hey hey, barrebabes,
i hope this newsletter finds you well, if a day later than usual. sweet little ramona had anepicfirst birthday weekend full of family, friends, parties and visits, and after so long with basically nothing fun to do, it felt equal parts awesome and exhausting to suddenly have such a robust social calendar.
it was incredibly energizing to see grandparents, cut cake with friends, and run around like the good ol' days (i mean,kind oflike the old days - now it's all strollers and the minivan and outfits i can squat in and flat shoes), but it also really highlighted for me how much i actually love our slower pace of life. as much as i thrive on some quality new york hustle, i've come to deeply rely on the beautiful simplicity of my quotidian rituals to keep me centered: laundry and houseplants, cutting fruit into tiny pieces and going for walks, playing with blocks and reading board books with small people, stretching on the floor and eating vegetables. as we enter a new phase of post-pandemic life, i'm thinking of ways to balance the rush with the quiet, am adjusting my schedule accordingly, and offer my insights to those of you who are in the same boat. happy reading!
a better normal
i don't think it's cool to make light of the pandemic -- too many have suffered and lost too much -- but it is in my nature to look for silver linings on at least a personal level, and i'm approaching this next phase of post-pandemic/working mother of two/creative creature & wife-hood with some takeaways from the past bizarre year in mind.
mostly, as i consider opportunities new and old, i'm trying to remember that in life, as in art, just because something is possible doesn't mean it's desirable. thus, here's what i'm keeping that i learned in quarantine times:
- health is everything. be grateful for health, care for health, do things to promote the health of others.
- friendships are the best part of life. nurture friendships, listen to friends, do things with them.
- time spent with family is never wasted time, especially as a parent. my babies will never need me again as much as they do right now, and all the other stuff (ambitions as well as dishes) can wait.
- slowness is good. it's good to not have plans always. it's good to stay home and cook. to consume less and waste less. excess less. focus more easily.
- it's good to travel less. to free the sky of so many airplanes for the sake of birds, to lessen the number of ships in the ocean so the whales can talk to one another, to reduce the cars on the roads so the air can clear.
- it's good to re-wild the world and allow the earth to rebalance itself. make decisions on both a personal and political scale that contribute to the health of nature and natural places.
some of these decisions are easier to make than others. it's hard to turn down opportunities, it's hard to feel like my career wheels are always spinning in place, and it's unpleasant for my dreamy little self not to be running off to go see wild places. i try not to consume plastic but i keep buying berries in their plastic containers anyway because we all love them. but balance is a process, and it takes a little something from every day to make it happen.
that's it for today, loves. be well, and i can't wait to see you on screen or in the studio soon!
with love & planks
annie
