the may love list
Thoughts at the end of May
It’s not such as easy thing to write a love list right now. I don’t feel well. The world doesn’t feel well. Our country isn’t well. This month began and I was already exhausted. And then, everything that happened this month, happened.
Tracy and I stood in the park one night with the dogs and talked with a friend and her dogs while bats swooped over our heads. So much despair this month and yet, I was grateful for friendship, the park, the bats, the color of the sky, the way the sun shines through the trees in the late afternoon.
We are individuals, but we are not only individuals; we are also a collective, a body. As a people, we have an identity. What are we going to choose? Is it too late for us?
We have a neighbor who is a DJ - he has this great sound system - and on the weekends he brings it out and plays disco and 70’s soul while other neighbors cook food and the kids ride around on scooters. There’s such a goodness in that. It’s a form of healing. I don’t actually go out there and join in, but Iike being close to it.
At the start of this month, I found this to be an important message. Even though I don’t believe everything happens for a reason, I do believe the higher order is always working toward love. And even when I don’t believe that, it’s helpful for me to believe that I believe it.
I managed to take a few more walks this month than usual. But I clearly need to make some changes in terms of wellness and self-care.
The approach to summer was sort of cool and wet, which I don’t mind at all. Cool and wet is romantic weather and it means the easing of allergies. I still have the hives on my eyes, but they’re getting better.
Tracy and I went to our neighborhood’s annual Porch Party. The theme this year was The Return of the Roaring 20s. There are a lot of things we can’t do, because we can’t leave Woody alone for long, but neighborhood gatherings mean we can run home and check on him. And it was an outdoor gathering, which was good because, we’re in the middle of a Covid surge, and Tracy and I are still doing everything in our power to not get it.
My sister in law gave me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers this month and they have sung the most beautiful flower song to me. Our neighbors gave us an espresso machine. A real one. That froths milk. Maybe I’ll be able to do this.
I do feel a spark of hope about Beto O’Rourke and Charles Booker and the energy they bring to the political stage.
I got food poisoning this month. It took me completely out of commission for 24 hours. So weird. When I emerged, I felt like I’d been gone for a week or two.
This is the Love List
Read, Watched, Consumed
As you know, I struggle with facebook and limit my time there, but I loved seeing all the prom pics this month.
In an attempt to cultivate good feelings, I’ve been re-reading the Weetzie Bat books.
What does it take for someone to become a ‘different person’?
This is an excellent podcast
And this is the best podcast episode I listened to this month.
Transgender Americans and the Mission of the Episcopal Church
I watched the Heaven’s Gate documentary on HBO and I recommend it. There is almost always a sorrowful element to cults and Heaven’s Gate makes me particularly sad. One thing this doc does well is shed light on the fact that typically the people who are indoctirnated into cults are not “stupid” or “crazy” or “uneducated.” I never find jokes about cults, particulary groups of people who have ended their lives or had their lives ended for them, funny. I think looking at how cults operate and how people are swept up in them is incredibly relevant to this moment.
Created
Sometimes I paint something and the person in the painting looks familiar to me but I can’t can’t place them. That’s how it is with the painting on the right.
Who is that?
My adventures with fiction writing this month led me to the conclusion that I’m actually writing YA fiction - it’s a big discovery and I feel good about it.
The New Moon
The moon is new in Gemini. I’m opening my arms and opening my heart to let go and let in. New ideas, new approaches, new structures.
Welcome June
My personal goals for June include moving my body, receiving miracles, progressing with my manuscript, going to the Farmer’s Market and - related - eating more fresh berries, finding new places to walk, maybe going to the Renaissance Faire, and feeling beautiful.
What about you?
You can find me on Instagram and Tik Tok.
If you’re interested in a Personal Prayer Painting, you can request one right here.
You can download ebooks here.
Thank you, as always for being here.
Love,
Lori-Lyn