bumps ahead... at least I'm not being tased in the neck and other news
on inspiration + eat your spinach... you're going to need your strength!
hey-ho,
We’ve been watching SLOW HORSES over here. Gary Oldman is terrific as the crude, emotionally stunted boss of a bunch of scrappy losers… MI5 agents who royally screwed up in the line of duty and are now relegated to Oldman’s team. In any episode a beloved character may be hit by a car, poisoned by Russians, or tased in the neck. on our couch we hold hands and say, “at least we aren’t being tased in the neck!” It’s a small comfort in light of the bumps ahead.
…
I walked this week with a wonderful friend, in fact she was my cancer surgeon, so you know she’s brilliant and caring. We discussed bumps ahead… there will be chaos, there will be suffering, there will be unpleasant surprises. What we can do? Individually we don’t have a ton of power to affect change, so we need to narrow our focus. We came to this simple goal.
Be inspired.
Find someone to look up to, to pattern your choices after, to help you achieve goals personally, spiritually, and/or professionally. Maybe your inspiration comes from someone you’ve never meet, someone you whose work you read, someone whose voice you trust as a thought leader. Take a class, go to a lecture, an art exhibit, follow someone (
, , , , Questlove) Read books! Read James Baldwin, bell hooks, Victor Frankl. Start a freakin’ book club and be inspired together. Find voices who lift you and figure out how to incorporate that uplift into your own life on the daily.Be inspiring.
Be a presence in the world that people can look up to. No, really! It’s not hard. Be kind. Live in integrity… that is make certain your outside actions match your inside beliefs. Be generous with your time without depleting yourself. Throw your arms around the people who will need us the most and hang on tight. Volunteer. Make yourself available to folks at work, in your spiritual practice… whether that’s organized religion or a yoga class! Offer a hand to your neighbor as they take out the trash. Give what you can to communities at risk. Honestly, even putting a sign in the world will lift you and others up. Every drop matters.
You must live life with the full knowledge that your actions will remain. We are creatures of consequence. - Zadie Smith
Let’s link arms! We’ve got work ahead of us. What are we going to do today?
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read:
Hi Friend, Hi Reader… I’m going to do something a little different here today. I’m offering up a lot of books. This is your invitation to turn away from doom scrolling. I’m encouraging you to find something nourishing for your brain and your spirit.
Here we go!
MY MISTRESS’S SPARROW IS DEAD, Edited by Jeffrey Eugenides. Love stories which capture desire, obsession, power, and spirit of love. Including Anton Chekhov, Miranda July, Dennis Johnson, George Saunders and many more.
GRYPHON, by Charles Baxter. Really, just read him. Trust me on this.
BIRDS OF AMERICA, Lorrie Moore. These stories are remarkable in their emotional force and dark laughter, as well as in the beauty and power of their language.
OTHER PEOPLE’S COMFORT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT, Morgan Parker. Parker bobs and weaves, so agile! Humor, pathos, grief and anxiety it’s all here.
LIFE ON EARTH, Dorianne Laux. Worth it for this poem alone:
The Optimism of French Toast
… how many years since
the first bite passed my lips, that business
of eggs and day-old bread, ribbon of syrup,
fireflies of butter sparking my tongue’s budsNEW AND SELECTED POEMS, Marie Howe. Poems full of tragedy and redemption. The poem for her brother, What the Living Do, moves me each and every time I read it...
Before checking the rest of the list, maybe hit the ❤️ button at the top left or bottom left of this newsletter? It means more to me than you know. xoNatalie
TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, by Cheryl Strayed. Full of compassion, forgiveness and wisdom.
HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES, by Saeed Jones. A memoir about a black, gay man from the South fighting to carve a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires, and fears.
MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING, by Viktor Frankl. A riveting account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps, and his insightful exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity.
THE TOOLS, by Phil Stutz. This practical book advises on things like: getting unstuck, controlling anger, expressing ourselves, combating anxiety, and finding discipline…
LEARNING BY HEART, by Corita Kent and Jan Steward. Kent’s words, "We can all talk, we can all write, and if the blocks are removed, we can all draw and paint and make things," seem pretty urgent right now.
NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION, by Marshall B. Rosenberg. This is a terrific book, and I can think of at least one person who needs to read it before January 6.
In case you need a couple more, and really who doesn’t? Check my latest RANDOM SELECTION! What books are you leaning on?
Our zoom r.w.e. book group will discuss BARBARIAN DAYS, by William Finnegan, on 12 January, 2025 at 9:30a PT.
The book group is a perk for paid subscribers and let me tell you we are a lively bunch!
Go ahead, upgrade to paid and claim your spot. I hope to get to know you better!
Check my read.write.eat. Bookshop Store, where you will find many of the books I've recommended in the newsletter. Buying books from my shop is a way you can be a friend to the newsletter.
write :
I hosted a retreat at my home last Saturday, a Writer’s Day Spa, 12 women arrived with slippers and laptops for a day of writing and care. We began the day with a chorus of "F*ck You!!" yelled with vigor, in unison, at the top of our lungs! From there we wrote! Well, they wrote and I cooked. Breakfast, lunch, and an apero with sparkling wine at the close of the day. I made a wonderful filo spinach pastry (recipe at the close of this note!), loaded the dishwasher, refilled water glasses, all of which was a service and helped me so much.
I’ll be hosting another in late February with the wonderful writer
. Stay tuned. The Writer’s Day Spa is for paid subscribers to this newsletter. If you are interested in adding your name to the list, it sells out quickly, do let me know.…
One by one, each sentence in your writing takes the stage!
At the Writers’s Day Spa, Lee Montgomery, a wonderful writer and teacher, lead us in a great craft lesson on sentence writing. Here are five important considerations for your sentences.
Plus, a terrific prompt to help transform grief:
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