This past week, I was interviewed for the So Can I podcast, and one of Lauren’s questions was: “Why do you write? What’s your why?” I said, and truthfully, that I write to find out what’s inside, to better understand the world and my own grasping reactions to it. I explained that I often feel I’ve not fully processed the raw phenomena of life until it’s passed through the filter of language. Like maybe I’ve squeezed half the juice from it, but I need paper and pen to wring the rest of it out. Perhaps this is a deficiency, after all; I assume most normal people carry about their lives capable of self-examination without the blank page as a crutch.
But I also felt like saying, and maybe this is just a simpler way of stating my first answer: I write because I have to. Not so much a conscious choice, in fact — writing is air, it is lungs, it is heartbeat. Elemental. I’d never really reflected on that, the primality of my writing. What would my life be like without it? It feels like there would be a gaping hole, a clipped line. The empty page has in a certain sense been one of my longest companions; I’ve been holding hands with it consistently since I was six. This awareness made me feel oddly grateful for the abstraction of the English language. We need it to communicate, but we’ve made it so joyful, haven’t we? Words like gimcrack and grist and warble. Onomatopoeia. Vowel harmony. Contranyms like the verbs cleave or sanction, whose definitions are antonyms of one another! Cellar door (apparently the most phonaesthetic word in the English language, though I have a bone to pick with that perspective). The specificity of moonglade and petrichor and octogenarian and postprandial. The fact that we’ve coined poetic terms for groups of animals: a cluster of ladybugs is a loveliness; a couple of hippos is a bloat. How lucky are we to live in this beautiful constellation of words; how creative and feeling are we to have invented it in the first place. Just looking at our language gives me hope. We could have fashioned a vocabulary of perfunctoriness, where happiness is coded as A1, anger is A2, etc., or bananas are “yellow tree fruits no 4.” But we wanted the assonance and shape. We wanted to linger on certain letters. We wanted words that made us feel something, too.
Onward —
*Image via. What a perfect kitchen!
Shopping Break.
So many goodies to share today. First: my suede Scarosso mules (20% off with JEN20) arrived and I’m telling you, these are the perfect transition-to-fall heel. The heel height is totally manageable and I love the simple, 90s esque silhouette. Will look so fantastic with a fall floral Doen dress, a pair of dark wash jeans and a blazer, etc.
Second: I just got this hat in (under $100) and it is SO adorable. Wore it to the adult pool Friday — see here!
Third: Big Summersalt sale happening! I love their sidestroke style (so flattering and very practical when chasing little kids — everything stays in place) but how adorable is this bow-trim variation?
Fourth: Lots of cute new arrivals at Shopbop, including this gorgeous cape-detail SEA dress (a perfect bridal dress – rehearsal dinner, getaway dress, etc!). See all my latest finds here.
Fifth: Several colorways of the popular Cesta lunchpail bag are back in stock. I own and absolutely adore mine. Smaller than you think in a good way — perfect for a date night / cocktail party but can also absolutely be a daytime bag. The kind of bag you can pack for vacation and wear all day into night.
Sixth: How CUTE is this book journal for your book club gals?!
Seventh: Fun colors in these Stanley pint cups. I just ordered a few colors for my kids and it dawned on me that these would also be a cute gift with a gift card tucked inside for a teacher, camp counselor, summer sitter, college grad, etc!
Eighth: My Biom wipes dispenser sets are on sale! A small thing to enjoy to be sure but I love the sleek design, and the scents are elevated. Gentle enough to work on spills OR hands.
Last but not least: Had to again plug my 15 year anniversary dress. The entire site is on sale – 30% off! I’ve always wanted to test this brand and a few Magpies wrote yesterday to rave about the quality and fit. Cannot wait!
A REALLY CUTE HAT UNDER $100 // BOW SHOULDERED ONE-PIECE // ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS // MY ANNIVERSARY DRESS (30% OFF) // BIOM DISPENSER (ON SALE) // SCAROSSO MULES (20% OFF WITH JEN20) // CESTA BUCKET BAG // STANLEY PINT CUPS // EMBROIDERED BOOK JOURNAL // MECHANICAL PENCIL
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