There are miles between us,
And the first hour of reunion can augment that distance —
Polite questions, “oh I saw you did that on Instagram!,” and “What are you watching on TV?”, and “isn’t the weather awful?”
And sometimes a long pause during which I do not know where to settle my eyes.
But then there is a click, always,
A leaning in, voices hushed or faces drawn,
And the exchange of an intimate story seems to flatten and cinch the mountains and privacies between us.
I have come to dread the peaks during that first sixty minutes, but equally trust that they are just a gate, a wire frame to walk through, a window dressing of irrelevant questions,
Before I find the laughs come easy and the stories run as long as they do deep, pooling in your arms, and then returning to me in your own words.
Post-Scripts.
+I have been thinking a lot about female friendship since writing this post. I was so overwhelmed by the flood of private messages and emails on this subject — so many of us have felt alone in the dissolutions and evolutions of our female friendships!
+What song do you secretly love?
Shopping Break.
+This jumpsuit is under $30 and SO fun.
+I have gotten a lot of wear out of this pretty navy patterned dress this summer — it’s currently on sale for under $50.
+Love a patterned tunic with white jeans.
+These pull-on linen pants are SO chic and come in great colors. Do I need them in both ice blue and black?!
+Keep hearing good things about this book. I just finished reading The Paris Apartment (I was so-so on it…kind of fun but not in the upper echelons of ‘good thriller books’ for me) and listening to These Precious Days and am now reading The Witch’s Heart and listening to Dave Grohl’s memoir. What about you?
+Children’s books we’re loving.
+This pillow-top hammock in the navy and white stripe is SO good!
+Adore these tile-print espadrilles. So chic with a simple white dress.
+I mentioned recently how much I love the items I’ve purchased from Alice Walk — such great mix-and-match basics, so well-designed! I’d love to add one of these sweaters and one of these sweatshirts to my closet.
+Love this new pattern on one of my all-time favorite dresses (I own in a blue stripe).
+A GREAT white eyelet top.
+Bought myself some of these to organize the children’s closets a bit better. I finally sorted all their toys, art materials, etc, and now need to tackle the closet situation — specifically all of their outgrown clothes. I’m long overdue for a big sort, donate, sell, etc.
+This maxi dress in the green floral is unbelievable. More summer wedding guest dress options here.
+LOVE these party crackers. Sometimes the concept for a birthday party / gathering stems from ONE item, like these crackers, and then I track down things to match.
+My top pick for the FOJ. This Ulla (on sale!) would also be fun. More options here.
+Charlotte York vibes.
Curious about the Anya Hindmarch book! Oh, how I was in love with her bags circa high school!
Good to know about The Paris Apartment — thrillers are not usually my cup of tea but I had been intrigued by the premise of this one. Based on your and the other commenters’ thoughts, I may skip (or at least bump it down the list!)
I am currently reading Jessi Klein’s I’ll Show Myself Out, which is great so far — a bit more introspective/vulnerable than her first book, You’ll Grow Out of It, which I also read and LOVED. Still hilariously funny, though! She is so great. I also have Amanda Bestor-Siegal’s The Caretakers on deck, which is another Paris-centric thriller-ish book. I’m also very excited to read Alyssa Songsiridej’s Little Rabbit, which sounds intriguing, smart, risqué, all the things!
xx
Thank you for all of these recs! I’ve been waiting for copies of Klein’s books (both!) from the library for a few weeks now. I love what I’ve read of hers and can’t wait to read more!
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Hi Jen. Speaking of books, I need to thank you for recommending Taste by Stanley Tucci. I read the hard copy and it’s everything you said. Personally it felt like transporting back to my own childhood at times. I enjoyed it to the very last page and now I’m mourning the loss a little. So, thank you as always for you recommendations.
Totally agree with you Kelli. I read Taste on her recommendation too and didn’t want it to end either. Very well done.
Try the book Scratch, if you like reading cooking type books. It’s very good also.
So glad to have other Tucci fans here!
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I’m so glad! I agree – I’m probably three weeks out from finishing it and I actually miss his voice, his sentiment, the way he speaks with such passion about food. He is a great storyteller and just charming all around.
So glad you enjoyed.
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Yes! I bought the ice blue palazzo pants and love them for summer. I have to get them hemmed first.
I tried reading The Paris Apartment and finally gave up. Just wasn’t all it was said to be for me. It was a DNF! However I recently read (well audio version) of Take My Hand and loved it. Such a heartfelt read.
Yay! So glad about the pants! I hear you on Paris Apartment — sort of wobbly and all over the place and it took a sort of unnecessary dark turn just for the sake of shock value…I mean, I know all thrillers are kind of that way, but this one felt particularly gratuitous?
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You might appreciate reading The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly. I would categorize it as a fun beach read. The premise is intriguing, and it kept my interest throughout. At times, it requires a suspension of belief, but I recommend just going with it. The fun for us locals is in the many DC references. (Mary Lousie Kelly lives in Georgetown) Enjoy!
Oo thank you so much for sharing! Had not heard of this! Added to my reading list.
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