Some people are angry about the things that Butker said, and other people are angry because they think he is being persecuted. But what about the third group of people, who are not upset by any of it? Why are they not mad? Are they simply not smart enough to be outraged by every new thing? Am I to stand idly by, while these people blindly go about their lives, devoting their energy and attention to their family and friends? How sad!”

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

Table for Two, by Amor Towles

Quotable 💬

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

-John Lubbock

Which one best describes your current mood? ⛱️

At any moment of the day I’m quite possibly any of these (except for the one about not having kids at home), so it just depends on my mood. As I’m typing this right now, I’ll go with good ol’ Chris Pratt.

No kids: 24.2%
School year energy: 23.2%
I'll allow it: 19.3%
It's finally here: 15.1%
Real life: 13.4%
Oh no, summer: 4.8%