A few weeks ago, a friend told me that she keeps a note on her iPhone titled:
“Good things are always happening to me.”
In it, she’ll track windfalls and micro-victories.
What a beautiful way to anchor, and attract, the positive.
I started my own this week —
Some of these are shorthand — “story time” being a weekly session where my mom reads books over FaceTime to all her grandkids, and which I’ve occasionally forgotten in the flow of our busy weekends, and “the J.P. line” references a section from a fictional work I’ve been working on intensively.
But most of these are simple goodnesses that more often than not slip by unannounced.
Every few weeks, Mr. Magpie makes an extra large batch of morning coffee. This happens when he’s at the bottom of our bag of Sey coffee beans, and there is a surfeit amount to use up before opening the next one. On those mornings, he’ll call out: “Bonus coffee!”
It’s not extra coffee, it’s not “enough for a second cup.” It’s a bonus, and it’s worth celebrating. What he’s really saying is “I’ve found some treasure this morning,” and “good things are always happening to us.”
Every time he says this, I think of the closing line from a William Stafford poem: “But some bonuses, like morning, like right now, like noon, like evening.”
What would it be like to consider the everyday things that go well, or that simply go as planned, life’s gratuities? The universe giving you at tip. “Life can be hard, honey — sit and enjoy this perfect melon.”
Post-Scripts.
+On making it to the other side of heartbreak.
Shopping Break.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+Alice Walk just launched a rare sale — you must contemplate their triple gauze shorts or pants. I’ve lived in these this summer! The shorts are great as a pool / beach cover-up, and I love the pants for that sliver of time between day and night, when you aren’t ready for pajamas but don’t want to be in jeans. Divinely comfortable and very chic, especially when paired with a striped tank like this.
+Doen’s Fall Chapter I is here! (Launched yesterday.) This is a slam dunk for fall family photos, but I’m absolutely drooling and dying over this lace maxi. Wow. I think I’m going to buy it, but keep going back and forth on color — I mean, the burgundy is more practical — but can you even with that ivory?! I have this vision of myself wearing it to dinner at Lake Como in Italy…I also love their pointelle basics, like this, which I’d like in all four colors pls!
+A Magpie reader left a comment encouraging me to check out Talbots’ fall collection, and I’m blown away. A lot of the shapes/styles remind me of Veronica Beard, but at more approachable price points. Consider these leopard shoes, a dead ringer in shape for VB’s Cecile ballet pump. Also loving this crisp denim shirt dress and (drumroll) this cropped suede jacket. It’s still pricey but wowza. (Compare to VB’s Andrea jacket, it’s 3x less expensive.)
+But, a moment for VB’s sale section. I need a new striped sweater like I need a hole in my head, but OMG, this was $119 and I had to have it, and I just know I’ll get a ton of wear out of this thinner knit, for tucking into skirts, trousers, jeans, etc.
+Lake Pajamas’ best-selling kimono set in fog stripe is back. This has sold out multiple times. I love the kimono sets so much — they’re the same swingy, stretchy material as the Relax Sets I also love, but a bit more flattering on if I’m honest! Love the stripe! (To differentiate, I’d wear the kimono set around houseguests in the morning, but probably not the relax set!)
+Honest sent me a bundle of their beauty products recently, and I just pulled out this lash primer / mascara wand. Wow! I am super impressed. I still think that the Tower28 is my favorite formula, but the Honest excels at separating and defining lashes, and despite it’s marketing as “ultra bold,” I find it more natural in finish. I also really like the way my lashes feel afterward (not stiff). I test a lot of beauty products and a lot of times I’ll try them for a few days and then put them in my overflow drawers to pull out when I’m in a pinch / traveling / out / etc. But this one has remained in my top drawer. A welcome alternate. I am so thrilled to be finding these excellent and less-expensive mascaras, as I am never without mascara on during the day. It’s my desert island product.
+Shopbop has a new “sports mode” curation on their site and invited me earlier this week to style a few “fall sports” related looks. I styled one look for a sporting event at a stadium (all the layers, and a puffy coat), and one for sidelining my children’s soccer games. A Magpie reader wrote in exclamation points that she’d just picked up a great look-for-less for the Pistola jacket in the latter: check out this $35 jacket!
+Only one size left, but this $118 dress from SEA (originally $425) would be a perfect fall family photo option. Sleeves, good colors, easy to mix and match with others patterns, a great shape.
+Minnow released some adorable patterns and pieces in its bags and accessories line. I absolutely love this travel pouch. It’s the perfect size for all my essentials (lipstick, bandaids, pens, hair claws, etc) – I transfer it from bag to bag.
+Speaking of pouches, Pehr reached out to me after I shared their perfect bins and pouches to offer us 20% off with code JEN-20. This gingham park jacket is beyond adorable for your little one this fall. I updated my promo code page with this, too!
+Substack fashion darling Jamie Haller just released their first ready-to-wear collection. They’re known for their “IYKYK” footwear, like their gorgeous, lived-in loafers, and I was excited to see what they’d release in the way of clothing. I keep ogling at their $$$ sweatshirts. Why do the expensive garments always have the best fit and silhouette?! Gap has a really good basic sweatshirt in solid colors — gray, navy, etc. — that I’d recommend if you’re in the market but not looking to spend as much. I have this in navy and wear it a lot. Not as cropped as the Haller, but a really good fit.
+I’m going to see Kacey Musgraves perform in a few weeks (!!!) and everything from Alix of Bohemia’s latest collection is pitch-perfect music concert outfitting (but especially for Spacey Kacey). I keep thinking about this wild and cool jacket, and this “arrow dress” (follow your arrow!). These are investments but so unique and small-batch and the details are beyond. Alix has offered us 10% off with code JEN-10. If you haven’t tried her divinely soft blockprint blouses, this is your sign!
I have a page in my catchall notebook titled something along the lines of “accomplishments and moments of joy” – it’s half things I want to give myself kudos for (a professional development program acceptance, a workout class milestone) as well as moments my friends and family have experienced that I want to remember (recent entries: my dear friend’s beautiful wedding and two friends getting career-starting job offers!). For moments on the fly though, I am adopting this iphone note habit and sharing widely in my circles. We can *never* be too thankful.
Love this so much, Sadaf!! AND congrats on the program acceptance! xx
I love that VB brown and white striped sweater, but “dry clean only” for 100% cotton? How do you usually care for their knits? I feel like they’d be fine in a gently cycle/lay flat to dry, but curious to know if you follow their care instructions to a T.
Never heard of Jamie Haller loafers! Thanks for sharing here. I love the red tasseled ones. I think as I’ve gotten older (eeep) and my feet have become more finicky, I realize I’m more of a loafer person than a ballet flat person — just for that little bit of extra material to keep feet in place, I guess. I’ve been alternating between my 3 pairs of M.Gemi loafers (either the Felize or Pastoso styles — so good!).
!! Hadn’t noticed the care instructions…would definitely put in the laundry and lay flat to wash, personally, though. I don’t see how it could be any different from other cotton sweaters I launder that way?
I’m also into the loafer these days! Glad to introduce you to J.H.!
xx
Jen!! I have to tell you about Clare V.’s Tracksmith collab.
https://www.clarev.com/products/cv-x-tracksmith-van-cortlandt-singlet-ivory?
My version of this is a photo album on my phone for screenshots called “Bitch you doing a good job” as in that Destini.ann video that went viral a few years ago. The first photo is a response from my friend Laura when my son was small. “Today I finally did some admin tasks I put off for a few weeks, please clap for me”
“What!!! How impressive you have a baby around! sweet toffee pudding for musculature. A being made solely of oxytocin! How could you get tasks done”
Also included are photos of me doing super tough things, like pumping while holding a newborn and reading to a toddler. And a photo of me holding my first book. I don’t open the album often but it’s always a boost.
OMG, Kelly, I was drooling over the Clare V x Tracksmith yesterday! I’m very sad I missed out on Le Jogging tee. I might need the Allons-Y singlet!!
I love your photo album so much! My Internet friend Hitha has a similar practice of screenshotting any positive comments, emails, messages she receives, and saving them to a folder for a rainy day. So reassuring!
xx