As children, we naturally live by our values.

We live emotionally open, follow our passions, explore new ideas, and ultimately seek connection with those we love and care for.
We don't fight or argue this with ourselves.
We simply do.

Why is this so hard to do as we grow up?

Our true sense of self and our true values become intertwined with expectations, societal norms, financial constraints and ultimately 'fears'.
Fear of not being taken seriously, fear of rejection, fear of missing out, fear of losing our value.
Yet…

How much value can we genuinely hold if we are not living to the true values of our inner selves?

Begin broadly.

1. What do you value in life as a whole?

• Moving my body

• Spending time with loved ones

• Reading

• Nature

• Meaningful work

• Eating well (both for health & enjoyment)

  2. Categorize into daily, monthly, and seasonal values.

How do these values show up in your routine? Do you value reading every day or on the weekends? Do you want to be in nature once a week or just once a month? Do you have hobbies as values that may fit best into autumn? (Puzzles, dance class, baking?)

3. Expand.

Fill out your days, weeks, and seasonal categories. It helps to put all the possible values down and edit after. Often, we don’t know what we value or have as an expectation/routine for ourselves until we fully meditate on and see it all in front of us.
Other values could be: keeping up on chores, storytime with the kids, date nights, and getting to work on time.

4. Reflect and Edit

As you live out your daily/weekly values, edit along the way. See what's working and what isn't. Often we expect too much from ourselves and must be humble enough to realize we have bogged ourselves down with too many expectations, either from others or ourselves. Be realistic. How much can you fit in a day? How much can you honour during a week or month? And for what you value, you may find that you can move that value from a daily routine to something less often or vice versa. Enjoy learning about yourself along the way.

Maybe there is something you thought you valued that you don't. Perhaps you find that what you value during some parts of the year, you don't value other times. Maybe your values change depending on where you live, your job, etc. Be at peace with course correcting and making adjustments.

5. Lean into your values.

If you change them quarterly or monthly, let yourself enjoy the values you create and meditate on them daily.

*Some practical applications:
I keep a list of my daily, weekly, and seasonal (currently, it's Autumn) values in my notes app. I use it as a guide as I move throughout the day, week and month. I put a star beside the ones I have honoured, reminding me of the ones I have ignored or am realizing may not fit during this season of my life.

Another Autumn, another Spotify playlist to listen along to the falling leaves with.

I’ll Be There | Overcoats

How this song is delivered lyrically and musically reminds me of what 'solidarity’ truly means. We all need someone who will be this for us. We don’t need many, but those select few matters.

“The world wants to break your stride, but you are worth every star in the sky….”

Blessings Everywhere | Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake

In a time when this world is more divided, taking time during the autumn season to recognize the good, the blessings and all that is well is a refreshing and healing move. I find during autumn; I crave these reminders.

The Phantom of the Opera | Prague Cello Quartet

I have a secret and deep passion for the Cello. I began learning it years ago but had to return my rental for practical reasons. I am eagerly awaiting the window in life where I see a margin to jump on learning more Cello again. In truth, it is more me than the piano. The Phantom of the Opera is the first musical that I believe I was able to master on the piano with efficiency. Although rusty from being packed away, this specific rendition has inspired me to revisit the sheet music I had in storage.

2:20 - 2:40 gives me the shivers EVERY SINGLE DANG time.

Just Fine | Desiree Dawson

A calming reminder of something more profound. I love finding new voices that speak truth and beauty into the world.

Cheers | Shakey Graves

Another encouraging tune with those deep thoughts backing them.

Small Victories | Anne Lamott

Anne is a voice I return to when I need to be reminded of the wholeness of life. Life being raw, real and something beautiful and awful all mixed together. In this book she gives us a window into what it means to walk in the acts of Grace and find humor in our very human selves.

A Bright Ray of Darkness | Ethan Hawke

I deeply appreciate Ethan’s take on creativity and life. I do admit to wondering how much of this novel was written from his own personal experiences and what was fabrication. It felt like a hybrid memoir and novel. I haven’t done research on it either way, but I do believe that it might be more enjoyable if one didn’t know so much about his life. (I admit to deeply watching / listening to his interviews over the years, and thus may know too much.)

Taste - My Life Through Food | Stanley Tucci

Although I borrowed this book from the library, I made the last minute decision to purchase the audio book through apple to listen to. I deeply love Stanley Tucci’s acting and his foodie nature and realized hearing him read this book aloud would be a much more enjoyable way to ‘read’ it.

Straight On Till Morning | Liz Braswell

Another twisted adaption from Disney through Liz Braswell on the famous characters. This time Wendy and Hook take the stage. Using Wendy’s desire to explore Neverland, Peter Pans forgetful nature and Hooks alluring taste for adventure the way he see’s fit, we are given a fun upside down tale of these characters.
Read if you like twisted tales.

TV SERIES \ FILMS OF NOTE

Mother! - I was completely confused and put off. Until the end when I looked up the allegory representation of the characters of this film and now I can’t stop thinking about it. A marker of a good work of art.
Stranger Things S04 - Because it’s the best season of all previous 3. Gives answers, makes one want to go back and watch it from the beginning again. Good vs. Evil in one of the most creative ways I have seen yet.
Pink Panther 1963 - Because the physical comedy is hilarious.
Pink Panther - A Shot in the Dark - Because Clouseau continues to make us laugh.

Dear Autumn,

I’ve been anticipating you.

There was something in the air recently… I knew you would come. That brisk note in the breeze. The urgent tug at my hair last week. The whispering rain that hit the window pain late last night.

Your calling card leaves me with goosebumps on my flesh and a shiver of excitement down my spine. I turned to look, and there you were.

Did you expect me to be this ready for you?

If they had told me that I would get this weak for you years ago, I wouldn’t have believed them.

I didn’t understand then how much glory and beauty there is in shedding what isn’t serving you.

I thought the blooming, the growing, and the standing tall and proud made the soul beautiful.

And now I see…

that I need you.

I need to be reminded of everything that has been of use. It doesn’t just fall to the ground to die; it becomes the fertilizer, the nutrients, the saving grace.

dearest Autumn, 
I promise you

• to write with raw honesty.

• to dance like the wind.

• to share through vulnerability.

• to notice what leaves and what remains.

• to pray for more grace and strength.

& if there is anything more for me to lose this season, I pray you will hold my hand as I go and show me the brilliance in the falling of the leaves.

Onwards,

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Image description: Amy in a white tennis dress leaning on the floor in roller skates.

This summer, I focused on something I needed, something I wanted and a memory maker.

I have no regrets about these additions.

Black Weekday Shorts | RW & Co

These shorts are an essential addition to my late spring and summer wardrobe. One doesn’t always want to wear a skirt to meetings. They are airy, tie well and thus far show themselves to be very durable.

White Tennis Dress | RW & Co

I tried on many versions of tennis dresses and had given up hope finding them all very unflattering to my body type. The algorithms must have noticed my searching as this white dress appeared on my feed on sale, and I gave it one last shot. This dress is everything I had been looking for. Built-in shorts, form-fitting but not too tight, a pocket for keys or a phone…you name it.

Blue Hoodie | White Point Beach Resort

We spend our vacations at White Point Beach, and this hoodie is a warm and comforting reminder that our cozy coastal beach vacation memories will come around again next year. A well-made hoodie for all who know what an east coast wind is like.

A stack of three books on a wooden surface. A plant behind them. Over lay on the image ‘Reads August 2022 - byamygrace’.

Water for Elephants | Susan Gruen

Years ago, I saw the film adaption of this novel. Enough time passed, and I thought I would read the book and re-watch the film. Thus far, reading this novel proves Sara to be an author with an incredible talent for crafting the main character and giving you varying degrees of perspective and depth on him and the world around him. I have not yet re-watched the film, but I am delighted with the writing and how she paints the characters and the world they inhabit.

The School for Good and Evil | Soman Chainani

A magical tale woven for upper middle-grade readers of two girls, a tall tale and the truth revealed in fairytales. I love to find new twists on fairytales, good vs. evil and complicated friendships. The School for Good and Evil provides an entertaining read and dynamic read. Young Amy would have sped through this series.

My Darling Husband | Kimberly Belle

This read quickly became fast-paced suspense. I loved how Kimberly was able to give us present-day reflections through the eyes of a reporter/interviewee, along with brief descriptions of a past happening. Kimberly kept the pace high without compromising details, character development and atmosphere. She set the stage and let the drama run its course brilliantly.

Lucky | Marissa Stapley

Picked up for its Reese Witherspoon recommendation and was not disappointed. Read this over a weekend, and it was a treat. Marissa gave us a story about a woman on the run with a past. Fun, sassy, reflective and redemptive. All packed in under 250 pages. Quite the feat.

TV SERIES / FILMS OF NOTE

That Darn Cat - Summer nostalgia with a Haley Mills classic.
Gangster Squad - For the brilliant gangster storytelling. Loosely based on Mickey Cohen’s takedown.
Turning Red - Domee Shi brings everyone a true depiction of what it means to be a Canadian girl, especially those who are Asian.
The Shrink Next Door - Showing manipulation at its finest. Originally a podcast series.
Only Murders in the Building S02 - Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selna Gomez deliver another riveting and comedic mystery.
Physical S02 - Another great example of a woman working to make her way. No complaints about the 80’s hair and music.

Three books in a line. My Darling Husband, The School for Good and Evil, Water for Elephants.

Lucky by Marissa Stapley atop a glass coffee table. A mug of almost gone coffee sits beside it along with a plant.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A MacBook Pro laptop keyboard beside a white piece of paper with a pen on top and mug partially in view. On the piece of paper the word August is on the top. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5 is written down the left hand side.

My work and the work of all creative entrepreneurs are mostly self-driven, which means we are the sole motor keeping the projects going.

What happens when you have outgrown the motor you have been using?

You start looking for a replacement.

Theme Weeks.

Sounds and looks simple, and it is.

Instead of packing my days with busy work that may get me to my next goal or accomplished task, I have begun practicing looking at the month ahead and giving each week a theme.

These themes often only consist of one to three words encapsulating an idea, project title, goal or medium (radio, film…etc.)

By attaching a theme to the week, I am telling myself exactly what that week is about.

Busy work and often distracting work like social media, emails, grants, pitches, etc., can distract oneself from the primary goal.

With this new way of looking at my work week, I can focus on the most important task I need to move forward in a broader sense.

For example:

August Week 1: “Radio Pitch.”

No one knows what that exactly means, but I do. I knew what I wanted to see happen, my goal, and the project, and it kept me on task until I had accomplished all I could get done related to the intent that week. (Once a draft/pitch is sent off, you are in the waiting game.)

This has brought a lot of clarity to my life.

It’s incredible how fast or slow a day can go when you dread the list staring back at you. After implementing this new way of doing things, I have time left for professional development, reading/watching, passion projects, or simply stopping the presses, lying on the floor and letting my cat and daughter crawl all over me. At the same time, I process my next right step.

I plan on continuing this method into Autumn, and I have a sneaky suspicion it is here to stay.

Until the next work productivity revelation,

Onwards.

These are a few of my favourite things…

Summer Candles | Okanagan Candle Co.

I sincerely enjoyed testing the seasons of candles from this Canadian company. From this collection ‘Dock’ and ‘Campfire’ are my favourite. For me, joy in seasonal decor is often found in the consumable products from nature, food and things we make to use during that time.

Out on the Wire | Jessica Abel

Spending the summer reading and listening to various insights and courses on audio storytelling. This book is one of those items that has surprised me. Written through the art form of comic strips, Jessica drives home the surprising but very real truth that audio storytelling is primarily and, firstly, a visual medium. Sounds conflicting? Pick up this book, and you’ll be amazed at how true it is.

Royal Conservatory Level 1 Books | Royal Conservatory

Recently I decided to go back to the basics of my piano theory and skills. I had a unique education in music, and although I had worked through levels of piano theory, I bounced around more than not, which irked my last piano teacher to no end. Getting these books for myself brings me a lot of joy, and although very basic in nature, I think we can all benefit from going back to the beginning of our skills and be reminded of where we started.

SPF Tinted Moisturizer | Origins

I have been using the same SPF moisturizer since 2015, so it was a shock to the routine when I was told they were discontinuing that specific one. I finally landed on this one, which I might love even more than my beloved ‘Neutrogena SPF daily moisturizer 45’. The tinted nature of this product creates a cleaner finish and still leaves room for a bit of touch-up under the eye. Simple and classic is how I like to do it over here.

Enchanted Garden Puzzle | Hobbry / Chapters

I love Hobbrys collab with Indigo, and it was a no-brainer when I saw this lush image released in their puzzle series. The simple pleasures of passing a table and putting a few pieces in before one goes about their day.
I do puzzles like I do my coffee. Slow and steady.

Previous Summer Favourite Things

2021
2020
2019
2018

Video of Amy & her seven-year-old daughter climbing the rocks at Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia.

Episode VII - A simple study on how becoming a mother alters a woman's life. Every decision, every movement is factoring in someone else.

Creative Field Notes is a series that studies the way creativity weaves itself throughout and communicates with all aspects of the natural rhythms of life.

Three books stacked on each other. Bottom - Top: Good Rich People, Cultish, The Marriage Game. A plant is partially seen beside the stack. Text overlay on image: Reads July 2022 byamygrace.

The Marriage Game | Sara Desai

A fun summer read about a young woman who finds herself back home renting and sharing retail space from her dad with another man. This story has loads of references to Indian culture and is written so well I can hear the various characters clearly as they' talk.' It's fun, light-hearted, with loads of snark towards society's lack of open-mindedness towards women.

Cultish | Amanda Montell

I've been enjoying Amandas' podcast "Sounds Like a Cult" with her friend Isa Medina and figured it was time to read Amanda's book, which came before the podcast. Cultish is much the same, but with a more in-depth look at Cult groups. Where 'Sounds Like a Cult' gives room for accidental similarities, Cultish clearly and pointedly calls out the traits we permit in society that are problematic.

Good Rich People | Eliza Jane Brazier

A chilling tale of a wealthy matriarch, her son and his wife who live in a villa of sorts and rent out the apartment beneath them. Without giving too much, these characters play the game of manipulation, observation and quite literally, decimation.

You really wouldn't want to rent from these people, no matter what part of town they live in.

TV/Films of Note
Fantastic Mr. Fox - It’s brilliant artistry, wit and voice talent pull this narrative together in one fantastic film.
Inside Out - A fond rewatch. This film brings an awareness of how much our minds, body and souls are connected.

I started 2022 out with the word Space as my One word. I have been carrying with me these words to go along with them:

How am I expanding into S P A C E today?

Expand into

Fill Up

Hold

Make

Create

S P A C E

I started the year feeling more empowered to make daring moves. To claim the space, I was seeing before me. It wasn't easy, it was scary, and I continued applying, pitching and finding little wins along the way.

Then I was hit.

Self-doubt.

You see,

Despite a deep belief in a calling that calls me to hold space for others, ask them deep and inspiring questions, capture them and find a way to showcase what I see about the world around me, I also recognize I came into all of this unconventionally.

It wasn't until I made my most daring and scary move thus far in my creative / documentary career yet at the end of May that I realized I was putting myself out there in a way that scared me.

And then S P A C E, meant a totally different thing.

Space became a challenge to remember how to hold space for me when no one else is around to hold me.

When the quiet rages, the lack of response, recognition, and relational interactions persist.

What does it look like to hold space for me?

It has led me back to me.

We believe that we hustle to success.

That we become millionaires from building something from the ground up and never stopping.

We believe that we are the makers of our own designs.

We forget that we are the souls that need our whole selves, not just portions we leave on the shelf because they are too weighty to carry.

I continue to strive to fill up, hold, make and create space that honours myself and those around me, and that may mean that I won't see the bigger picture until much later, but I will not become less of myself in the process. I will not shelf my healing until later, and I will not lose relationships that matter along the way.

I will honour the whole process, not just the portions that look like success. I will also honour the quiet and most mundane and lonely moments.

They all

equally

matter.

Carefully curating music to carry with me throughout a season is a way I connect with my goals, intentions and overall mindset.

Here is a sampling of the songs that stick out to me the most in this Summer collection I have made:

For the full playlist:
check it out on Spotify

Elastic Heart | Sia

Something about Sia’s raw voice, lyrics and how she puts together her music videos to represent her songs get me every time. She is a prolific artist.

Electric Love | Borns

Something about this song brings me back to electric pop in a nostalgic yet modern way. I love this song playing as I practice rollerskating.

Now I’m In It | HAIM

I have loved HAIM for many years, and this song reminds me of that young 20-something in me, with wide open summers, car windows down, wind in my hair and my best friend in the passenger seat.

august | Taylor Swift

august is one of those tracks that will keep coming back with each generation. T-Swift really gave the world a beautiful nostalgic piece to capture something so many of us understand.

”slipped away into a moment in time.”

I Think We’re Alone Now | Tiffany

I’ve been saying it before the cool kids realized. 80’s music is one of the best eras for music. Lyrics, musicality, beats, rhythms, energy, heart, soul…you name it. Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” captures a summer date night feeling that I love to be reminded of. Heat making the air thick, sun setting, waves crashing against the shore, bare legs skipping along… chasing each other down the beach.

Episode VI - Reaching for child-like joy in the everyday.

Creative Field Notes is a series that studies the way creativity weaves itself throughout and communicates with all aspects of the natural rhythms of life.

Run Towards The Danger | Sarah Polley

I liked to say I was a Sarah fan before anyone else talked about her. I first saw her in various Canadian mini and long-form television series as a child. Being precisely ten years apart meant that when I began taking in her work as a young adult, she spoke to things in her projects that I desperately needed. I am bold enough to believe she is the creative older sister and mentor out there, paving the way for deeply nuanced, raw and daring work.

Run Towards The Danger is another example of Sarah paving the way. She lets us in, yet again, to her life, reflections and processing as a way of healing, and although I know I am made more whole reading her thought-provoking words…I know she must have been broken open and made whole to write them.

I aspire to be as reflective, deep and concise as she has been in this memoir.

Come As You Are | Emily Nagoski

I first read Emily's work in the book she wrote with her sister, "Unlocking the Stress Cycle." It was a powerful look at how mind, bodies and souls are locked into play with each other and how our scientifically understanding of these entities allows us to better move through life as people, especially as women. Come as You Are is another excellent read by Emily on the process of the feminine body, mind and soul. Emily lays out the realities, the nuance and the vast differences of what it means to hold our sex lives not on a pedestal but in a sacred place that deserves to be respected for their unique journeys.

In a world where sex research has been targeted so much for results in men, it is beautiful to have more research on women.

Kristys Big Day | Ann M. Martin

Going back to nostalgia with this rapid read in The Babysitters Club series. I continue to be surprised by the real-life issues that Ann could easily weave into these characters.

Films / TV Series of Note:

This Is Us S06 - Finishing the last installment of the series was bitter-sweet, and our Favourite episode is second to last. A beautiful ending.

Only Murders In the Building S01 - Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are fantastic in this light-hearted yet still suspenseful murder mystery.

Rushing and racing and running in circles
Moving so fast, I'm forgetting my purpose
Blur of the traffic is sending me spinning, getting nowhere

My head and my heart are colliding, chaotic
Pace of the world, I just wish I could stop it

- Emmy Rossum - Slow Me Down Lyrics

Since the beginning days of 2022, I have felt this build-up of unrest and concern. Something within was becoming at odds with the world around me. I have learned over the years that this often occurs before or during significant change.

The Summer of Slow is a meditation to remind me of my values in my personal and professional life.

What it looks like:

• Maintaining a strong AM / PM Routine (morning workout, breakfast, journals - bedtime routine etc.)

• Everything between the AM / PM routine is unscheduled (don’t freak out: appts, and contract deadlines still maintain a place in the calendar)

• A weekly beach day or evening

• Write a letter weekly (communicating with those I love slowly)

• Document mindfully (follow the inspirations and whims)

• Read for work & pleasure often.

• Visit the library often.

The world we live in is not a world that is geared to slow, yet the best and most provocative work I have been moved by so often has the story of years of thought and mindful work behind it.

I want to be that type of person.

The one who puts every ounce of insight thought, and curiosity into their work.
One can only do that at a mindful pace and from a place of intentional space.
Yet structure is where the work is honed, which is what I also seek to find in my Summer of Slow.

I seek to mine the gemstones of meditative thinking, processing, being and creating.

The underpinnings of what it means to slow the heartbeat to hear the world around me so that when I speak and move, I am doing it from a place of anchored confidence, compassion and intentions.

Onwards,

The noise of the world is getting me caught up
Chasing the clock and I wish I could stop it
Just need to breathe, somebody please
Slow me down

Replica : When the Rain Stops | Sephora

A combined birthday / mothers day gift to myself in the form of scent. I like having a work day scent and a ‘at home, relaxing scent.’ When the Rain Stops is perfect for my at home mood.

Replica : Whispers in the Library | Sephora

A combined birthday / mothers day gift to myself in the form of scent. Whispers in the Library reminds me of sitting in a coffee shop and pouring over words. My version of a perfect work day.

Zoom H4n Pro 4-Track Portable Recorder | Amazon

Although I have yet to truly deep dive this new beauty, I am going into the summer with goals that will incorporate it’s use. Knowing that I can lean on this recorder when I need to is the exhale and tech supportive I have needed.

Run Towards The Danger by Sarah Polley | Chapters

I like to say I was a fan of Sarah Polley before most of the people around me even knew she existed. I was following her work as an actor from an early age, and although I didn’t see her work that she produced / wrote / directed until my early twenties, I wasn’t that far behind. I felt like I was stumbling on a hidden gem of a soul that no one was talking about when I caught up with all her projects in the 2012/2013 era.
Sarah dares to work on things that others may shy away from. She does the internal work in her projects and it speaks to a deeper place than any indulgent television series could give me.
I consider her work and words a bit like therapy in the form of art. Deeply scary, provocative and healing all in one.

Piquettes | Benjamin Bridge

A close friend decided that I needed to be treated to her summer routine of having Piquettes on hand for my birthday. Sometimes the simplest of gestures are the most meaningful. The case I received came with four different kinds. Three alcoholic, and one non alcoholic. Each of them are light, summary and add a beautiful spring to my step. I am saving most of them for the summer months.

Pothos plant | Adopted plan from a moving bestie

The same friend who sneakily had the Piquettes delivered, also made her move to a neighbouring province. Having an abundance of house plants she asked if I was interested in taking a few more? I was thrilled to take this one specifically. This particular blend of Pothos was clearly worked hard on by her and I am dazzled by it.

Hello Neighbour Puzzle by Hobbry | Chapters

I fell in love with the Hobbry brand when I saw the Indigo / Hobbry collab at Chapters. Something about the way Hobbry creates puzzles for the various seasons at my favourite box book store tickled me. Despite there being a million different puzzles in the world, I love a good collaboration and am loyal to brands I am impressed by. I am doing my best to only collect Hobbry/Indigo collabs for the foreseeable future.
*puzzles are an activity that deeply ties be back to my late paternal grandparents. The act of doing one is a nostalgic comfort.

Tell Me Three Things | Julie Buxbaum

I have loved this book. Julie brings a delightful main character in Jessie, a high school student trying to adjust to her new life at her new stepmom's house and new school. Jessie is guided through her first year at this new school and experiences by an unknown person's wise and humorous texts.

You'll be on your seat wanting to know who Somebody/Nobody, a.k.a. SN.

Tess of the D'URbervilles | Thomas Hardy

Knowing this is a classic, I am getting through this hefty read. Some people hang their coats on this novel, but I am finding it a job. I can see that it is an excellent example of a female character written to showcase the realities of the time they lived (1891), yet it leaves me cringing and wishing for less overt flowering language about it all.

The Viscount Who Loved Me | Julia Quinn

Studying adaptations from book to screen is a passion of mine. Reading the second book in the Bridgerton Series is another way I can see how Shonda Rhimes and her team take novels and adapt them into a series format. It doesn't hurt that Julie Andrews's voice is the narration of the series. One can never have too much Julie Andrews.

Julia Quinn writes her characters with wit and ease, and the world she creates for them is exciting. It's easy to see why this series made its mark in the romance/fiction section.

Films / TV Shows

Pride & Prejudice (2005) - It’s been almost 10 years since I last watched this film. I was captivated by it in a whole new way. It’s cinamatography, artistry…impeccable.
The Marvelous Mrs.Maisel S04 - I watched this season as slow as I could. It was delicious. Every beat.
Clifford - A fun family movie night watch.

This raw, vulnerable, tender, precious, heartbreaking, comedic, enraging, and simply beautiful life makes me utterly weak in the knees.

With every project created, conversation shared, moment observed, and words found I have been deeply honoured to have experienced and made anew.

Life is beautiful.
Life is hard.
&
Life is wild.

So with wild and raw words
onwards I go.

This spring, I set myself to look for a legitimate trench coat. (the current one I have, is clearly a knock-off, is not insulated by any sense of the word and is purely fast fashion to appear nice). Finding a good quality trench coat seemed simple enough.

Wrong.

I did find one I adored after weeks of online and in-person looking. Unfortunately, the company that sells this trench coat doesn’t ship to Canada directly and quickly ran out of my size.

I reluctantly gave up my trench coat search and pivoted to my other top needs.

For this Spring

Open-Front Cardigan Sweater

This cardigan I ordered from Nordstrom. The brand is CASLON. I purchased it to be a longer term replacement for a cheaper cardigan of similar color that I have had for a handful of years. The older one has holes in the seams, and is of a cheaper fabric. This new one is warm enough for an East Coast spring, yet being open, leaves space for when the spring sun is shining.

Indoor Training Shoes

Last year, I bought a pair of these same Under Armour trainers to replace my worn-out pair. After loving them for the past year, I decided I should buy a second pair to use as my inside-the-house set when I do workouts in my home gym. I appreciate having them for only indoor use so that I am not cleaning the bottoms every time I am on the mat. (no one wants to do yoga on a mat that just had outdoor sneakers all over it)

Pink Kate Spade Clutch / Purse

A beautiful soul that I know had this purse and was looking to find another home for it and thought of me. I felt so seen and loved to be identified as its possible new owner. I have loved Kate Spade for years, especially the o.g. items. This purse gives a great pop for a date night or social outing, and it’s making me hopeful that it will see lots of life this Summer.

Bitter & Sweet | Tsh Oxenreider

After enjoying Tsh's book on Advent, I thought it apt to buy her latest release for the duration of Lent. Bitter & Sweet gives a beautiful guide through the liturgical journey of Lent and into Easter.

Finding Meaning | David Kessler

I began to study the process of grief for a personal passion project of mine, and this book was the last read to complete the journey. This book helps tie it all together, and in life, I believe this is a read that we all can benefit from. Holding space for ourselves and those around us in grief is a gift, and I hope that I can always be that person to those around me.

Breaking Bread with the Dead | Alan Jacobs

This came up on my reading TBR list, and at first, I was going to let it go as I couldn't find it at my city's library, but after returning to read the synopsis multiple times, I bought it. It's a very in-depth yet concise read about the idea that reading intentionally and slowly the words of authors of the past helps us have a deeper and better understanding of ourselves and the world we live in today.

I especially appreciated the beginning, in which Alan discussed the nuances of social media and internet culture that have influenced us in ways that make it hard to sit and just be with the words of others.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes | Diana Gabaldon

She did it again. If you know me, you know that the Outlander Series is something that I deeply love. The multiple genres in one Sega and the actual craft of writing that Diana has created book after book. This is the sixth book in the series. It ended with so many plot twists and turns that my head spun.

The Joy Luck Club | Amy Tan

I have been told that I would love this film and I have resisted watching until I have read the book. Finally getting to this novel, and of course, it doesn't disappoint. Amy Tan brings us culture, nuance, and character. And as a white woman married into a part Chinese family, it is even more meaningful and a window into a nuance of thought I did not grow up with.

FILMS & TELEVISION SERIES OF NOTE

Take This Waltz - because this film heals me every time I watch it. & of course the genius writing and directing of Sarah Polley is behind it.
Only Murders in the Building - Martin Short, Steve Martin & Selena Gomez. A trio that doesn't disappoint.