June was a month of sowing and tending. Day after day of promising to stop getting dirt under my fingernails, but failing to do so for weeks on end. You see, even when I started off wearing garden gloves, I always ended up without them at some point during my planting, pruning, and pulling.
Nails, shmails.Social graces have never been my strong point. And anyway, have you seen my garlic?! (And my lettuce, peas, and raspberries?)
June was healthy eating (lettuce, peas, and raspberries). It was trying, and sometimes failing, to make canned jam from berries I grew and foraged.
June was early morning walks featuring an amazing playlist in surround sound. And stopping during those walks to look and listen, a masterclass in noticing.
June was collecting treasures during those walks with the enthusiasm of a young child.
June was a camera roll full of plants, animals, and insects. It was stopping to observe butterflies and bees flitting about. And pausing long enough to watch a slug work its way mere centimeters up a tree trunk (3-4 minutes) or a beetle munch on my raspberry leaves (RIP, beetle).
June was a month of growing unexpected things.
Alas, Scrappy Affirmations was not one of those things. The business took a backseat.
Sorry/not sorry. After all, I was living my best Mary Oliver-inspired life!
(Related: check out that grasshopper all up in my green beans.)
So when I say that I fell into my garden and couldn’t get up, I mean that the gravity of the natural world outweighed my desire to pull away from it.
Also, despite my morning walks and hours in the garden without sunscreen on my arms, I just learned that my vitamin D is low, which can lead to feeling tired, moody, and brainfoggy. So maybe that had something to do with my escape.
To be honest, I was also wading through a wave of grief. The waves still come. They always will.
How does one learn to live with grief? That’s one of the questions the storytellers will address at the July 16 Stories of Life and Love Show. Our theme is Good Grief. It’s going to be a beautiful, touching show that will offer a variety of unique insights on the topic. Plus, the $15 ticket price includes complementary cookies and tea. More about that below.
Humans did not evolve to live at the breakneck pace our modern times demand. Let me know what’s helping you slow down. If you don’t have a solid answer, join me for the July Awe-Full Nature Walk.
Let’s Eat Cookies and Talk About Death
Stories of Life and Love will be back at The Storefront in Skokie on Thursday, July 16, with the theme of Good Grief. Using their lived experiences, storytellers Tim Schreiber, Kim Moldofsky, Beth Kander, Michelle Tisdahl, Carmenita Peoples, and Angela Allyn, will enlighten us with a variety of perspectives on grief. This is a good one, people!
This evening will remind you of what it means to be human in a digitally-driven world.
I’m grateful for the support of our new presenting sponsor, Eric Klein of Care Patrol North Shore and returning supporting sponsor, Philip Flores Jr of Cremation by Water/Pet Cremation by Water.
Our friends from Secret World Books were booked on the 16th, so I’m delighted to introduce you to The Lit Wagon. Their adorable wagon will be on site with a curated selection of topical titles for purchase.
On Tuesday, July 21, you’re invited to join me for a Let’s Eat Cookies and Talk About Death conversation at Kneads and Wants at 7 PM. A $5 ticket will reserve your spot. If you show up by 7, you’ll get your $5 back to put toward a beverage or snack from the cafe. (And for $15, you’ll get $5 and a Scrappy Affirmations mug to take home!)
Reach out if I can help your family or members of your organization talk about death, end-of-life, disposition options, or grief.
Save Your Seat (and Your Cookies) at Stories of Life and Love
Hot Flashes
I’m seeking storytellers for the August 12 show. If you’ve got a real-life story about (peri)menopause or other midlife transitions, submit your idea here.
The Hot Flashes Mother’s Day, But Make It Weird Show was a blast. Even my family agreed!
Get Your Tix for the August 12 Hot Flashes
A Deep Appreciation for Nature
Join me for the July Awe-Full Walk in the Woods on Wednesday, July 22 at 7PM*. We’ll amble about as we ponder the connections we see and the invisible threads that bind all living things.
This reflective session in nature helps build the habit of finding awe in the little, seemingly mundane, things around us. This exercises mental and emotional fitness that can help us survive, or even thrive, in an increasingly unstable world.
This is a small-group activity, so spots are limited; save yours today.
*Note the new gathering spot.
Until Next Time
These banana lamps probably aren’t what you expect.
Neither is this furniture made from money.
Check out this real-time data visualization of flight traffic. It’s set for O’Hare, but you can select other airports.
This song has been spontaneously popping up in my head since I first heard it in 2021.
Missed the May newsletter? Read it here.
Let me know what’s making you laugh or think these days.
Kim
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Scrappy Affirmations normalizes being human in a complicated world. Our personal and corporate programs are based on four pillars: building community, instilling a deep appreciation of nature, participating in creative acts, and accepting mortality. Not coincidentally, these are the Big Things that helped me through grief after my son’s death.