Final stretch
and summer musings
Hello, Friends!
Over here in Teacher-land, we’re in the home stretch. Wednesday marked our last day of classes before students headed into finals. I’m feeling that weird mixture of utter depletion, restlessness, and anticipation that I always feel in these last few weeks and days of school.
I grew up in a family of teachers. Both of my parents were educators, as are my brothers. I’m married to a teacher, and many of my closest friends are teachers, not to mention my mother-in-law and several extended family members who are also retired from the field. All this is to say that I have no idea how non-teachers approach the start of summer. Is there that same feeling of excitement and freedom or is it just another month on the calendar, one where you can wear shorts and drink iced coffee? I sincerely hope not. Even if your vacation is limited to only a few long weekends or a week here or there, I hope that you still have that little kid fizz of excitement on the last day of school as you look ahead to the magic of these next two months.
Here are a few recommendations for your weekend—or summer!
Read this!
I’m always interested in books that play around with narrative structure and The Names by Florence Knapp is one of those books. Cora is a young mother trapped in an abusive marriage. The story opens on the day Cora takes her infant son to the registry to record his name. Should she name him Gordon, the family name that her husband wants and expects? Or should she name him something else, like Julian or even Bear, her daughter’s choice of a name? The story branches off from there to tell three different versions of the family’s life based on which name she selects for her child. This was one of those rare books I couldn’t wait to get back to. Also, if you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend this one!
Eat this!
Last week was the first really hot day where it actually felt like summer. Yay, summer! I had a craving for an easy dinner that can be thrown together on a hot night, so I bought the fixings for a Mediterranean board. Lay out hummus, pita, tzatziki, olives, and whatever veggies you have on hand. It’s perfect for a hot night when you don’t feel like cooking.
Listen to this
These days I often find myself thinking about all of the terrible things going on in the world, some far away and some in my own community. And then I go home to make dinner for my family or notice that suddenly everything is in bloom or remember that my driver’s license is about to expire. It’s difficult to hold both the difficult and often heartbreaking realities of the world around us with the mundane and beautiful details of everyday life. In “Our Lives Are an Endless Series of ‘And,’” Ezra Klein’s explores this challenge during his interview with Kathryn Schulz, author of the memoir Lost and Found. While they don’t come to any easy answers, I enjoyed their conversation and it made me feel a little less alone when grappling with this reality.
That’s all for this week. Until next time.
Emily
