slow joys and sprinkler hopping
It’s been 5.5 months since the words “shelter in place” were introduced into our vocabulary. Everyone is experiencing this differently and I cannot begin to understand the pain and heartache some people are walking through right now. But if there’s one thing I do know to be true, it’s that we all need more hope, and we all need each other. So this is my attempt to help lift up whatever weary soul needs it today. This is me taking a minute to shove more light in the cracks.
First, please remember that there’s more hope to be found than what’s in the news headlines. Good and beautiful things are still growing among the chaos. We just need to have the eyes to see them.
I have seen so much growth come out of this season of slowness. Growth often requires change and is not easy, but it’s worth it. On one hand, we are creating new routines, exercising emotional muscles that maybe we didn’t know we had, and learning to exist with fewer commitments on our calendars. At the same time, some really hard, heavy and painful things are being brought to the light, and we’re having trouble looking away. It’s sparking hard conversations and urging us to stand up for the things we believe in, even though our knees feel shakier than usual. These things are not easy but they are worth acknowledging.
I’ve been storing up a list of some of the seemingly mundane but good and beautiful things I’ve seen come out as a result of this weird quarantine life and I wanted to share them.
Cooking. Like most of us, I’ve spent more time in the kitchen trying new recipes. I’ve taken baked goods to a friends house more times that I can count. I’ve ventured to new sections of the grocery store, attempted to make pickled onions, and even learned that cashew yogurt exists. I caught fish with my dad and was able to share it by making fish tacos with my roommates. I’ve shared more meals with humans than I did before all of this, and that is a beautiful realization. I highly recommend making this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and sharing some with your neighbors.
Art. There’s also been more time for art. With the slowness, I’ve had more time to read books for fun (what a concept). I feel a bit like Matilda with how much I love the library.
One of my favorite parts of this whole weird quarantine season is the space it’s giving musicians. Instead of touring on the road, they’re hulling up in apartments or houses they grew up in, and digging extra deep to create things to make people feel alive. That’s really special and I don’t want to miss that.
It seems as if art has the power to move people more because we need it more. We need really beautiful music videos and songs that remind us to cherish our parents. We need stripped back versions of our favorite songs or clips of songwriters piddling at the piano as words spill out of them that make us all feel less alone. Last week I got to watch one of my favorite musicians play a concert from the Natural History Museum in London that was live-streamed around the world. And it was one of the more well produced things I’d seen in a while. Creatives aren’t not making things just because we’re all at home, we’re just all experiencing the process a bit differently.
Nature. Another good thing I’ve come to cherish during all of this has been going outside and moving my body every day, even if it’s just a few minutes. Sometimes that looks like going on walks at Percy Warner listening to Dermot Kennedy or early long Saturday runs followed by homemade smoothie bowls and large waters from sonic. Other times it’s so hot that you find yourself running from one neighbors sprinkler to the other and hoping they don’t come outside to witness it all. Even just going outside as the sun sets, rolling down all the windows and just driving in the dark blasting LANY is good for the soul.
Habits. Some sweet habits that I’ve been loving include waking up earlier every day, and taking one day a week to close the screens, to rest and make art. I’m learning that when rhythms are slower, it allows the little moments to mean more. Even if that means stopping in the middle of cooking dinner to run to the front yard and stand and watch the sunset or going for a night drive listening to Bootstraps. I encourage you to find even the smallest way to sit in the slowness and do something that makes you smile. Even if that makes parking yourself in your front yard with a bowl of goldfish.
A few things I want to leave you with— may they encourage you in even the smallest way to keep going.
A playlist - for best results, listen to after dark while driving.
Boombox Playlist- VOL 24-a mix of songs I’ve been loving lately. May these be the soundtrack as you hop between sprinklers, cook a really good meal, or walk to the mailbox.
