Some things that moved me this week:
What I’m watching:
Athlete A on Netflix
A documentary about the scandal within USA Gymnastics where 500+ athletes were sexually abused by doctor Larry Nassar. What this man got away with for years is disgusting, but equally as gross is the toxic culture that USA Gymnastics fostered for years.
Little Fires Everywhere on Amazon Prime
I broke my “book first” rule and watched Little Fires Everywhere before cracking the novel by Celeste Ng, but I’m trying not to buy new books while I’m unemployed, and I’d heard good things about the series. I actually didn’t know anything about the plot at all, so I went in blind and got hooked pretty quick. It’s thought-provoking and entertaining, and I enjoyed the 90’s soundtrack. Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon play the leads and both are excellent. There’s a few plot turns that are questionable and unrealistic but forgivable when you keep in mind it’s based on a book.
Schitt’s Creek on Netflix
Everyone can use a little Schitt’s Creek in their lives right now. I’m on season 3 and am enjoying the laughs.
What I’m reading:
As a dual citizen, I thought the U.S.-Canada border would always be open to me by Emily Kellogg for the Globe & Mail.
This was relatable, as a dual citizen. Growing up on the Canada/U.S border and living/traveling/working between the two countries has always just been a way of life for me, until now.
I finished Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb this week. This is the first book I listened to on Audible, surprisingly. I’m a big podcast girl, but for some reason I haven’t jumped on the Audible train. I think I just prefer reading books. I heard the author Lori Gottlieb speak on a podcast, and there happened to be an ad for Audible, so I thought I’d use her book as my free trial. (Side note: How does one get into book narration as a job? Lori used a narrator and now I’m intrigued).
Lori is a journalist turned psychotherapist and the book (nonfiction) explores the lives of four of her counseling patients, alongside her own therapy sessions with her therapist. The chapters switch back and forth between her clients’ sessions and her own sessions which I thought was a cool way to weave the narrative. It’s funny and lighthearted but also deeply moving, exploring some of the bigger questions we all find ourselves asking as humans. I liked getting Lori’s perspective as both clinician and patient, which felt like a peek behind the curtain a little bit. I wondered about confidentiality but Lori says anyone she wrote about was a past client and she changed their names and had their permission. She also took liberties to blend some characteristics and details of multiple patients into one.
What I’m listening to:
Real Talk Radio Podcast: Shani Silver on Changing the Stigma Around Being Single
This was a breath of fresh air to listen to as a single woman in my late 30’s. Shani says, “We’re taught to believe that this (singleness) is a problem we have to fix. And if we’re not putting in any effort, we’re going to be alone, and alone is bad. But all of those things I just said are lies. Alone is not bad. We don’t have to try to end being single. We can just live life and allow partnership and love to find us and to come into our lives when it’s meant to.” YEAH.
Saddest bird news of the week:
I’ve been keeping a close eye on the robin’s nest in the apple tree (see photo of the week June 12th) and I noticed that the mama bird was gone for an extended period of time, which was not promising. Robins only leave their eggs for 5-10 minutes at a time when they’re incubating. Wes, my sister’s husband and I got out the ladder to check it out and discovered the eggs were gone! 🙁 The nest was completely empty. A few people have said that it was likely a crow that got to them. Terribly sad. RIP little baby robins!
Poem of the week:
“The river between
the spark and the flame
and beginning and
new beginning is long.
The music is loudest between chapters,
yet hardest to hear.
So listen, and swim.
Swim through
the not knowing
like it’s a symphony,
spilling in.”
Victoria Erickson, Rhythms & Roads