Observables #56

on wildflowers, Ghosts, and maxims for 42

My wildflowers. They’re unruly, yes. But when a sunflower pops up? It’s bliss! So this is where you’ll find me for my bday!

Ghosts. My sister-in-law introduced us to this British show which follows a collection of ghost-friends from different eras who inhabit an old mansion. We watched it with the kids who laughed heartily but then did seem to wake up with lively dreams. Eek. Whoops. Sorry, children. It was worth it though, right? For the collective laughter? And we did give you chips.

Maxims for my 42nd bday:

The best days include thinking, generating, and physical exertion.

Weigh the risks, but sometimes weighing too hard becomes a risk in and of itself.

“And yet” is a funny way to end a conversation and is exactly how my brain works.

Disappointment is an acceptable emotion. People have disappointed me and I disappoint others, yet I still live. Therefore, there is a future after disappointment.

When your daughter points out your fatty bits, celebrate.

The word of my twenties and thirties has been “yearning.” For my forties I am choosing a different word: TBD. Joy? Anyone who knows me is probably smirking. And yet…

Let your husband lick your face; you will feel sad if you resist.

I think there’s so much more that the flowers and their profound responsibility want to teach me.

p.s. I overheard Frankie and Violet playing a version of house: “Actually, can we not have fish? Can we have chicken?” Followed by a series of giggles. Not a maxim, just joy happening three feet away. Does that make it an enacted maxim?

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In other news…this week on the podcast Nat and I talk about reframing ambition, which incidentally is what MM talks about on the first episode of her new podcast. So that obviously makes us royal. Tune in to hear our take!