Kate’s Five Things #29

Thawing Out

Apr 18, 2024

Catching Up

You guys, I won’t deny it. Things are good. As I sit here clickety clacking away, we are having the first thunderstorm of spring. It smells like dirt and grass and it’s cozy AF and I’m wearing knits and have tea by my side. It’s a sensory symphony.

Last week we enjoyed our first 70-degree day in Minnesota—an unofficial holiday (DUH). The only appropriate course of action on such a day is to stop whatever you are doing, grab a chilled beverage, and tilt your face toward the sky.

A string of picture-perfect days followed, wiping out whatever indoor plans we had last weekend in favor of outdoor ones: gardening, cleaning out the garage, taking long walks, and teaching our kids earthing. I planned our garden bed plantings, got lost in some meditative weeding with my son, and fell into bed tired and early.

When brushing my teeth Monday morning, I witnessed myself do that thing I do when things are good: panic and worry I was about to watch it slip between my fingers. It was as if noticing it was there in the first place had spooked it from blooming something deeper—something like gratitude.

But then the panic passed and I went about my day. Let the worries come and let them go, I thought, for what is good today would never taste so sweet had it been mine to hold forever.

Last Week’s House Call

In last week’s newsletter, “In Favor of a Quiet Home Life,” I dipped my toe into what it means to adopt a slower pace of life. Its virtues are often overlooked as cerebral and boring, yet I’ve been feeling the call to opt out of pacifying through distraction—which I would wager just about every human living in these modern times needs.

Here’s a snippet:

“As I gradually opened up to this call toward introversion, I kept coming back to how delight and a quiet home life intersect. It was where I had given myself time to learn to be OK with things as they were, to rehabilitate my petulance for more, more, more.
These little tasks—these overlooked, underrated, simple pleasures (warm toast with tea in a sunsoaked chair for example)—were doing more for my mood and sense of well-being at home than churning away at project after project. I started wondering if it is even possible to enjoy our homes if we don’t know how to find pleasure in just being. All the paint colors, wallpapers, and patterns cannot be translated into an inner sense of permission to sink into yourself through the pleasure of simply being home.”

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How I'm feeling this week…

Less stupefied by my thoughts and actions! Therapy works! I wish I had started sooner, but I also know hindsight isn’t always helpful in finding compassion for your past self—a person who was just trying to do the best they could with the resources they had.

If you have been thinking you’d benefit from therapy, that’s a pretty good indicator that you’re ready. Take the leap and give it a chance. If you can’t seem to find the right person, many practices will offer 10-minute discovery calls to allow both the patient and therapist to see if it is a good fit. Or ask a friend for a referral and commit to at least three sessions before you decide to continue.

What's in my cart…

I bought these pretty sticky notes because I’ve given up holding everything in my head. My summer sandals (gifted) arrived yesterday and my kids say they’re really cool and I agree.

What I'm consuming…

I’ve been eating this tuna/cucumber/avocado bowl inspired by Walder Wellness. It is filling and quick and easy. On the reading front, I just wrapped book two of Throne of Glass, and GUYS I am officially hooked.

What resonated with me…

At the end of a really great session today, my coach shared this poem from the book When The Waves Come with me and I thought you’d like it, too.

“i hope
when you come home to yourself
there are flowers lining the front porch
that were left from all the women
you were before”

A question I've been asking myself lately…

How does it feel to do things differently? This question came directly from my therapist. When I take a new path or try something new—like a habit I'm building—it has helped me a lot to notice how I feel in my body. The body tells us a different story than our brain does, and it’s often one that leads us toward dismantling maladaptive subconscious patterns. Think of it as gaining a new antenna for what’s going on in your world.