5 Quick Things #362 ☕️
slippery slopes, scandinavian wisdom, seventeen seconds, & stoop coffee
Hey there,
Not only is spring in the air around here, but so is spring cleaning… Part of my Lenten fast this year involves buying nothing, and I’m pairing that with a mass exodus of stuff in the house we just don’t need. Living in small, old cottage with almost zero closets will light a minimalist fire under you, I tell ya. 🔥
This weekend I plan to work in the garden until it rains, and then I’m shifting inside to finishing our one hall closet, then onto the bathroom shelves, then the back hallway, and perhaps even get to the pantry if there’s time… Stuff just taking up space: beware. Your days inside these four walls are numbered. …Mwah ha ha.
5 Quick Things ☕️
1. Advancements in technology always lead to new questions about that dividing line between useful and a slippery slope, and never have I felt it more in my life since the rapid onset of AI in the past few years.
unpacks this beautifully and asks some good questions in the process: “Is this a technology that helps me be efficient with my time in one area in order to offer more of myself to in-person community?”2. Earlier this week I had coffee with a parish friend who’s also a mom to littles (she’s in her twenties and has been married just a few years). We got into talking about one of our old parenting moves that I see reaping dividends now that all our kids are older — namely, letting kids take lots of healthy risks and getting out of their way. Out of fear of becoming a helicopter parent, I skewed clear the other way, embracing that Scandinavian maxim, “The safest place for a child is five feet high in a tree.” In other words, saving them from risk actually endangers them more than learning how to solve problems and try hard things at a reasonable, age-appropriate level. I’d just think of all the times I was at the neighborhood playground with a friend or two without adults until the street lights came on, when we all knew it was time to come home, and then connected the dots that I somehow survived and made it to adulthood just fine.1
3. …Which is why I was nodding in fervent agreement reading
’s piece on the benefit of parents (wisely) waiting seventeen seconds before coming in to rescue a child from a tricky situation. I hadn’t thought of it like that before, but that’s a good way to put it — as she says, “be a lifeguard parent (as opposed to a helicopter parent), aware of all that’s going on, but only jumping in when necessary. Not only does this make your own job easier as a parent (fewer interruptions and greater long-term independence), but it builds the kid’s confidence enormously showing them that they can do hard things—and that you believe in them.”4. That whole no-buy Lent I’m doing? That also includes eating out at restaurants (or, at least we’re keeping this very low-cost), which means our date nights have scaled down the past few weeks… and it turns out we’re really enjoying it enough to probably just keep it up. Last night we bought inexpensive barbeque at one of our favorite local spots — believe it or not, that would be from our beloved grocery store — and took it to a nearby park to enjoy the spring evening weather. It was perfect.
5. And finally, from stoop coffees to block parties… I love this so much.
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚
Evangelical is Not Enough, by Thomas Howard
Quotable 💬
“My heart wants roots. My mind wants wings. I cannot bear their bickerings.”
― E.Y. Harburg
How many email addresses do you have? 💻
I’m in the 3-4 camp, and I feel like it’s far too many… I’m trying my best to downsize, but it’s weirdly harder than it seems like it should be. In the meantime, I’m super impressed with those of you in the 1 camp. Way to win at life.
2: 41%
3-4: 36.9%
1: 15%
5-6: 6%
too embarrassed to say: 1%
Find next week’s poll here.
June 3-13, 2025 🎒
Join my family and me as we amble down the Rhine River this summer — come along as we witness Cologne Cathedral, the Abbey of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Gutenberg Bible, and beyond:
Quick Links 🔗
Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔
If you weren’t scared, what would you do?
Have a great weekend,
- Tsh
p.s. - Just a few visuals as to why Italy truly is so wonderful. …I’ve been in the mood to be there all this week for some reason.
Then there’s always the pushback response of, “But times were safer back then” — and that’s just not true. Statistics show that crime rates were higher overall in the 80s, in particular child kidnappings. One could argue an increased neighborhood danger by not letting kids roam free.
What a lovely surprise to wake up and see my piece shared on one of my favorite weekly reads ❤️. Thanks, Tsh!
I read “Evangelical is Not Enough” long ago (almost 40 years!). It was the first book I read by an evangelical who later went on to become a Catholic. Over time, I did too. 😊