Season 16 (2022)
HOME + TRAVEL
“When you are a child who believes your brain can keep planes from crashing, it’s imaginative and precocious. When you’re an adult who thinks your own churning mind is what keeps you safe, it’s called anxious.”
-Mary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter
When the nurse first put our son in my arms 14 years ago, I remember thinking that his 7 pounds and 16 ounces did not match the weight of responsibility being handed to me.
Looking into his wide-open blue eyes, I wondered how I could possibly have what it takes to keep him safe and questioned if I had enough experience to make all the decisions necessary to guide him through life.
Books have always seemed to make their way into my life at just the right time. Last week I watched a video event for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club where they reveal all the summer book club picks. One of the books on the list for June caught my attention, so much so that I moved that audiobook into my Libro.fm cart and purchased the book immediately.
As I began to listen to Bomb Shelter audiobook on Libro.fm, read by the author Mary Laura Philpott, I found that her story began to soothe my anxiety around my own experiences. I felt that I was not alone in this complicated experience as a person navigating difficult times. She feels like a trusted friend recounting her experiences in motherhood as I, too, feel the weight of responsibility and gratitude for the opportunity to care for my loved ones.
The author describes this constant vigilance in a way I can relate to deep in my bones. Her constant anxiety is a collection of “what if” clues similar to the trail of hints an author in a story offers to tell the reader what might happen later in the text through foreshadowing.
I’ve often thought that If I can just watch out for clues in life the way I look for foreshadowing in a story when I read, I will be able to prevent anyone from feeling uncomfortable, hurt, or feeling left out or alone. I believe that if I think of all the thoughts and prevention measures ahead of time that somehow I can stop that thing from happening or that person from experiencing pain or hurt.
“I am still drawn to what I don’t understand, because I imagine that if I understand more, I might better anticipate what happens in life.”
-Mary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter
Mary Laura Philpott’s experience of always being vigilant as well as my own are what it feels like to carry anxiety as a constant backpack filled with all the tools that you will most likely not use but feel better because you carry them with you.
“Like all humans, my mind is wired to look for the story in any situation.”
-Mary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter
Sometimes being a parent means not being able to fully process your emotions at times that are convenient in daily life and storing them up for a major breakdown later. Motherhood has humbled me in ways that I could have never imagined and made me come face to face with my humanity and mortality.
I hold in my hands, my mind, and my heart the need to be present for the minutia of daily life, its impermanence, and its unpredictability. At the same time, I make room in my hands, my mind, and my heart for simple joys, learning to care less about what others think, and the beauty and complexity of a child growing into adulthood.
Bomb Shelter is a memoir that will take you through the journey of life through stories that will make you laugh, cry, nod your head, and wonder how we ever thought we could control the path of life as it unfolds.
GARDEN
“This is really why I made my daughters learn to garden - so they would always have a mother to love them, long after I am gone.”
-Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
I read about Bookworm Gardens in the most recent issue of Taproot Magazine, and I’m fascinated that a place that so beautifully combines books and gardens is right here in the US.
WELLNESS
Spring is filled with activity and schedules that are usually packed to the brim. Life has added in a few more surprises lately in our life as well, and I’ve been looking for ways to focus on wellness.
Our family has found myofascial massage helpful for healing after various life events, injuries, trauma, and to release the built-up tension from daily stressors and activities.
What is myofascial release? Our favorite therapists use the John F. Barnes technique and have completed countless hours of training.
CREATIVITY
BOOKSHELF
“Do not set sail on someone else’s becoming, their voice in your throat.”
-Kate Baer, author of What Kind of Woman
April is National Poetry Month, and I’m enjoying my journey through my stack of poetry books. This week I found myself relating to the words of Kate Baer in her poetic account of motherhood.
My sister in-law and I talked at a family gathering on Easter weekend about how being a mother, and a human, means disappointing someone every day, including ourselves at times. As I’ve gotten older, that guilt is less and less, but creating boundaries and speaking up for your own well-being takes practice.
“What I meant when I said “I don't have time” is that every minute that passes I’m disappointing someone”
-Kate Baer, author of What Kind of Woman
Get involved in your community. VOTE. Speak out. Volunteer. Take action.
“Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” -Desmond Tutu