Everything I Loved in May
The best cheese I've ever had, the best bug bite remedy, and my favorite short films/reads
Happy Pride Month, Blueberries!
The spirit of June invigorates me. What a beautiful thing to continually celebrate the fullness of life and love for a full month!
And, hold the treasured lives of so many in memory with gratitude as we continue to take up the fight for justice for LGBTQIA+ people around the world.
As a person of faith, I take this reflection very seriously!
So how was our May? Did April showers bring May flowers? Or are we still waiting for blooms?
Remember, blooms appear at different times all year long, and my favorites (marigolds and sunflowers) won’t be in their heyday for months yet!
I had the best time ever back on David Nebinski’s podcast; he and his community ask such thoughtful questions, that I have real-time revelations while I’m chatting with them! This episode summarizes exactly where I am right now this minute on my creative journey, and I hope you enjoy it—or the rest of David’s super intentional, soul-driven work! He is a treasure.
I have been transitioning to a new medication the past couple weeks, so much of May was spent nauseated and fatigued; I eagerly await a more lucid June! The blessing of wonky symptoms is that they invited me to slow down, and give extra care to my earthly vessel (think: naps).
The big highlight of my May was traveling all the way to exotic Milton, New York, to visit the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in celebration of finishing my book, which made me feel:
I have been loving (very) domestic travel lately; all my most re-visited memories from the past couple years of adventures have been just a train ride away!
It was a long month in the best way, and I’ve been looking forward to sharing all the things I listened to, watched, read, bought, ate, did, and embodied.
And excited to learn about what you got up to! ⤵️
READING
I’m reading a few good books right now, but we’ll talk about those later. Here’s a tapas meal of articles I’ve appreciated the past couple weeks instead:
A sampling of poetry all about 'The Other'
A short interview about meaning-making in the face of a death that has no meaning
Artists on Working, Living, and Creating Through Loss: Two of the musicians featured in this excellent piece (Conor Oberst and Ben Kweller) were guys I listened to all the time in college, and in my mind’s eye, they are forever 20 years old. I was rather shocked to learn that, just like me, they have aged! And, just like me, they have endured tremendous losses (does anyone turn 40 without a few tremendous losses up their sleeve?).
I was particularly moved by Ben Kweller’s response to the death of his darling beloved teenage son, and this interview which I will consult as a road map for future grief.
Chris LaTray’s newsletter, or “thoughts from a crabby middle-aged Native guy with plenty of meandering, often contrary, regularly hypocritical, and occasionally self-contradictory ideas about the world.” I especially loved this piece, which led me to this Native American dialect archive.
EATING
As I mentioned, I rewarded myself for completing Draft 1 of my book by visiting Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, an impressive spread of land devoted to caring for farm animals who have been neglected, abused, or aged out of petting zoos.
Mr. Mari and I got to spend time in conversation with the executive director of the sanctuary, an angelic Keri-Russell-lookalike in linen overalls, who gracefully, gently, and truthfully answered all our questions…to the point where both of us changed our diets that evening.
Isn’t it interesting how you can hear the same message over and over, but you only listen when it’s delivered at the right place and right time in the right way?
(This is why I tell my writing students how important their work is; you never know who is going to hear a much-needed truth from your specific voice even if it’s been said many times before!)
It was easy for me to cut out all dairy (even from small family farms that I told myself were exempt from animal abuse), but I am so proud of my meat-loving, protein-obsessive, gym rat, and Power-Lifter Mr. Mari who has been vegetarian for a month now!
“I now see all animals as Sunny [our cat],” he says.
No matter your stance on eating meat, isn’t it cool to witness someone radically change their mind about something?
And he has some great role models!! His new favorite quote hehe:
I realize that nobody on Planet Earth wants to hear about anyone’s veganism, but you might be interested in some of the yummy things we’ve been eating lately:
Momofuku Noodles
Okay I realize these noodle packs are expensive, but they are unbelievably good—for something you can make simply by boiling water.
Add scallions, add eggs, add bok choi, add meatballs, whatever—or eat as-is and pretend you’re at New York’s hottest restaurant in 2004! I have been living on and loving these noodles for an indulgent meal that is ready in mere moments.
Miyoko’s Mozzarella and Rebel Brie
My biggest fear in going vegan was my fear of fake cheese. It’s a phobia right up there with mayonnaise and plane crashes.
Would I rather be in a plane crash than eat vegan cheese? No…but that was not an easy answer.
Fortunately, I’ve found two wonderful solutions:
For pizza and pasta, this has been nothing short of magnificent!
I barely have words for this product. I am a *huge* brie fan, and this is the best brie I’ve ever tasted in my life. It has two ingredients (cashews, water), and is two billions times better than its dairy counterparts!
