A Gerund Girl.

“Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it – that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing – an actor, a writer – I am a person who does things – I write, I act – and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.” – Stephen Fry

I was inspired by this! You are a verb, not a noun! Some adjacent prompts for a Monday morning as we ease ourselves into this week:

+Describe yourself in verbs.

+Re-write one of your social media profiles to omit any references to yourself as a noun.

+How can you express yourself as a verb this week?

*****

These exercises drew out some interesting insights.

The first: I without thinking, I answered the first prompt exclusively in the present participle:

Jen: writing, mothering, listening, receiving, loving, asking, becoming…[the list goes on for some time]

Which mainly made me think about how much we carry every day. I wondered then how I might feel if I’d written instead:

Jen: writes, mothers, listens, receives, loves, ask, becomes…

Here, the list feels more like possibility, i.e., I am capable of doing these things, but I am not always doing them simultaneously.

Then I bent the rules and re-read my initial list as gerunds instead, those wily noun-verb hybrids. (In case you need a refresher, a gerund is form that is derived from a verb but that functions as a noun, e.g., “everyone enjoyed Landon’s cooking” or “the writing was bad” or “they love camping“). And I liked that part of speech best — seeing myself as a half-formed action, or a process? That’s what writing is, after all, which is probably the thing I know best in this life: half movement, half print, both from a creation and a consumption standpoint. On the creative side of writing, you have the amorphous marshlands of pre-writing that somehow eventually deposit you in the packed earth word. But what lies on both sides of that transformation is writing, clear and simple. So it is movement and stasis at once. And on the consumption side, you have what’s fixed on the page — the font, the letters — and then the entire fluid universe of your imagination that charges it with meaning. Movement and stasis again. I like that duality, that doublet: I move, and I am movement. I guess I’m a gerund girl.

The other scattershot thoughts these exercises drew from me:

+Why is there no verb equivalent to being a spouse? I “wife”? Perhaps “being a wife to someone” carries too many glinting evocations. Or perhaps it is simpler to just write: “I love.” But the wifeliness — it carries more than love, you know? It is love plus. It is belonging to someone, it is coordinating your daily life with someone else’s, it is greater than the sum of us, etc, etc, etc.

+A woman contains multitudes!

+”How can I express myself as a verb” — this was my favorite question of the three, because I immediately saw myself shedding no-stretch coats, and instead jumping exuberantly, or crouching down to look closely. What freedom, to welcome movement!

What did these exercises invite in you?

Post-Scripts.

+I am change.

+Are you a hummingbird or a jackhammer?

+A recent foray into writing fiction.

+Another creativity prompt.

Shopping Break.

+New J. Crew arrivals I’m loving: cage jellies in FUN summer colors (step outside your comfort zone and let them spark joy!); packable straw hats, also in fun colors — the blue is calling my name; perfect tanks (the cut reminds me of my favorite one from SoldOut NYC, which is 2x+ the price); and this Doen-coded lace trim mini.

JELLY SANDALS // LACE MINI

+On that last mini dress note: Nellie Diamond (of HHH) at some point called this “the summer of the nightgown” or “nightgown summer,” and I thought of her the second I saw the J. Crew dress. I love the ethos: bare feet, early mornings, the dew under foot…! It gives me the best feeling. Nellie must be on to something because Hill House’s first nightgown launch of the summer sold out pretty much instantly. She’s been teasing a launch of more nightgowns soon — will share when they go live! (BTW, I love that “sweet pea” print — you can get it in this style of dress instead. It reminds me of D. Porthault!)

+ICYMI: this full-sized/professional-grade steamer is on sale for 50% off). I hope you love it as much as I do, and I’m envious you got it on sale versus full-price. I purchased this a few months ago and it’s been a game changer. Infinitely better/more powerful than any handheld, plus I really like having the hanger/rack already there. I was usually jerry-rigging some weird scenario with a hanger dangling off my mirror. It’s also available in a cute pink colorway if aesthetics matter to you…

+So many fellow petites have raved about Joe’s Jeans Mia wide-legs. I finally ordered a pair! Also love the look of these “relaxed barrel” jeans in white. Not as dramatic as Nili Lotan Shons, but in that vicinity. Madewell has a great look for less for this vibe here. I go a size down in the Madewell style.

+My Internet friend Katie was raving about this watermelon licorice and I had to order the sampler to try! Have I been living under a rock? Do we all love this?

+Has anyone tried the ZIIP Dot? I’m so intrigued by this micro-current device for acne treatment. It reduces swelling/inflammation to make breakouts less visible and help you get over them more quickly. I think I need this. Why is it that any time I have a big event, a big zit appears two days before…

+For acne – I do LOVE these Rael patches, a Magpie reader rec from years ago. I think their principle appeal for me is that they keep me from touching the area! They aren’t truly invisible but they’re better than having the blemish exposed.

+Another Magpie reader rec note: I just mentioned this last week, but many Magpies dubbed L’Occitane’s Almond Shower gel a “regrettably worth it” item and I’m firmly in your camp now. I’ll never go back to Gillette. This oil-to-lather product is unlike anything I’ve ever tried. I use it in lieu of shaving gel and it smells wonderful and truly hydrates and protects skin as you shave. Anyway, I just noticed they now have an enormous refill size available and I snagged it. It’s a good value, plus less waste. And, while there, I noticed they just launched a shimmering body oil for summer! I love the idea of dabbing a bit onto my shoulders/chest while in a sundress. The smell is so divine but won’t compete with perfumes. The oil reminded me of this Kopari SPF glow spray I’ve been seeing all over TikTok (obviously, L’Occitane’s doesn’t have the SPF) but both of these products just make me feel so GOOD about summer?! Like they invite a summer feeling that makes me giddy. And pair both of those with this body exfoliator from Goop — slough off the dirt, sweat, sand, chlorine, SPF, etc! I believe my Goop code is still good: try SHOOP15.

+As always, my favorite Goop products and reviews here.

+I’ve mentioned this boutique a few times, but I’m truly blown away by the thoughtful and chic assortment of pieces from brands I love at Shop Casalina. The buyer has such a good eye for pattern and color and often stocks pieces from brands you don’t find elsewhere. How incredible is this fish-print skirt?! If you’re a first time shopper, you can get 10% off your first order, which can be meaningful on higher-end pieces like Agua Bendita — I just wore this dress last Friday on a date night with Landon! (See me in it here.)

STAUD FISH PRINT SKIRT // STAUD FISH PRINT TOP // LORNA MURRAY HAT // AGUA BENDITA SWIMSUIT // BASKET BAG

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