On my 41st birthday, my son tucked this note beneath my door, and I keep it now in my desk drawer, laid right on the top of mail I should open and receipts I should file, because it reminds me, each time I reach for a stamp or fish around for a paper clip, of what really matters in this life:
In this letter, I see the run-on of love.
I notice the way the words don’t quite fit into sentences, or on the paper; the way the letters extend past the perforation, and the words at the top half of the page stretch wider than those at the bottom.
I notice the way my heart, too, feels too big for my body as I read it.
I also see the way love is often auspicious (“this will be a great birthday”), and can be matter-of-fact (“when you read this you’re 41”). The way it can live comfortably on a torn-out sheet of paper, with scratch-outs and accidents, and a crease across the horizon, never making a fuss about the furnishings. The way it sometimes needs to adorn the simplicity of “I love you” with “so much” because it wants to really wrap its arms around you and hold on.
Mainly, I look at it and think of my beautiful boy sitting at his little table in his little blue room, the focused look he makes while writing, the pencil crooked in his hand. And I feel like my heart could swallow the ocean. Because that’s the way of love, you know? It is the original run-on. It heeds no bounds, brooks no punctuation. It leaps over every line to hold us.
Post-Scripts.
+The fragile bells that call us to the center of things.
+I was just thinking back on our New Year’s Bingo cards. How are you faring?
Shopping Break: Mainly Labor Day Sales!
+J. Crew is 40% off almost everything. I am LOVING the fit of these flared jeans, esp in that ecru color. The shape feels just right for right now. Pair with this striped button-down and some leather sandals for an easy transition-to-fall look. Meanwhile, this black dress gives Ulla J vibes and will be so handy in your closet this fall/winter.
+20% off almost everything at Jenni Kayne. A great time to invest in everyone’s beloved Cooper sweater. (Look for less at Quince — they just released a suite of new fall colors, too! LOVE the new heathered tan and burgundy shades.)
+Also loving this new quilted vest from Quince — just launched this week. The burgundy color!
+Asha is offering a rare 20% off sitewide, and the promo includes their dresses, which they almost never discount. Ladies, these are the most perfect earrings. I feel like they go with everything; you might have noticed I’ve been wearing them constantly in my What I Loved Wearing posts these past few weeks. They are lightweight, the perfect scale (not oversized but not dainty, so they round out an outfit without making too big of a statement), and did I mention they go with everything? And their caftans are spectacular, too. I’m obsessing over this one with that red paisley embroidery motif! Very on-trend.
+Cutest sherpa jacket/cardigan, and a gorgeous wine-colored split-hem blazer that reminds me, again, of my VB Orrin blazer in shape! (Both under $200.)
+I did end up ordering this “coffee bean” hued set from Varley as my go-to athleisure outfit this fall: sweatshirt, wide leg pants. I thought it might also be good for my early morning flight to Boston later this month! (Pair with my fav fall/winter sneaks.)
+Speaking of VB — I just can’t stop with their sale. Extra 20% off already steeply-discounted pieces! Like this blouse with these shorts for an end-of-summer gathering?! With the code, the entire look is around $200 even though it retailed originally for $806. ACHHHHH so cute. And I feel like this would look so polished layered with those ecru J. Crew jeans.
+Net-A-Porter can be daunting — so many pages to thumb through! — but their sale section is worth a spin. This hydrangea blue Aje has such fabulous pleating and knotting – so elegant for an end-of-summer wedding! — and the Toteme sale bags are majorly head turning: try this, this, this! Very tempted by that gray flannel tote. It wasn’t even on my radar til I found it in the sale section. I really do love a tote – so handy for everyday mom/work life…and the gleaming gold T detail!
+Ugh La Ligne just released this gorgeous dress in a tomato red. I love both the colors!
+We have officially entered the era in which my son gives me grief if I ask him to wear a shirt that is not performance material. These VV polos are his favorite, and 30% off right now. Look for less at J. Crew Factory — we also have a bunch of these, and this one is very similar in sports motif.
+Great everyday cord dress for fall. J. Crew Factory has a great above/at-the-knee variation on sale, too.
+Croc-effect flip-flops for $20.
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Hi Jen! What are your favorite sweatshirts? I was about to reorder the Left on Friday Field Day sweatshirt, but it looks like they stopped making them.
Have a great weekend x