I did this same meme last year and I thought it might be fun to revisit it again. Here is what is happening in my world right now.
What I Am Listening To: I am listening to Tori Amos’s new album, Unrepentant Geraldines. I’ve listened to her music since college and have attended several of her concerts. She performs with a spirit that is hard to describe. Other songs playing in the background are Maps by Maroon 5, Roar by Katy Perry and Happy by Pharell Williams. My Pandora station is set to Beyonce when I exercise. I typically obsess over one song every season and play it over and over again. Lately, Landslide by Fleetwood Mac seems to default as my music muse.
What I Am Thinking About: Many of my thoughts are scattered. There isn’t much uninterrupted time with my daughter at home and I spend time planning her days, whether it revolves around summer day camp, swimming or a playdate. In my quiet moments, I’ve gravitated toward thinking about the tragedies that haunt so many and how instantly someone’s world can change. I’ve thought about the men, women and children lost in the recent airline tragedy and it prompts me to hug the ones that I love even closer.
What I Am Watching: This summer I’ve watched little television which is not unusual for me. I rarely turn on the television. I followed the World Cup this year and that created a renewed enthusiasm for a sport that I didn’t necessarily appreciate before. Also, tennis matches are on much of the time because my daughter plays. I am still a fan of Downton Abbey and Homeland and look forward to watching them again when they premiere later this year. Several friends recommend House of Cards as a series to follow, so I may try to watch a few episodes.
What I Am Bummed Out On: In the past few weeks, my days have carried the tinge of sorrow. Some of it is just my natural inclination, but I think that July is traditionally a harder month because next week is my father’s birthday. I begin to think about my childhood and a place that I called home for so long and I begin to mourn the hard edges of time. I miss hanging out with my mom and sister and the familiar connections that only home can provide.
What I Am Loving: Reading books late at night. Writing. A good night’s sleep. Candied apples. Having conversations with my daughter. Movie night with my family. Always, always, that first cup of coffee that starts my day.
What is a part of your world right now? Would love to hear from you.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
I love this photograph!
Candy apples? Mmmm, haven’t had one of those in a long time.
You definitely should revisit candied apples. I don’t indulge in them too often, but when I do, it makes me smile.
I love that first cup of coffee too! Thank you for a peek into your world 🙂
Loved seeing what your world is like right now, Rudri. My yesterday was about not crying on my birthday for once. I pretty much succeeded, but that’s because everyone else did their part ;).
Luanne: So glad to hear that your birthday was spent with those you love and the tears remained at a distance.
I’m certainly with you on that first cup of coffee!
I’m also loving having my younger son at home, and despite a broken hand in a rather unwieldy cast, he is managing to make architectural models (in the living room), oil paintings (a bit more abstract than usual) in his bedroom, and conversation… at the dinner table.
Other than the (obvious) mess, and (some) interruptions to my work schedule, it’s a very precious experience to have him around for these weeks until it’s cast off and casting off… back to college.
Coffee is a bridge for so many of us. Especially that first cup.
Industrious son (but I already knew that from your writing). Glad you are enjoying his company, Wolf. Hope the summer has treated you and yours well.
I love Tori Amos. I was wondering about her new album!
June/July are weird for me. It’s when my father and two of my grandfathers all passed away. My father’s birthday too. And Father’s Day.
And yet, it’s also when both of my kids were born, and it’s my birthday too.
Sorrow and joy together, I think.
Tori’s new album reminds me of her early records. Back to basics – with lots of her voice and the piano.
Oh, Tamara, July is such a pensive, yet joyous time for you. I can understand why it might be hard balancing those two emotions. Will be thinking of you. xoxo
I have not listened to Tori Amos in years! She was also a favorite of mine though I forgot about her relevance as I got older. Wow, remembering some of her songs now has me misty eyed. lol. Must add her to my Spotify collection. Thanks for the inadvertent reminder!
I also get emotional in July. I think it mostly has to do with the end of Summer and beginning of Fall, a season which has also held such powerful emotional weight and meaning for me. I love this meme and think I want to try it on my blog.
The transitions between the seasons also are difficult for me. Time’s passage always creates an ambivalence of emotions that I don’t always understand.
Glad you enjoyed the meme. I’d love to hear about your right now.
Love that first cup of coffee! House of Cards is well made, and Kevin Spacey is a great actor, but I found it too dark to be enjoyable. I love a little dark humor (like OITNB) but the pure corruption depicted in that show… I just hope and pray Washington DC is not really like that! I’ve been feeling a little wistful lately… seems like summer is nearing its end already (school starts here August 14!) and we have so many changes happening in our family, seems a little like “the end of an era.”
After watching a few episodes of House of Cards, I understand exactly what you are saying. It is a cynical look at politics, relationships and power. The acting is certainly compelling and that is what keeps me hooked.
The seasons are in transition and I know that you are experiencing changes as well. I can understand why it feels like a paradigm shift for you and your family. Hope the move and the job transition are both going well, Sarah.
I enjoy this meme too, Rudri, and it’s fun to see you in your day-to-day especially as we have never met 😉 I need to listen to more music (music was such a huge part of my life when I was younger) so it is helpful to learn what you are listening to. I can understand why July is difficult for you.
I am really working on being a healthier and better person and coming out of the depression or overall lethargy that I had been in since last summer: eating better, exercising, becoming organized, being more present and conscious as a wife and mother. I see a huge shift in my son as he is now almost 10.5 – he voices his feelings more, and I know where I have gone wrong as a mother. This is the summer where I need to turn myself around.
I love that you are taking a stance in trying to retool some of those places where you may feel like you need to change. It is difficult sometimes to recognize what those areas are and I admire your heightened awareness to identify opportunities to better yourself and relationships.
I’ve always loved music and enjoy going to concerts. Music offers a calmness that is readily available and accessible.
I’ve been binge watching House of Cards and it’s so good!
I also really love my first (and only) cup of coffee in the morning.
Alison,
I started House of Cards a few days ago and I am hooked, but at times I do find it too dark. The acting keeps me tuned in.
I still can’t wait for Homeland and Downton Abbey to premiere.
What a lovely capture of right now! Right now I’m very focused on how summer is winding down and camp is ending and we’re hurtling towards kindergarten. It’s an all consuming time, I think.
Thanks, Tricia. Ushering your child into Kindergarten is a time full of so many emotions. Wishing you much luck with that important milestone. Enjoy every moment of it.
Oh yes that first cup of coffee! Mine starts at 5AM. Can you believe it!? I love this idea for a post!
5:00 a.m.? That’s dedication, Nina. I think I remember you discussing your early mornings as a way to carve out additional writing time. Coffee and writing? That is the perfect combo in my book.
Glad you liked the meme.