I have great news for those of us who ache for more sunlight: apparently, we are through the darkest 10 weeks of the year! Those 10 weeks center on the winter solstice, and fall five weeks before and after. Hallelujah is what I say! I can be like a dramatic toddler when it comes to seasons and the passage of time (“it’s never going to be summer again, ever!”) so this is a helpful occasion to which I will anchor myself. Also, January is done. We are DOING IT, friends.
Here are some tiny joys for your ever-brightening week.
Eat: This is an easy eating option – because it’s Girl Scout Cookie season. That’s right folks. Shell out that hard-earned cash for a box of beloved Thin Mints! Maybe you’ve got a Girl Scout that’s already set you her link (“When I was your age, they had paper order forms!”) but if not, I submit for your consideration Troop 6000. This troop serves girls in the New York City Shelter System, offering the same signature opportunity as other girls in the country will receive. You can learn more about Troop 6000 by visiting their website. And if you eat a box for dinner, I support that.
See: I visited Poetry Foundation’s website the other day to find a poem I’d been searching for, and I noticed that they have a poem of the day on the left-hand side. What a lovely thing, a poem a day. Take a peek and find something worth reading, and maybe even something worth sharing.
Do: I recently had the opportunity to safely visit my friends for dinner, and it was a delight. She prepared a massively delicious eggplant parmesan, and when I complimented her on it, she replied “thanks! It’s my thing.” Some of us might aspire to become good cooks or solid bakers. (Or just really excellent judges on The Great British Bake Off.) But for others, it might be nifty to just get really good at one dish or two. Make a mean lasagna? An out-of-this-world burrito? Let that be the thing that you practice or that you offer to make for others as an act of kindness. And furthermore: no one needs to know it’s the recipe from the side of the can. Just enjoy that delicious practice.
Have a sweet, poetic, raved-about weekend.
Christina
