Mid-May | 2024
A roundup of mundane magic and links I loved
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Today's post is a mid-month roundup of mundane magic moments and links I loved. The sections are clearly marked, so feel free to jump ahead.
I'm quickly realizing that May is one of my favourite months of the year.
As you'll see from my list of mundane magics, it's a month full of really beautiful, generative things that don't require a lot of energy for me to enjoy, which I'm grateful for.
I am still (as ever) doing my best to navigate my mental and physical health, and while I have not been able to physically do everything I am itching to do so far this month, there has been some really wonderful progress in certain areas, and I feel like I'm constantly learning how to care for myself better.
With that being said, I'll keep this short so I can return to my audiobook and a current project. I am leaning in to feeding my creativity this month, and it is doing wonderful things for my mental health.
✨️ Mundane Magics ✨️
is hosting her annual Poem a Day in May and I can't begin to express how life-giving this practice is for me. I love recognizing names from past participants and being about to read so many thoughtful poems and comments every day.
A really sweet bedtime with my 5-year-old, Sybil. It started with a conversation about poop that involved lots of laughing, and ended with her murmuring a quiet "thanks for teaching me about chickadees," and "by the way, I love you. " My heart was not prepared.
Watching Sybi wishing on dandelions. She said her wishes out loud, in whispers, and wished for the most magical things.
Reading books about dragons and other mythology. I was thinking a couple weeks ago about dragons after seeing an ad and dragon-related post, and realized I don't know much about dragon lore, so I put some books on hold through the library (also threw in a few about mythical beasts more generally) and have been working my way through them.
Nursing my youngest, Oren. Sybil fully (and somewhat unexpectedly) weaned earlier this month (about which I will likely have words eventually, but I currently cannot find them) and I've noticed that I've been savouring the moments when Oren is breastfeeding in a way I haven't been able to do for a long time. My heart wasn't ready to have only one nursling, but my body certainly was.
Everything is growing! I know this isn't news, but the woods behind our house have woken up and a lot of the spring flowers have gotten their start, and I'm relishing it.
Links I Loved
What you should know about loving someone who is depressed by
is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to love a struggling someone in their life well.Another (and another) beautiful post from
:
Things that have made me feel less alone lately: The wave of students standing up for a better world. Heartfelt conversations with dearest friends. Moss on trees. Seaweed on rocks. My daughter’s eyes. My daughter’s sense of humor. Therapy sessions that reach beyond talking. Good books. Good walks. Encouragement. Tuning back into my own heart when others misunderstand where my heart is. Poetry…
- made this wonderful list of recommendations for reconnecting with joy and your self in the midst of everything happening in the world:
I am so proud of these young people—and historically, those who have NOT supported protests on college campuses have always been on the wrong side of the issue. So cheer on the youths who refuse to accept a world that normalizes death just so that the rich can continue to get richer.
This post about conditions that are commonly co-occuring with autism by
is so important.- wrote about The Roaring which I have long felt but didn't have words for:
I am rattling my cage, grasping at the bars of my own constraints - my own slow motion - and trying to break my way out. There is so, so much to do in this life, so many ideas, so many ways I could help. I feel like I do so little. I am so slow. I get slower with age. My capacity does not match my desire.
I learned so much from this post about monotropism (and the accompanying links) by
and I now understand my autistic brain even better than before - this feels so important for anyone who is at risk of (or trying to recover from) autistic burnout:
“My brain has just been trying to mentally give too many things my deep attention for ages” is still not often recognised as a massive cause of low energy, struggles, confusion, overwhelm and -the thing we call burnout.
Lastly, I was so grateful to stumble on this post about inconsistency in creative practice that
shared in notes - it's a permission I didn't know I needed:
Because of this tendency I avoid “don’t break the chain” mindset like the plague. I’ve fallen under its spell many times and its pretty ugly. I could chain 300 days and if I miss a day its all over for me.
I hope you found something meaningful here. I would love for you to share your thoughts, or your own mundane magics or favourite links, in the comments. And as always, feel free to share if this resonated with you!
Thank you so much for sharing my piece! I'm so glad it resonated.
It sounds like you are having a magical mundane May. Confession. I still have to think. Dinosaurs or dragons. Which ones were real😂😂😂😂😂😂