Kate's Five Things #51

Bad Hair Cuts and Five Things Pulling Me Into Spring

Mar 20, 2025

I got a truly terrible haircut the spring of 2016. Too short, too choppy, impossible to fix. The cherry on top? I was seven months pregnant and 50 pounds heavier. I remember sitting in the car afterward, the warm breeze coming through the window, feeling absolutely wrecked over the injustice of it. How could the world keep spinning while I looked like this?

But then, somewhere between May and June, I forgot about it. It grew out. And by July, I almost missed it, the way you miss something that once felt important but no longer is.

This is what I love most about spring. It isn’t a season that arrives all at once—it’s a slow unfurling, a push and pull. Some years, it sneaks in quietly; other years, it knocks the wind out of you. But there’s always a moment when you realize you’ve crossed the threshold.

I’ve always felt comforted by these in-between times, when all we have is faith that change is coming. That’s what spring is: a stretch of days spent holding our breath, waiting on a promise we’ll renew again.

These are the five things pulling me into spring this year.

1. A Shift in Light

It’s not just the longer days. It’s the way the light lands differently. More forgiving. More golden. The first warm morning that makes you wonder if you need a coat at all. How it hits the walls in the afternoon, a hint at the inevitable change, even when it feels like nothing is moving.

2. The Impulse to Clear Space

Spring cleaning is so cliché, but maybe there’s a reason for that. The urge to open windows, move things around, let the house breathe. I feel it in my body too. That need to slough off what’s stale, to make room for something I can’t quite name yet. We often think it’s a time for changing who we are when really, it’s about removing what no longer serves.

3. The First Tiny Signs

Before the flowers, before the real warmth, there are the small signals: the way the ground softens, the birds sounding just a little different, the smell of wet earth replacing the sharpness of winter. It’s my favorite smell—dirt. I am four, eight, sixteen, twenty-two. When I smell wet earth on my hands, my feet, in my nose, I am the same person I’ve always been despite whatever season of life I’m in. Everything falls away and I see how much changes and how, at our core, we remain the same. Unknowingly, playing in the mud was the first time I experienced meditation. Just me and dirt and nothing else.

4. The Wayward Energy of a Season in Transition

Spring is restless. It’s not all blooming flowers and sunshine—it’s unpredictable. Some days, it feels like a promise; other days, like whiplash. But there’s something about the instability of it that feels alive, like the possibility is on the move. This used to make me feel uneasy but now I understand the discomfort of not knowing what change is lurking around the corner is the essence of being human. The simultaneous ache and joy are not meant to be pushed away with a stick; we’re meant to sink into it. I used to think the intensity would swallow me whole, but once I surrendered, I saw it was what kept me afloat.

5. The Desire to Make Things

Spring always pulls me toward creating—whether it’s rearranging a room, putting my hands in the dirt, or starting a project I don’t yet have a plan for. There’s something about this season that makes me want to begin.

House Call Last Week…

Last week, I wrote about how we can’t trend-proof our homes—but we can ask better questions about why we need that *new thing* with such urgency. Trend is a delight until it becomes a diversion. And so, like most things, the answer is found when we stretch ourselves out between polarities: embracing the trend and being wary of it is possible.

Here is a snippet:

The real kicker is that our homes are some of our most personal spaces—spaces where we could, theoretically, take wild creative risks. But instead, we treat them like resumes. Or an outfit for bid day. We put pressure on them like they’re meant to make a first impression, when really, the people who come inside are most likely the ones we’ve already established relationships with. So what are we really grasping for here? Home has become another way to gain external approval. And it’s getting in the way of our ability to find our core style, our core palette, and the non-negotiables for a long-lasting, enjoyable home life.

Questions (for you and me)

When did you feel most at home this week?

When I slept in until 9:30 on a lazy Saturday morning. And when I answered these questions in my interview over on Bathmilk.

Where are you moving forward?

Finding tangible ways of slowing down.

Where are you stuck?

Eating the same delicious lunch every day because hyperfixations are fun.

What did you consume that was regenerative?

Abundance by Ezra Klien and Derek Thompson is helping me find hope for a brighter future.

What question are you asking?

Can I choose to respect myself in this moment of discomfort and disappointment?

Five Things I am Using and Loving…

This adorable bedding from Erin Gate’s collection with Kassatex just arrived for my kids room and I love it so much.
My fresh set of Keds for long walks along the river.
Just adding concealer to my red spots vs. all-over CC lotion. I’m using the beloved Clé de Peau concealer and it’s the perfect weight and texture to blend in like skin.
I wore this dress from Paige in Mexico and got a ton of compliments. It’s a great cut for spring/summer and has pockets (and everything is 25% off on their site right now). I also purchased this one-piece that I lived in most of the vacation (and it is 30% off right now). I’m also toting this bag everywhere and wearing this bracelet to brighten up my basics.
And speaking of… I haven’t had much time or energy to put together new outfits lately, and I’m noticing how often I grab my beloved Ruti items that I wrote about a while back. The on-the-go skirt makes an outfit out of basic athleisure items. I also go from tennis to running errands to a lunch meeting in the “wide-ish” pant, (which I also have in espresso).

Every week in Five Things, I share a reader’s story (or two) about the spaces that hold them—their favorite chair, the kitchen counter where all the good conversations happen, the room that inexplicably smells like childhood.

This Week’s Rooms of Our Own

On weekend mornings, the stereo plays a classic rock and Americana station or we select a record from our large vinyl collection - music fills beyond this room and touches all floors of the house. We open the windows in every season to let the air and soft chirps of the birds in, who are typically perched on one of the 4 feeders outside. There's a basket holding woven, soft blankets, and squishy pillows that prop up backs and heads for evenings spent watching football or movies on the couch. You'll be sure to trip over a cat toy or two as they often collect on the rug and blend in. The sliding glass door behind the couch opens to a large deck overlooking our long driveway and extends this room to the outdoors. The deck holds raised garden beds and pots in the spring and summer, overflowing with herbs, tomatoes, broccoli, and flowers. We enjoy meals and books in the shaded afternoons out there, and often retreat back into the dining and living area when it becomes too hot or when we've collected vegetables for dinner. Though this space is so familiar, there's always something new to discover or appreciate, either when getting lost in your thoughts while looking outside or through picking up a new book from the shelf. There's a sense of peace and belonging here that is brought to life by each little detail - maybe even through the persistent dust on the fireplace mantle. - Maggie from Stillwater