lux et amor

 I just finished watching The Six Triple Eight , Tyler Perry's 2024 film about the Army battalion of women of color during WWII.  (I wanted to see this in theatres, but apparently I don't live in an area where they think people will want to see this movie. Like...what? ANYWAY, Thanks, Netflix.) I have to admit -- I've always had an affinity for wartime movies that tell the story of people and the sacrifices they make in order to defend right and freedom. My favorite movies include The Pianist , The Imitation Game , and Hidden Figures.  Now that I'm a military mom, these stories carry even more significance. As a peace-seeker who wishes that war would be our true last resort, I have always been inspired films that tell the stories of people driven by love of their country paired with a desire to make the world a better place.  I will NOT give away too much of the plot of The Six Triple Eight , because I firmly believe you need to watch this movie yourself, but here's...

Well, friends, it's Thursday! And I'm a woman of my word, so here are my Delights for the week: 1. Spotify Wrapped -- This past week, the Spotify Wrapped dropped, and wow, mine was hilarious. Essentially, Spotify does a whole overview of the music you listened to in the past year, including your most-played song and even seasonal trends, like who you listened to during your summer beach vibe, as opposed to that time you got dumped. The kids and I had some great talks about their favorite songs and artists, and then it was my turn. Yep, my number one, most-played artist was . . .   Like tell me you are an elementary school principal without telling me you are an elementary school principal, right? 2. Unexpected Two-Hour Delay -- this was mostly unexpected because I haven't been paying attention to the weather forecast, just to be clear. I had no idea we were supposed to get bad weather, so having a delay this past week was an unexpected delight.  3. Social Media Blunder --...

There is a lot of talk right now in the health/wellness world, about the importance of routines, specially morning routines. I follow some very intelligent and well-intentioned people who sometimes reveal themselves to be totally out of touch with real people with real jobs and real obligations. I don't mean to imply that their work isn't real or their obligations any less real. I suppose I should say "traditional" or something more along those lines. Let me give you an example, and I think you'll get the idea.  One such health/wellness professional advises that each morning, my morning routine should consist of: * No alarm, allowing my body to awaken naturally according to its circadian rhythm * 15-20 minutes spent in the morning light, as the sun rises and I drink my organic, mold-free coffee which has been poured over the French press in my organic kitchen * 30 minutes of meditation  * 45 minutes of cardio, followed by a cold plunge for 10 minutes * 35 minutes ...

As I've shared already on this platform, I've been examining the role of technology in my life, seeking a balance between creation and consumption. Especially when it comes to social media, I've been asking how much my tech use is really adding to my life and my goals. I've already shared about my Digital Sabbath experiment (which has secured itself as a weekly ritual for me). Something else I've added to my tech repertoire is the time limit feature for apps.  This is clearly not a new discovery, but it might be new to you. In the screen time settings of your phone -- yes, the same screen settings you ignore because they tell you how much time you spend (waste?) on your phone each day -- there is an option to set time limits for individual apps. This has honestly been a game changer for me.  I start off innocently enough, as we all do. I log into Facebook, for example, to check in on my friends and family. Oh, wow! That former co-worker is expecting a baby! That...

This weekend, my husband Gene and I took the kids to pick out a Christmas tree. We decided to support a greenhouse close to our home, which is recently under new ownership. We found a tree we liked, and as we went to pay for it, we were told, "It's been paid for." Just then a woman pulled out of the parking lot in her truck, waving at us as she left. We didn't recognize her from the vehicle, so we think it was entirely random. I suppose it's possible she recognized one of us, but her identity remains a mystery to us. Her generosity was truly inspiring (Christmas trees are NOT cheap these days...).  What a simple, beautiful reminder that there are still people in the world who think of others and give when they are able to, out of the goodness of their hearts. This generous woman didn't want a photo op or even a verbal thank you from us. She didn't stick around to make sure we knew who she was or make a flashy show out of whipping out her wallet in front of...

A couple of weeks back, I heard Ross Gay talk about his work, The Book of Delights , on one of my favorite podcasts, We Can Do Hard Things  with writer Glennon Doyle and her wife Abby (as in Wambach, for you Sporty Spices out there) and her sister Amanda. Gay spent an entire year, writing short essays focused on the delights he found in the world. His rules were pretty simple -- He vowed to write every single day, the essays had to be completed in a short amount of time (I want to say 30 mins. or less, but don't quote me on that), and they had to be about what Gay found delightful in the world.  So, this is a cool concept for several reasons. Too often, I'll find myself not writing because "I don't have enough time to write something good enough" or because I simply get busy doing other more "important" things. Also, these days, it's so easy to find what's awful about the world, isn't it? There is no shortage of doomsday proclamations in nea...

  I've long admired the work of Yung Pueblo (whose pen name means "young people"). His poetry is simple, yet has a depth that inspires contemplation. Since I'm super cool and on top of all the latest trends, I follow him on a little-known platform called Instagram as well. He produces short posts of poetry or thought-provoking prose like the post above. I thought I'd share this one about December and reflect on it for my blog today.  We tend to focus on the commercialized Christmas push during December. We so often ask and are asked, "Are you ready for Christmas?" Meaning: "Have you done enough, bought enough, decorated enough, wrapped enough stuff to be worthy of a holiday?" We are bombarded with advertisements and email promos reminding us that we have not yet done enough, or spent enough money, or lost enough weight while paradoxically not baking enough cookies.  Reflecting? Reorganizing? Yeah, not so much. But when we stop to consider Dece...

If there is one thing that we adults underestimate, it's the impact of music on the kids in our lives. While I'm a huge supporter of the arts, being part of the band or chorus at school isn't exactly what I am referring to here. No, I mean the music in their heads, fed through their AirPods, creating the soundtrack of their days. Take a look around, the next time you are near a group of teens or preteens. Chances are, their ears are filled with headphones. Ever stop to think what they might be listening to? A few days ago, my youngest, Liam (now 14) was all excited because Kendrick Lamar "dropped an album without even telling anyone he was going to." This is a big deal, friends. This means Kendrick Lamar doesn't really even need a marketing team. He can release an album and word spreads without any effort on his part. Liam told me he had already listened to the album twice that day, and it was "fire."  We've had similar talks before, about what h...

 In preparation to see Gladiator II , my husband and I decided to rewatch Gladiator (Not Called One 24 Years Ago) .    I tried to recall the movie from when I saw it "back in the day," and all I could really come up with was -- So, not much.  The film opens in media res , a battle ongoing. Maximus (AKA Russell Crowe) gives a rallying speech before the fight with the Barbarians, concluding with "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." (This is the part where you wonder how I'm directly quoting the movie. Did this freak take notes as she watched it?  you wonder. Yes, yes I did.) As the swords flew and the heads literally rolled, I found myself thinking about the term "Barbarian," about how we still use this term to indicate an uncultured person. Who knew -- it basically meant, "anyone who isn't Roman, like us" back in the day -- and now.  Maximus has this thing he does that follows him throughout the movie. Before he fights, on the battlef...

I've said before (and will likely say many more times) that I have never thought of my role as a mother as "raising children." Instead, I've insisted on playing the long game, that is to say, "raising adults." That doesn't mean I've rushed their childhoods by any means. It just means that I prioritized raising self-sufficient humans who are confident and able to manage things like making their own doctor's appointments and balancing their own checking accounts. And if I may pat myself on the back for a moment, I've done pretty well at this. I've been comfortable with allowing my kids to fail forward, to learn from their own mistakes, to be there to help them pick up the pieces along the way.  But here's what I'm learning in this new season of life. Those children in your house? They actually do become adults. Like real adults. They move away, to faraway places, and they do things like join the Air Force and get married. And one da...