Leave the door ajar,
enough to let joy sneak up on you
so that you laugh when you are washing the dishes and notice that your husband is carrying a Barbie doll in his back pocket,
and you remember that you are on a moonwalk, living out the exact space fantasy you dreamed about when you were on that Jetsons ride in Orlando at the age of eleven, watching the young families around you.
Stay open to the neighbors,
who turn out to be guardian angels in disguise,
treating you tenderly when you’ve fallen, and bringing by dinner and crates of activities for the children
when illness visits.
It is so easy to ball up like a fist, to coil inward, to rush by acquaintances while wearing AirPods and an air of focus,
but really,
what is life but a string of surprises anyway?
And so what use is it to pretend you might hide from its inevitable shower of thunderbolts?
I often run through the rain with my shoulders raised to my ears, forming a provisional and profitless umbrella with the flat of my palm, as though I might force the droplets away by sheer willpower, by drawing my body taut against their fall.
How ridiculous, I think —
the contortions to which I will go
to avoid a little water.
Let me lower my shoulders, let in the rain,
and permit myself to be surprised by joy.
Post-Scripts.
+On how comparison steals our happiness.
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Shopping Break.
+These ribbed polo sweaters are sitting in my cart. I feel like they’ll be a great everyday layer as it gets chillier — imagine with trousers, wide-leg jeans, beneath a blazer or vest, etc. While you’re at Everlane, if anyone is a size M-XL, treat yourself to this glorious sweater, somehow on sale for $68.
+Recently wore these utility pants and was reminded how great they are. Super stretchy — so very comfortable! — and run TTS. You can see me in them here, wearing the Talbots cardigan, which is nearly sold out!
+My silver-green Adidas Sambas were restocked in a bunch of sizes here, but the brand-new scarlet red ones that just launched are at high sell-out risk. I wrote a mini post with styling ideas, sizing notes, street style inspo, etc here.
+I’m in the market for cool socks to wear with sneakers/loafers a la the cool street style girls. I’m dialing in on either these or these. Any other recs?
+Cute Tuckernuck dress.
+These kitchen chairs and these black jeans have been trending among Magpies the past few days.
+Silver accessories are having a moment. I spotted these on the ever-chic Lilly Sisto. They look just like Neous but like 1/6th the price. And then all of Marni’s silver bags, and how cute is this silver Celine…wow! J. Crew took note!
+I’ve been looking for a way to better organize the long, shallow drawer I use for hot tools, brushes, hair clips/claws, etc. This set looks perfect.
+Little English released some new patterns for its classic turtlenecks — adore this floral for a little lady. Imagine beneath a pair of dusty pink corduroy overalls / jumper!
+Is it too early to say I’m eyeing these Halloween jammies for my kids?
+A wireless and very stylish picture lamp, ideal if you don’t want to mess with wiring/having wires dangle down. Have heard you can hang it with 3M strips!
+If you are a mama to a little baby, you must know about these pulp feeders! I used them SO much with my children. Great way to expose them to flavors when they are too young to chew.
+Ordering these fill-in-the-blank thank you notes for my children.
On the topic of cute socks, I have to upvote Tara’s suggestion of Falke — I restock every time I pass through the Frankfurt airport, as they have a lovely store and they’re so much cheaper! But I actually do think they are worth it in USD, too, because they are lovely, high-quality socks that last and last.
Otherwise, I love Anonymous Ism (Japanese brand that mostly makes socks in men’s sizes but I cherish the ones I have), Hansel from Basel (great quality, but I am choosy with their line, as some of their designs are a little too playful for me), and for thicker ribbed socks, Nishiguchi Kutsushita! This brand is run by the nicest people — I met them through work and they are so sweet. They are starting to grow their presence in the US but are currently sold at smaller boutiques, I think.
Oh, and for basics/cheapies, I swear by these two from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006L3V91E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1 (Hue is great + affordable and I have seen a few people I really respect, style-wise, recommend these!)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FKYDHB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1 (for a playful. girlish moment, which I especially like with chunky loafers or mary janes)
xx
These are SO great! This is legit gold!! Thank you so much for sharing these smaller brands.
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I love this. Thank you for sharing! xo.
So glad it resonated with you, Joyce! xx
Loved this reminder to stay open!
Thank you! Needed it myself today.
xx
These are my favorite socks with loafers! They are perfect and the best socks I own. They stock them at the Shoe Hive in Alexandria and also at Saks. I am obsessed with them.
https://www.falke.com/us_en/p/active-breeze-women-socks/46189_2000/
Oo – these look divine. Thanks for sharing! Going to order a pair!
xx