Every month I chronicle those everyday things that give me comfort or offer a place of reflection or joy. Here are my everyday delights for July:
1. Butterflies – I live in a city that houses the largest butterfly atrium in the United States. My daughter and I visited this wonderland and captured several colorful winged creatures on our excursion. As I witnessed my daughter’s excitement, I also felt nostalgic of my own childhood . I remembered that I designed a butterfly net to catch a Monarch in my childhood neighborhood. Two lessons I learned on this quick trip: 1) Adults have the capacity to engage in wonder and 2) there are several places in any city where you can enjoy something new.
2. Moment – It is no secret that I rely too much on technology and am constantly plugged into my computer or phone. While my work requires me to spend time writing on my computer, I am actively trying to disconnect from my phone. I discovered this app, called Moment, that tracks phone usage and lets you know how much time you are spending on the phone. There are some glitches with the app, but it periodically updates with an alert that tracks my phone usage.
3. Sunsets in the Desert – I adore sunsets. This past summer I’ve witnessed some gorgeous sunsets in my backyard or various places around the city. This everyday reminders captures so much of what is dear to my heart: time, love, joy and sorrow. Every time I look up and see the layers in the sky, I always stand in awe of what I can appreciate, but do not wholly understand.
4. Brain Pickings – I love the website, Brain Pickings by Maria Popova. It is one of my daily reads. I learn something new on every visit. It always humbles me reading about some part of history or the world that I discover on her website. Recently, Holstee released her seven life-learning lessons from seven years of Brain Pickings. This offers some wonderful lessons.
What are some of your everyday delights in July?
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.
Brain Pickings looks like a very cool site indeed. (And I love your butterfly pic.)
The best part of my July? My son coming home until it’s time for him to head back to college. Despite the dirty dishes, the dirty socks, the way the fridge empties at warp speed… I love, love, love having him around.
Happy August!
I know you will absolutely adore Brain Pickings, Wolf. I learn something every time I venture onto the website.
So glad that you enjoyed August with one of your boys. It’s nice to have that energy around.
I love desert sunsets. I am lucky to have seen a few in my life, even though I live very far from the desert.
And the butterflies. They seem to be such an August thing around here.
Sunsets have become a bit of an obsession for me. I try to capture them when I can.
Butterflies definitely keep me cemented in wonder.
I haven’t seen many butterflies, but I took a photo of a huge and beautiful moth a few nights ago.
I have heard of Brain Pickings. I’ll definitely check it out.
Do check out the site, Brain Pickings. The work presented there is inspiring, as well as intellectually stimulating.
That butterfly is exquisite!!
Thanks, Tiffany.