What I Wore Wednesday: those same maroon tights :)

Yesterday Julia came over and we talked about the lack-of-sunlight and how we’re already feeling it.

“I ask people at school,” said Julia, “I ask, ‘How are you preparing for the winter?’ and they say, ‘Hm, I haven’t really thought about that’ and I say, ‘YOU’RE LATE! It’s winter! Starting thinking!'”

Until last winter, I would joke with my cousin and my sister and my Julia about our Polish-builds: “We’re built to survive winters and bear children,” we’d joke about our non-thigh-gaps.

And then last winter happened and we were like, “THIS. IS. NO. LAUGHING. MATTER.”

There aren’t any guarantees, man. They say this one will be worst than the last, so Julia and I talk frequently about the haunting reality of winter-poem (gah, I love John Blase) and make lists of what we think we’ll need. Lists include: exercise and color and bright jewelry and good boots and exotic food experimentation. Will it get us through, though? We can only wait and see.

Personally, I’m trying to figure out how to balance everything well. I’ll need physical exertion once the extra-cold hits (past Thanksgiving’s Turkey Trot, I won’t venture out on my local running paths). But I’ll need time with my friends, too. Plus time for prayer and art and chores-around-the-house. And finding balance between all of these…tricky, tricky. Is it just me, or with less sunlight does it feel like the days are literally shorter, too?

Winter. Get me through it.

Get me through it with thick sweaters and corduroy and colored tights and boots. Cross your fingers on the boots one! I’m going to try to find some tonight! I’ll keep you posted (you know I will!)

Tell me: what’s going to get you through the winter-months? I’ll take all ze advice I can get, man.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

There’s a local little shoe shop in our sweet downtown district (suburb, friends, suburban living. As much as you know I love Detroit), and I knew I wanted boots like these, and I knew the shop carries a brand I like, so I literally put 19 minutes worth of change into the meter and jogged inside. The shop is small, so it can be surveyed quickly…but, it’s full of nooks and crannies, too, so you need to be careful. I saw a boot in the brand I liked, but decided to peruse the tiniest bit more–with seconds ticking down, I know (meter-readers–so ruthless!). Then, in the sale rack, I saw these. Full-leather, sweater-knit-lined, lace-ups in COLOR. I slipped them on. Insta-COMFORT.

I was like, “Hi, um, I want to buy these. Right now. And wear them out of here.”

And I did. 🙂

With five minutes left to spare in my meter.

Then I went to the library! Want to see my books?? (Libraries are so dangerous for me. There are so many things I realize I don’t yet know. And I want to know them, guys. I want to test all the recipes and read all the poems and travel with all the guidebooks and watch all the DVDs with comedians until I laugh into brighter tomorrows. And I don’t actually have enough time to read all the books in the library, though. It’s a fine line I walk).

Anyway:

Starting from the bottom (now we’re here) (Julia, please catch that reference). JUST KIDDING. Starting at the top.

Maurice & Therese. I READ THE FIRST FEW PAGES AND I LOVE IT. Love. Capital love. It’s the story of a seminarian who wrote to St Therese’s order like, “Hi. I need help. Really. Please ask a sister to pray for me. Did I mention I need your prayers? And I’ll be indebted and I’m weak and please: help me.”
And the Mother Superior assigned St. Therese to be his special prayer-partner and, well, it’s just lovely. The book is a collection of their letters, back and forth, plus some well-written, friendly, concise history.
I was reading a description, and it was like, “Yeah, it’s weird that a young man and a young woman both vowed to chastity would be allowed to interact like this.”
But, honestly, I love it. I remember watching an interview once where a young nun was like, “So often in our culture we confuse sex for love, but you can have sex without love and you can have love without sex” and I feel like a fear that everyone holds is that holy friendship is unattainable but, to those haters I’m just like, “Naw, man, because: the saints.”
How good is the inspiration of the saints in my life? So good. So, so good.

The Great Divorce. For long-distance reader partnership. I’ll tell you how it goes. The first paragraph, which I read in the library, drew me in but, hey, it’s Lewis. What did I expect, right? I’ll cross my fingers that this is more The Last Battle and less Out of the Silent Planet but, either way, if you’ve read it: give me pointers.

Skirt-a-day sewing. Because, along with reading all the books, I want to make all of the clothes. Plus, I need a skirt or two for the winter. Let’s be real.

The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen. Because I’m Asian. Just kidding. I do like Asian food though, and I saw this and thought, “Why not?”
Did you know there are intense Asian-shops miles away from my house? What with the fish winking at you and the labels on the packages all in characters and no chocolate anywhere? There are. They sell cilantro and tofu at pretty good prices.

A Greener Christmas. I should start thinking about Christmas-gift-crafts, right? Probably.

Great Gluten-free Baking. Because I have a dream where I eat a thick bread-y thing and it tastes of the deep secrets of molasses and raisins and cardamom and love. Is that a thing that exists? Maybe I just need to make it exist.

Sew Baby. Because I’m pregnant. JUST KIDDING. Just kidding, mom. (Mom, don’t worry! Everyone will know it’s a joke!) My friends be having babies, though (because they’re married. Don’t worry, mom) and maybe it’ll have some good ideas.

Well, friendly faces, it’s laundry time.

For the yes.