From Wordsworth:
“Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—
We murder to dissect.”
and
“Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.”
An extreme position (we need both science and art), but sometimes I must plant this pole in the ground to re-orient myself; my mind has a bad habit of sprinting down and past the reasonable outcomes, fiendish and self-fueled.
I thought of Wordsworth on Friday morning, driving on tenterhooks to a dreaded doctor’s appointment for one of my children. I’d been wearing the lead mantle of medical foreboding all week. As I waited to turn into the lot, I thought of “the heart that watches and receives.” The one that doesn’t presuppose, or project. The one that shows up and surrenders to whatever comes, and is sometimes delighted or assuaged or reassured by the day.
The appointment was fine; all is well. My worry had been for naught. Just my meddling intellect at work again.
(Will I ever learn?)
It is hard to unwire the worry, isn’t it?
But maybe this is progress, after all: just having the wherewithal to reach for Wordsworth on a Friday morning, just combatting the spiral with the stanza.
Onward — !!
P.S. Wordsworth stanzas excerpted from “The Tables Turned.”
P.P.S. More poems that feel like a deep breath.
Post-Scripts.
For an extra foothold, I wore both my courage pendant and carried this gold cross that belonged to a great-great-great aunt — my namesake, Jennie. It was given to her on her Confirmation Day in 1887, and then to me on my Confirmation Day circa 1998. It’s difficult to make out the inscription below thanks to age and heavy use, but it has the date and location of her Confirmation on one side and her name on the other, and something that looks like sun rays, or a sun rising, around the date. I carry this in my pocket when I need something to hold onto, as I did in the doctor’s office, my hand discreetly hidden in my pocket, my face artfully arranged into enthusiasm and calm for the sake of my child.
As you may be gathering, I’m a believer in the talisman. Not for shamanic qualities but as a kind of tactile reminder that you can get through whatever you’re staring down. Just the feel of it in my hand calms me, or grounds me, or does something to my nervous system that is good and giving.
Excerpted from Small Wonders
Later the morning of the appointment, after I’d gone for a long, silent, solo car ride with the windows down, just sort of re-calibrating, a stranger sent me a DM letting me know someone had left a copy of my book in a little coffee shop in Maine with the note: “It’s for you! Enjoy!” The stranger wrote to me: “When I opened and started reading, I realized that this book speaks my language, and those thoughts and words are so close to my heart. I am so grateful.”
I cried a little bit then, the note and the vignette an unexpected salve to my morning strain. And I thought how sometimes the right words seem to materialize out of thin air at just the right moment. And how maybe some Magpie out there is sitting at her desk, needing the reminder about the talisman, or needing the Wordsworth, or just needing to think for a moment outside the walls of her own home. So, then, this post —
It’s for you
Shopping Break.
Shopping to wear right now —
01. Breezy VB mini, somehow $156 (down from $495) this weekend. Doesn’t she look like exactly what you want to wear with barely there sandals right now? Other VB sale standouts: this short-sleeved boucle blazer, this $62 (?!) striped blouse (originally $300), this gorgeous denim and tweed blazer (under $200, orig $800).
02. Small Wonders, of course. I think she’s an all-season read but I really think she shines in months and moments of change.
03. An airy caftan style dress from Mi Golondrina. LOVE the pattern on this.
04. A perfect top to wear with everything from shorts to striped jeans to full skirts! LOVE her. Pair with lightweight linen shorts to beat the dog days of summer heat.
05. Cutest bag in the best colors. I own in green!
06. A true talisman. The motif means hope!
07. Obsessed with these sneaks — somehow on sale in great colors here.
08. Ruggable just launched THE MOST PRECIOUS playmats for children! They’re reversible, come in the cutest patterns, and are padded for comfort. Great for art projects, tumbling, or just letting the baby hang! Use code JEN.
09. The scar stick Magpies have been snapping up. (The secret to reducing the appearance of scars: silicone.)
10. Pretty enamel bowls that make mixing and meal prep more appealing. Some other pretty kitchen upgrades here.
ZINNIA BLOUSE // JANE WIN TALISMAN // LINEN SHORTS // ULLA J BAG // ONCEPT SNEAKERS // REVERSIBLE PLAYMAT (USE CODE JEN) // VB EYELET MINI // SMALL WONDERS // MI GOLONDRINA DRESS // SCAR STICK // ENAMEL BOWLS
And a little shopping for later (for my anticipator Magpies already planning out fall family photos, Thanksgiving outfits, etc):
01. Apparently Crate and Barrel’s Marin stoneware collection of servewear sold out last year! Perfect for fall gatherings and potlucks, Thanksgiving, etc!
02. A stunning fall family photo dress — re-wear to Thanksgiving paired with the chicest whipstitch suede boots.
03. The most flattering corduroys you’ll ever own. They’re a super thin wale so they add no bulk. I go up a size in these.
04. Loveee everything about this suede slouchy bag.
05. Another fab talisman in the form of a lucky clover! Use code JEN10.
06. Currently obsessing over Merit’s lip color in the shade ANDIE. I’ve worn every day for two weeks now.
07. My new suede mules for fall! Use code MAGPIE10.
08. Swooning over all the Alanui knits but esp this one.
HART CLOVER NECKLACE (USE CODE JEN10) // ALANUI CARDIGAN // FRAME CORDS // SUEDE MULES (USE CODE MAGPIE10) CRATE AND BARREL SERVING DISH // VB TALL BOOTS // MI GOLONDRINA DRESS // JIMMY CHOO CINCH BAG // MERIT LIPSTICK
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