Happy Friday!
Thank you for coming back in spite of yesterday’s generously offered, uncomfortably dark introspection (which I don't regret one bit). You're the best.
I won't be able to share another recipe with you until next week, so here are some other goodies instead:
This song will forever remind me of late summer, quiet suburban nights, open windows and empty California highways, and every listen is like a mini vacay when I feel worn down by the city.
Mmmm. To go with that, here are some favorite quotes from my recent reads, painstakingly narrowed down to ten so as to avoid being sued for copyright infringement. All of these have made me feel a little freer and/or smile idiotically on the subway. I hope they do the same for you:
Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”
“This is what separates artists from ordinary people: the belief, deep in our hearts, that if we build our castles well enough, somehow the ocean won't wash them away. I think this is a wonderful kind of person to be.”
“Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.”
“And this is another reason to write: people need us, to mirror for them and for each other without distortion--not to look around and say, 'Look at yourselves, you idiots!,' but to say, 'This is who we are.”
“If you are a writer, or want to be a writer, this is how you spend your days--listening, observing, storing things away, making your isolation pay off. You take home all you've taken in, all that you've overheard, and you turn it into gold. (Or at least you try.)”
“I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it.”
Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
“The truth is, we know so little about life, we don't really know what the good news is and what the bad news is.”
“And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.’”
“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
And my personal favorite, from Anne Lamott, my hero:
”All the good stories are out there waiting to be told in a fresh, wild way.”
Oof. And with that, have a beautiful weekend! Tell a story! Create something! Notice when you’re happy, for goodness’ sake!
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