Happy Saturday! Whew, what a week! Handsome and I have recovered nicely from a non-stop month that was filled to bursting with really good, happy, special occasions. He has been back at the Commish after a long holiday weekend, more than making up for lost time in the stress department, and I am caught up at the farm, except for the ironing.
And except for my running. But that’s a story for another day.
The thing is, I cannot find my earbuds, so…
What are you reading these days? What’s on your table, your device, your mind?

I have been nibbling at Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. And when I say nibbling I mean… I have only been reading it in the middle of the night when insomnia strikes, and the book is so wordy, so meandering and heavily laden with footnotes (!) that at 2 a.m. with raw nerves and heavy eyes might be the worst possible time to tackle this beast. It’s magnetic in a bizarre way, and its modern classic status makes me want to give it better energy. Plus the cinematic version is due soon and I need to be ready to pick it apart, right? haha ; )
Besides that, I have just cracked open our current book club selection, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Dinner Club With a Reading Problem meets next Friday night to discuss it, so you can look for my review soon. Have you read this yet? Or perhaps Tuesdays With Morrie? I am so curious and also very much in need of something refreshing and spiritually nourishing.
Okay, fancy some internet links? I’ve been stumbling on great stuff lately.
MyDomaine offered this write-up called Daily Habits of 8 Insanely Successful Creatives. Yes, please. I am interested.
Lora is the Crazy Running Girl, and I hope I have nudged you to read her blog already. This post Your Own Worst Critic was super helpful to me. I am smack dab in the middle of decidedly NOT meeting some fitness goals, goals that should have been easy for me. I have spent way too much time and energy being mad about it, which has led to a little downward spiral in my attitude. She kinda helped me halt that thinking and see some good qualities of myself again. For example, I have been sacrificing workouts and stringent eating in favor of spending time with people I love and partaking of really great celebrations. This is okay! It’s life balance. Thanks Lora! xo
If you are an Okie like me, you have probably heard of and are hopefully following along the adventures of Red Dirt Kelly and her team at Every Point on the Map. The project is slated to take all of ten years. As the project name hints, they are visiting every city, town, county, or other dot on the map of our beautiful state, then conducting spontaneous interviews with one person from there. How cool, right? This recent post titled When Doubt Hits, Hit the Gas is a heart breaker and a heart mender too. Excellent place to jump right in if you are new to this series. By the way, Kelly and her team are soon throwing a big party in midtown OKC to celebrate having achieved ten percent of their goal. Yay!! Congrats, you guys!! I am so looking forward to seeing the gorgeous portraits of each of your interview subjects and also hugging your sweet, smart necks.
Are you in love with Khalil Gibran poetry? I am. I have been since I was a teenager, particularly The Prophet. Salma Hayeck recently appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show to talk about her work on an upcoming animated feature, a musical that is all based on Gibran’s work. It looks just gorgeous. Well, check out this article on Edutopia. It’s a little nudge to middle school teachers to use Gibran in their curriculum. I am no teacher, but I know plenty and love this approach. Also? The passage highlighted happens to be one of my favorites. I have reflected on it a lot over the years, and it has really graced my motherhood.
How about 23 Things Only People Raised by Really Strict Parents Will Understand? You had me at “people raised by really strict parents.” In this equation I am both mother and daughter, just as Handsome is both father and son. Fun read!
Since it is Literary Saturday after all, how about this list of Ten Science Fiction Books You Pretend to Have Read and Why You Should Actually Read Them? I have truly read one (1984) and am currently reading another (Infinite Jest). I have no reason to pretend with you guys.
Okay, that’s all I have for now. I hope you took a glance at my garden tour sneak peek and are watching for eight expansive and illustrated posts, one for each of the gorgeous places we visited. I am almost done with the first one. So much to say!
Wishing you a very happy weekend, friends. Keep facing the light.
“If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time
(or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
~Stephen King
XOXOXO
Red Dirt Kelly’s adventure sounds amazing. What an awesome idea!
Isn’t that cool?? I love it. Thanks for reading, Lora, and thanks for all of your help again lately!