The Magpie Diary: July 28, 2024.

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I’ve been reading Margaret Renkl’s book of nature-observant musings, The Comfort of Crows, in little sips this week. If you are a fellow disciple of Mary Oliver, you’ll love it. One line leapt out at me:

“Everything that waits is also preparing itself to move.”

She’s writing about how, even in the dead of winter, when the world lays morose and still, the trees are taking water in preparation for spring. Wow – what a reframe. There have been so many periods of my life where I’ve crouched in frustrated anticipation. I’ve been waiting, feeling like “a before,” unable to see a “right now.” But life was happening even as I eyed the next lily pad. I was preparing to leap, for one thing: watching, taking careful measurements, setting my target, making minuscule maneuvers and adjustments to be prepared for the plunge. These, too, are part of the ship’s manifest.

And I was also — importantly — sitting in the middle of my undulating life.

The befores — the winters — are seasons, full stop. As substantive and round as summer. Not something to get through; not a passage. Not a modifier jutting off from the diagrammed sentence: something meaty sitting on the base line.

I wish I’d found, or internalized, Oliver, and Renkl, sooner. They knew how to properly praise a normal day.

I also read a beautiful post by the writer Erin Rose this week (trigger warning: pregnancy loss) where she writes into the heart of her grief, and concludes: “One thing I know for certain, I cannot wait for life to look the way I wish to enjoy it. The things I want will not give me more than I already have. Cards in my life may be up in the air but this will not keep me. It will not keep me from enjoying the afternoon down by the lake with my son, while we sit on the dock and the sun goes down and he tries his hardest to pet the dragonflies. This is all there is.”

Maybe you have been looking for these words, too. Life is happening right now! Not tomorrow, not in some imagined future place or state, not when certain conditions are met. Onward!

Also this week…

{Took some photos for a project with Frank and Eileen. I absolutely love their Rory dress and now own in two colors — the washed linen navy and the stonewashed indigo (denim). Loose, easy, chic. They are offering $50 off with code ESCAPE or SUMMER50. But if I’m honest, the #1 thing I’d tell you to buy with the promo is this linen set. I love the fit and find the separates easy to style a zillion ways independently as well as together. They recently released in olive – so good as we head towards fall – and have nearly sold out .}

{An auspicious first stop of the day: cut flowers // lazy girl moisturizer (a stick lotion!)}

{Living room coming together — the ceiling is a pale blue and I’m in love with the window treatments}

{Hosted a girls’ night and used all my cheerful In The Roundhouse platters, cutlery, glasses, pinch bowls! Shopbop also carries some of their pieces, which appeals, as the shipping from AUS is expensive! Napkins are Dear Anabelle.}

{My new Bogg bag — will be using this for pool from now on! // Adidas Sambas for my kids!}

{A truly perfect BLT — Duke’s mayo, brandywine tomatoes from Landon’s garden, bacon from Organic Butcher; you can spot my new scalloped acrylic placemats from Proper Table Co beneath}

{A great mascara if yours are thinning / sparse — clean and includes plant-based growth serum. I’ve turned several girlfriends onto this.}

{Caroline Chambers’ Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad // I now wear exclusively red-orange nail polish}

{Sponsored mention: RMS Beauty is running an anniversary sale that ends today — 15% off $50; 20% off $75; 25% off $100. I own and love many of their products (they were “clean” before clean was a thing in beauty — and because the founder is a longtime makeup artist, she really designs products that work), but my two favorites are their SuperSerum, which I’ve mentioned at least fifty times on this blog — a category-bending primer / SPF / serum / blurring product that can be worn on its own or as the base for a full face of makeup) and their Living Luminizer, which I’ve re-purchased many times and have kept in my makeup bag for at least seven years now. I can still remember buying it for the first time from the Sephora at Columbus Circle. It adds no color — just a luminous glow. I apply to brow bone, cheeks, Clara’s bow, and a tad on the clavicle!}

A little poetry-like list of a few other shopping finds to consider today:

Dorsey’s elegant leverback “Lucien” earrings are nearly out of stock — a great everyday earring that elevates everything. // A very polished pair of shorts. I’m obsessing over these. More sizes here – use code SHOOPXSPANX for 10% off and free ship. // A great under-$100 maxi. // I can’t be the only one who gets very excited about new pens? These are good ones. // Still into the boxer short trend. Wore these $15 ginghams this week, and Recreational Habits just sent me these. Cassandra Lanrick set the tone for how I wanted to dress for about half of this past week! Great styling inspo! // My Sezane raffia bucket bag was restocked in my size! This has been a staple this summer. //