Best of 2024: Magpie Insights.

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Rounding up 24 of the standout conversations we’ve had this past year. As I hope I’ve established, I treasure and look forward to meeting you in the comments every day, and have found so many fantastic bits of advice alongside nourishing encouragement in the messages you leave. Below, I cherrypicked a few favorites from 2024 —

1. On first rejections — lots of fellow type-A gals chiming in on their first brush with disappointment/failure. A common thread: everything works out as it should. Onward!

From Jenny, “Man, what a blessing in disguise most rejections are when all the dust settles! My first rejection came from getting wait-listed at my top choice med school. I thought I had it all- the grades, the volunteering, the Hopkins research, the athletic accolades, the exam scores. I was on their first waitlist which was gut-wrenching….on tenterhooks for months waiting for someone to drop, but no one did. I went to my second choice feeling defeated (such cringe- I can’t believe I once deigned to go to my second choice, I’m embarrassed for myself)- but in the end it was such an absolute blessing. The community I found in that school, the only thing I can say is that they were meant for me. I found my husband there. I took risks I might have been too scared to take at a bigger institution. I absolutely flourished there.”

2. How do you handle skincare while traveling? Many divergent approaches in these comments. Leave it to Magpies to answer a niche question with incredible strategic thinking. (Are we better than Reddit?)

3. Your rich responses to this batch of icebreakers blew my mind. Read the Magpie comments here if you’re looking for new emojis to add to your rotation, encouraging thoughts on success, and tenderness towards your 10-year-old self. I plucked out a few of your “secrets to success” below:

From Kelly, “Being attentive. Truly attentive, to the details of your work, your relationship, the people around you. Remembering the name. Asking after the sick dog or new baby. Getting the right coffee order for a long-time colleague without asking. Something that shows the warmth of your presence and the value you bring in unifying all your experiences.”

From Jessica Claire, “Defining what that word [success] means to YOU. The yammering and expectations of the world will not sustain your soul… if your definition of success makes you happy, you have succeeded.”

From Aoife, “Shutting out the external voices and internalised self-talk that says this isn’t important, you should be doing more, you’re lazy, the work is bad, when are you getting a real job. Subsequently, the secret is believing in your own work, supporting others in their own pursuits, sleeping/exercising/eating/connecting, and prioritising deep work over dopamine-centric breaks.”

4. If you’re dreading winter, take heart with these stirring romanticizations of the best bits of the cold months. In the marginalia of this conversation, The Scent Enclave was born, and a tight cluster of perfume heads have been weaving in their thoughtful perfume recommendations (and conversations) since.

5. A curation of under-the-radar romantic comedies here. Love this list.

6. Insanely thoughtful strategies for planning a great vacation here.

Lots of great rules of thumb, like this one from Sara: “for a 10-day trip, see/stay 3 different places; for a week-long trip, see/stay 2 different places; for 5 days or less, don’t change accommodations, but a day trip from home base is fine. More than any of those is too much moving around.”

7. Apparently, we are passionate about peanut butter. Read these comments to level up your pantry staple.

8. Find all our favorite substacks here.

9. Read these comments to learn what we’re secretly snobby about, what any good outfit starts with, and the most difficult paychecks we’ve ever earned. Very fun read.

10. Finely pointed advice for new grandparents or anyone looking to support a post-partum mother/ family. We talk about door dash gift cards, diaper deliveries, grocery drop-offs — but sometimes, the most impactful thing you can do is say: “You are doing a good job.”

11. We discussed our personal codes here — genius little life hacks. For example, Lauren shared that she times her daily tasks so she knows how long they take, which in turn makes it easier to get things done (or as my sister and I put it, GSD, or get shit done): “Unloading the dishwasher takes around 5-7 minutes. I find that we always overestimate how long things take, so if you know that unloading the dishwasher only takes 5ish minutes, you’re more likely to do it quickly versus letting it hang over your head.”

D also shared: “One of my hacks is to do small things for future me. For instance, before evening plans that involve returning right before bed, I’ll fill up my water bottle and place it on my nightstand, shut the blinds, and set out pjs. Before a run, I’ll make sure my water bottle is filled with water for when I return. I’ll sort the laundry the night before if I want to start it right away in the morning.”

This comment in turn led to some of the thoughts I collected here.

12. Nosy Nelly over here: what are your grooming routines? Nails, brows, skin, hair — we got into the nitty gritty of personal upkeep.

13. I challenged Magpies to pick one t-shirt, drink order, writing implement, candy, etc. Apparently we share a passion for these $15 tees and fine-point pens.

14. On teaching children independence. These comments we a gold mine; I still think about the Magpie daughter who orders her own fish and chips at an English Pub.

15. What could you never get tired of talking about? This was a particularly rich set of comments — Magpies flexing the diversity and breadth of their interests and intelligences.

On the general topic of a great conversation starter, from Kate: “My family has a saying “… save it for the table!!” If someone starts to tell a good story or introduce a riveting topic of discussion, but a) not everyone is present or b) there’s a lot of background noise, someone usually yelps “save it for the table!” and we dive in at dinner time!”

16. A conversation about missing bedtime.

I loved this from Joyce: “…I remind myself that all children are different. All children have different needs. As long as I’m taking care of myself, which I am working on prioritizing, all is well.”

17. Read these comments on our SSBs (secret single behaviors): what we secretly want to do, Magpie first kiss stories, and more.

18. All our top regrettably worth-it (RWI) items here. Lots of praise for Lake Pajamas, the Vitamix (we use ours daily for smoothies), L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil, and more. My top RWI discovery this year is the Dyson AirWrap, of course.

19. What is the best beer, book, bed, meal, and outfit? These comments romanticize the little things. Absolutely charming.

From Kelly: “The best meal is the one that suits the moment. Cider donuts in the fall, a big breakfast sandwich when you’re starving, fries and mayo on the beach, carnitas and all the fixings.”

From Erin: “The best book is one you stay up way too late reading (like hours past a reasonable bedtime), and in the morning, you feel zero regret for the lack of sleep. Lifelong bad habit about which I feel no guilt.”

From Emma: “The best bed is my own, especially with fresh, crisp sheets, the windows open letting in a chilly breeze. There’s nothing better than pulling up a fluffy duvet.”

20. I wrote that motherhood is a surfeit – too much, too fast. A lot of you agree. These comments offered a soft landing for the Magpie moms in this community.

From Kate: “I went to comment “yes yes and yes” and realized someone had already commented that. Goes to show how universal this post is for so many new moms.”

21. These comments share the most interesting people we’ve ever met, our favorite socks, and the weirdest things we love about our significant others.

22. Our footholds, or the poems, phrases, passages, and mantras that help us feel better. Hang out in the comments here for a boost.

Shared from Annie: “Mine is definitely your “pressure is a choice” which stopped me in my tracks when I read it several years ago. Similar to “when we worry about things, we love them twice” is helps me pause and reflect on the source of my urgency and stress.”

23. So many of you echoed my sentiment that “it’s never the cream.” (I.e., When you’re upset about something bigger, and you blow up about something small.)

This comment from Deborah made me tear up: “I am probably your mother’s age and awaiting the arrival of my own (lovely) daughter and her family and just realized I am missing key ingredients for the tamales. (Side dish/long story/I’m in California). After a brief collapse into bed and tears I thought of Instacart (not used since the height of Covid). And as my husband said—it doesn’t matter. Anything is going to be fine.
And in fact anything will be perfect. It’s not about the cream. It’s about love.”

24. Tactical parenting advice in this comment section. A lot of intel I’ve pocketed for myself!

Loved this one from DeAnn: “One of my son’s best buddies was getting married and he wanted to spend the night before the wedding hanging out in our basement since that’s what they did for so many years. It was so sweet. I stocked up with chips and beer this time. We fed them breakfast, attached everyone’s boutonnières, and sent them on their way. It was such a fun honor. My son did the same when he got married last year.” (The proof is in the pudding!)

P.S. Always updating my Shopbop hearts.

P.P.S. My favorite things: winter edition.

P.P.P.S. Love this microtrend.