Links o' the Week #10, Starring Pascal the Dog!
Dogs, cookies, doorbells, writing class, and more!
Favorite ridiculous wee dog, Pascal.
Dear friends,
Happy Mother’s Day!
The results of last week’s poll were really interesting: you made it clear that the biggest obstacle to making friends in your life is just not having enough time! And the second-highest number of votes went to “you try, others don’t respond.”
I wonder if being overscheduled actually contributes to both of these problems: if things don’t line up perfectly on two people’s tight schedules, you might be rebuffed when you reach out.
There’s more to it than that, and I will keep pondering. Thanks for the many great thoughts in the comments last week, too!
The poll was fun, so I thought I’d keep it up in our linky posts. So this week, I want to ask a follow-up question:
I’m interested to hear what you think!
In other news, this week my family is transitioning into our summer schedule, which means more time for hikes together, including with our silly little dog, Pascal, pictured above. (He’s a rescue, but we think he’s a pug-schipperke mix, if you’re wondering).
I really feel happy when I’m in the woods, especially if there’s water nearby. How about you?
Now for this week’s links:
If you are a little too introverted to love socializing but you do love cookies, my friend Kate Moreland has the solution for you! And if you want a recommendation, these cookies are amazing…
In case you missed it, I wrote up some thoughts on Sex and Womanhood: A Person-First Approach for this past Friday.
I recently finished a really unusual and wonderful book, Laurus, and I wanted to recommend it to you. It’s worth reading the translator’s introduction before you jump in!
Speaking of wonderful,
is thinking about putting together a live-video writing class for young writers aged 14-18. Is your teen interested? Go here to get more information. If my eldest were just a little older, she would jump at this opportunity!When you were a kid, did you jump up and down with excitement when the doorbell rang? Well, what do you do now? This hilarious video (apologies for a little bit of bad language) describes the change:
Mother’s Day bonus: Greta Waldon is a new-ish mom (her baby just turned one), as well as a writer and musician. She shares her realistic but positive perspective on motherhood so far here.
Have a wonderful week, everyone!
Dixie
I host a monthly women’s book group and that has been a great way to see friends (without our children, who are beloved but make it hard to carry on a conversation sometimes…)
I personally find that it's easier for me to connect with someone over shared work than over a play date or coffee with just talking. I've been trying to create an economy of project exchanges, starting by practically begging my pregnant friend to let me help with her garden (she's less interested in bending down these days, as you might imagine). Projects are more enjoyable with company. Plus, then your socializing and productivity don't have to be separate, you don't have to find time around your work but integrate friends into your (and their) work. That's my ideal. I really enjoyed helping my parents move furniture when they got new carpet and having a freezer meal prep day with a friend when she and I were both pregnant, so I'm trying to normalize this kind of thing.