Midyear Musings
including: books, a movie trailer, lunch ideas, a question for your friend group, a blessing
Tomorrow marks the halfway point of the year—183 days! I wanted to share some things that are bringing me joy so far this year.
I’ve never thought of myself as a “routine” person, usually enjoying flying by the seat of my pants. While spontaneity still brings me delight, in recent years I’ve also come to love what my husband calls “rhythms”. Being a words person, I like the word rhythm better than routine or habit or structure. Those words feel rigid and boring. Rhythm calls to mind music and dancing, the language of New Orleans, a city that organizes itself around festivals and parades. Rhythm allows for movement and change, encouraging the type of creative, open life I want to live.
Life giving rhythms:
Weekly coffee & check in with my husband. Every week my husband and I walk to a coffee shop to have an hour meeting where we discuss our budget, share anything about life we haven’t had time to get into, and look at our calendar. This has been absolutely incredible for us! It feels very connective and also gives us time to discuss the admin details that can often get kicked to the curb.
Evening walks. After dinner, clean up, and family time I let my husband take the kiddos upstairs and I go on a thirty minute walk. At 8pm the sun is starting to set and in New Orleans there is a bit of a breeze. It’s lovely. It’s a nice way to complete my steps that I started on my morning walk and to finish out the days. Recently my oldest daughter joined me one evening and it was such a sweet way to connect with her.
Regular writing sessions. I’m writing a book! I can’t believe I’m typing these words to send out into the world. But it’s true. On Thursday mornings I go to a coffee shop for an early morning writing session. Writing a book has been a lifelong dream and something that I really have tried to make progress on since I was 30 (seven years ago, eek!). A few months ago, at the encouragement of my husband, I started these specific writing times and it’s helped me make actual progress.
Watercoloring. I’ve absolutely loved taking up watercoloring as a hobby this year. It started when I bought a water color course for my kiddos and then did it myself. My favorite thing to watercolor are birthday cards. I also loved doing a phenology wheel. It’s a relaxing hobby and something I can easily do with my kids around.
Liturgy and the Church Calendar. I’ve long loved letting the church calendar lead my devotional life, but this year I’ve leaned into it even more. Our local church, small and non-denominational, has been open to being guided by the church calendar which has been so refreshing and lead to a lot of life giving conversations. Additionally, I have a couple very precious Catholic friends and I’ve gleaned so much from their rich faith journeys. With the many ways that our country and world seem in disarray and despair, it gives me hope to know that Jesus followers around the world are connected through liturgy.
What I’m Loving Lately
Two Books:
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: I loved this book so much. I can’t stop thinking about it and I can’t stop recommending it! The copy I read was from the library but I had to own it, so I immediately ordered one from Thriftbooks.com to place on my “favorites” shelf in my library at home. The book is about a woman in her seventies who writes letters and emails to a variety of people. In her correspondences, her life unfolds and we get to be on the sidelines as she processes grief, love, mistakes, regrets, and hopes. It’s lovely. It felt like a soothing session of therapy. There are definitely hard things covered, but the book doesn’t feel heavy, it feels light and joyful. If you read it, let me know!
Long Bright River by Liz Moore. I put this book on my summer TBR after reading and enjoying The God of the Woods last summer. I didn’t know that Long Bright River is set in the winter, it would be perfect to enjoy in winter months because there are lots of coats and talk of being cold. The story follows two sisters: a drug addict and a police officer. There are so many layers to the story: a central mystery element which unfolds slowly, dynamics of what it means to be family, exploration of corruption, and even some spiritual aspects which took me by surprise but that I thoroughly enjoyed. There is a secondary character who surprised me and is honestly now one of my favorite people in literature. I need to own this one as well! It’s so good! Please let me know if you read it.
Movie Trailer:
Y’all!! Y’all! I hugged this book when I finished it. I’m definitely going to read it again before the movie comes out in March 2026. I absolutely cannot wait! You must read it before seeing the movie, no questions asked.
What I’m Eating for Lunch:
A woman on Instagram (and TikTok but you won’t find me there:)) shares her snack plates and I’ve been so inspired! She is an absolutely delightful person with a lovely British accent and her videos are addicting. She’s gotten me hooked on raw radishes (don’t blanch!) with goat cheese and smoke salt on top. The flavor and crisp are divine! Don’t worry she has many other great ideas behind radishes.
Summer is also the time for salads and this is a favorite of mine to make a big batch of and eat all week! The nut brittle and feta marry for the perfect bite!
A Question for Your Friend Group:
I just got home from a beach trip with my beloved college girl friends. We had so much fun lounging on the beach and talking for hours upon hours. We can easily keep the conversation going between us with both lighthearted and deep topics, but we also enjoy having some out of the ordinary questions. Our favorite is this one: “What is a problem you need help solving?” Each person takes the hot seat and shares some sort of issue in their life that they’d like input on. Now caveat: we all really value each other’s opinions and we are all give nuanced, mature advice. I wouldn’t personally ask just anyone this question, but it’s great for a group of close friends. The problems range in seriousness and detail, but it’s such a great way for us to get deeper insights into each other’s lives. It’s fun to hear the differences between our ideas and the ways we view the situation differently after hearing each other out. If you have some extended time with friends this summer, I highly recommend throwing this question into the conversation!
A Blessing:
I recently read John O’Donohue’s To Bless This Space Between Us. It is exquisite. I’ll leave you with this:
To Come Home to Yourself
May all that is unforgiven in you
Be released.
May your fears yield
Their deepest tranquilities.
May all that is unlived in you
Blossom into a future
Graced with love.
Happy midyear and midsummer! Please let me know what’s giving you joy!
To Bless the Space between us is such a staple for me! I also loooved Long Bright River and would highly recommend The Unseen World by Liz Moore, as well.
Always feel inspired after reading bits of your writing and recommendations. Thank you and keep going!
A book! J I L L. I can’t wait!