November Updates: Stuck In Seasonal Cycles
A short list of my latest stories, a photo gallery, and a mellow playlist
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Hi friends.
Every time the wind blows, golden leaves flutter off the tree in my front yard and land softly in the grass. I can’t even see blades of green. Only crimson and amber and gold, as if we didn’t rake for hours over the weekend. The autumn tree’s shedding > nakedness > regrowth is a matches our own lives. Nature is designed around cycles, and so are we. I try to remember this when I suddenly feel stuck in sadness or frustration or stress again. This moment won’t last and this feeling will pass, but yet, in our future, we’ll inevitably enter a moment that resembles this one. I used to resent being confronted with this sameness. I’m working on accepting the familiarity, instead framing these predictable patterns as measuring instruments for inner growth. If we are continuously confronted with times of stress and feelings of sadness, how can we adjust 1) how we take care of ourselves and 2) how we treat those around us?
In November, I journeyed to Kansas City to visit a dear friend who hosted me for my graduation from the Futurist Leadership Institute. I join an alumni network of more than 200 other outdoor industrial professionals who also went through the 6-month program. I’m not sure yet what being part of this group means for my life. But KC has a special place in my heart, so it was a joy to be back even just briefly. This month, I also had the opportunity to hear (from front row seats!) celebrated authors
and Jess Walter in conversation at the Portland Book Festival. What. A. Treat. They are also quite funny together. I took notes of course, and one quote that I keep coming back to is from George: “I don’t get to be the writer I want to be. I get to be the writer I have to be.” This was in the context of leaning in to the type of writing you bring to life, not the type of writing you aspire to write. Yet again, I’m still figuring that one out for myself.Other things this month: I invested in a career coaching session, picked up lion’s mane mushrooms at the farmers market, lit the inaugural fire in our fireplace, selected gifts for my loved ones, ate more than enough goat cheese and brie, ran through the rain, killed my basil plant, worked late, had cupping done for the first time, wrecked my forearms at the climbing gym, sent my friends voice memos, made a cranberry tart, and hosted a small but meaningful brunch on turkey day.
What about you? Tell me about your November in the comments!
With love from my corner of the world,
Amelia
P.S. I hosted an AMA discussion thread a few weeks ago, and it’s not too late to add a question or chime in. Seriously, ask me anything!
Latest Stories
Best Destinations in the West for Stargazing and Astronomy (Via Magazine)
A Complete Guide to Saguaro National Park (Via Magazine)
5 Sustainability Buzzwords Worth a Closer Look (Outside): As a side note, there is so much more to this story that attempts to bust greenwashing, and I’ll be reporting more on this in the future. Stay tuned.
The Science Behind Adrenaline, Your Survival Secret Weapon (Backpacker)
And so much more in the works!
Monthly Favorites
Reading (book version): Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen, a whimsical mystery full of delightful twists; and Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González, about a Puerto Rican family’s secrets and acts of resistance, which I finished in five sittings
Reading (article version): This beautiful but somber New Yorker story about bonsai trees; this emotional journey about water and death and mystery by Mark Sundeen on Outside; and this NPR news story about how our personalities may have changed drastically during the pandemic
Listening: Really flowing with all of these songs and this whole mood
Making: I finally sewed up the Anna Allen Anthea Blouse and True Bias Marlo Sweater, which I’ll eventually share pictures of here (my other newsletter strictly for sewing!)
Eyeing: Why do I find this excessively expensive kitchen appliance so attractive?
Subscribing: I just discovered
and I'm thrilled to explore her archives, particularly her sober-curious musingsQuoting: “It had taken him all his life to understand this, but even unlikeable things have worth. It was how, after all, he’d learned to live with himself.” (Other Birds)