This week, I resumed my every-other-morning running routine. I took the above photo at the mid-point of my run, huffing and puffing. I mentioned on Instagram that I am always humbled by how quickly I lose muscle tone and strength; it had been six weeks or so since my last run, and it felt as though I’d never run a mile in my life before. My joints were stiff, my stamina abbreviated, the hills brutal. But I brushed past these quick-forming comparison-based frustrations and observed: I am 100% better today than I was yesterday, because I actually got out there. And how often in life do you see that kind of gain in 24 hours? Frankly, when I’m clipped into my running routine, I’m aiming for a nominal improvements — the imaginary 1% improvement paradigm — each new run, which might mean an average pace that is a few seconds shorter than yesterday’s, or an extra 1/16th of a mile in track length. In the case of my first run in a long while, though, I experienced 100% improvement overnight! And it only required will to make it happen. This encouraging reframe eased me back into the routine and made my first (admittedly bumpy) run feel like a victory. (New running clothes also made the sell easier. Speaking of athletic/athleisure, I also just filled my cart at Lululemon with these shorts, this sports bra, and this tank, and I wrote a detailed review of my first order from Vuori here.)
These thoughts run parallel to another favorite mantra of mine: Nothing changes if nothing changes. The phrase is truistic, but it always spurs me to action by making me realize how low the stakes are. Just do something to make a change. Could be something tiny: writing one sentence a day in a journal, praying for exactly one minute, committing to texting a friend or loved one once a week to stay in a better rhythm. All of these represent a 100% improvement over doing nothing. Andale, Magpies!
A few other things I loved this week…
+This RMS Beauty SuperNatural radiance serum. (Sold out in most shades everywhere, but — at time of writing — still available in all shades here.) It’s packed with SPF and I use it like a primer — just after my full skincare routine in the morning. If I’m going for a run, this is the last thing I put on my face. It has a wonderful glowy, blurring effect on skin, and it truly feels like you’re applying a barrier that protects your face from the sun. RMS sent me this new product as a gift, but I had just listened to the line’s founder (Rose Marie Swift, hence RMS) on the How’d She Do That Podcast and had a newfound awe and appreciation for the brand. Swift is a master makeup artist who got her start painting burlesque dancers in Canada. When she began to experience a range of strange health issues in her 30s, her doctors reported that she had high levels of chemical toxins in her system, which they attributed to her routine exposure to cosmetics. She created RMS Beauty (a clean beauty line) as an answer, becoming a pioneer in the “clean beauty” movement. Frankly, her story has made me think more carefully about my own skincare/cosmetics selection. Over the years, I’ve incorporated an increasing number of clean beauty products into my routine. I especially love the items from Westman Atelier (their foundation stick is an instant-reorder for me), Ilia (their mascara ranks among my favorites, clean or not), Saie (wear their Slip Tint as my daily tinted moisturizer), and Merit (I’ve worn their flush balm and bronzer stick daily all summer). I am now reflecting on my skincare routine and wondering if I can gradually swap out products for clean formulas. What are your favorite clean skincare products? If you’re interested in this subject, you might check out my friend Maggie on Instagram. She’s a fellow Washington-area creative and sustainability lawyer focused on green beauty. The standards for “clean” in beauty are a moving target as this is still a relatively new concept and frontier, and she always has interesting insights. She also just created a hyper-small batch of a clean body oil via her small business, Tenet. The last time I mentioned this, we sold through about half of the stock!
+I had so many interesting conversations in response to my post on “rest” earlier this week. Lots of great suggestions on how to introduce more of it into our lives in the comments, but also lots of sidebar conversations on how “against the grain” and oppositional the notion feels in relation to social norms and standards. There is a lot to think about there. I thought I’d mention that another rest ritual Mr. Magpie and I enjoy is board games. We usually play them on the weekend mornings, while children are having breakfast, running around, or watching cartoons, and often again in the weekend happy hour zone, when children are running around outside. During some of these slow summer mornings, when camp does not begin until 9-9:30, sometimes we’ll sneak in a round then, too. We’ve been really hooked on Azul the past few months — a great strategy game that can be played with 2-4 players and takes about 30 minutes to play — and when my brother was in town, we reeled him in, too. Highly recommend if you are looking for a screen-free way to relax with a spouse, child, loved one, etc. The pace of play invites a regular rhythm of doing nothing at all, which I love. In the past, we’ve also enjoyed Patchwork and Jaipur, both of which Mr. Magpie found on a Reddit thread dedicated to “great two-player board games.”
+I bought Mr. Magpie an LL Bean Hunter tote for the pool. He was always tucking his belongings into my bag, and then we’d go our separate ways to change the children, etc, and it felt like he was constantly needing things when I wasn’t there. This tote is water-resistant and highly durable — designed, in fact, for hunting/shooting, and similarly great for wet suits, etc. I got him the medium size, which is perfect for a change of clothes, Kindle, keys, towel, but not big enough if you want him to carry all the kids’ gear and goggles. They also have a version with a shoulder strap if that’s a concern, but I prefer the short handle aesthetically. Sometimes classics are the best!
I shared this in the aforementioned post on rest, but Lake Pajamas just launched a new English Rose collection and its neutral pink was designed to flatter all skintones. Lake sent me the pajamas and nightgown seen above, and their color and patterns really speak my love language. I know I share this brand a lot, but it has slowly become the only sleepwear label I wear. I’ve purchased many pairs on my own (especially during their sales) and gradually gifted pairs to every woman in my life. I actually gave my sister a new pair for her birthday a few months ago and she said I’d given her a pair a few summers back already — ha! — BUT that she was thrilled by it because she normally doesn’t spend money on higher-quality pajamas. This made me think: sleep feels like a blank or empty space in my life but I spend eight hours of each day doing it! Something about making that ritual special, comfortable, relaxing feels rewarding. This in turn re-deposited me in my reflections on rest. Maybe it’s not right to think of sleep as a vacancy. That mentality has been harmful to me in the past, leading me to cut into my sleep time or treat it as inessential. Anyhow, enough on rest —
My last bullet point today is on fall fashion. I’m going to share a first look at fall this upcoming week, but some of the items high on my radar…
DENIM EVERYTHING — MAXI SKIRTS, COLLARLESS BLAZERS, FLATS
TALL BOOTS (NOTE THAT THESE WILL REQUIRE SKINNY JEANS…)
OVERSIZED KNITS — THIS TOTEME ONE IS CURRENTLY ON MAJOR SALE; I OWN IN THE CARDIGAN STYLE AND IT IS SO BEAUTIFULLY MADE…A GREAT BUY!
THIS GOOP SWEATER IS ALSO MAJORLY ON SALE AND SOOO GOOD
THIS KHAITE BAG (DROOL)
P.S. All my favorite Shopbop finds this month.
P.P.S. Reflections on pursuing English as a college major.
P.P.P.S. Bringing Montessori into the home — was thinking about this recently as we are now “graduates” of the Montessori school system and I want to continue to apply its principles in our home life!