How many times can one click 'start writing' and not start writing?
Probably as many times as your wondered 'what's happening to the world' this week.
Writing is a funny thing. You love it when it's in your head, then you hate it when you're trying to take it out of your head, then you love it again when labor is finally done and your piece is born. Writing makes me feel like I am an ungrateful mother to a beautiful child.
Talking about mothering, this week has been tough. We got a free ride to medieval times here in the US with the supreme court as the conductor (and we have something similar going on in Brasil, I will tell you more later). And I am sorry if you feel like this is no place to talk about it. Although I switched career gears some years ago, I'm still very much a lawyer and a woman. So I guess this must be the place.
I'm talking about this because this is the exact thing that brought me to writing again today. I can't remember the last time I sat at my desk to exclusively write. There's always a meeting, an Instagram replying, a recipe developing, a short-videoing, an event popping. It's a lot. I left my writing alone. Now, this not only makes me feel like I'm an ungrateful mother, but also a bad one.
But today I write. I write because, like many of the women (and some men, let's be fair) protesting on the streets, I want to be heard (and read). There are variations to being heard. Mine has always been through cooking. Then writing about it. What's yours?
Let's try and be heard the best we can. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all. Based on that, I sat and forced myself to write at least one sentence today, even if it was out of pure anger. It was better than laying on the couch staring at that occasional intromissive cobweb attached to the ceiling, wondering for god's sake what's wrong with humanity. I can vouch for this technique: it works.
Bottom line is I'm glad you decided to subscribe to my newsletter today and took the time to read me. This fills my heart with gratitude (at last) and a sense of being heard. I hope you will stay.
No recipe today, though. It feels too hot & too unjust to cook. But fear nothing, my recipes will be marching their way to your inbox pretty soon.
Later this week, My Mom's Banana Cinnamon Pie and a little more on cooking instead of militating.
Here's a gorgeous photo my wonderful friend Elena took and sent me the other day. My Orange Cake with Crème Fraîche Frosting is picnicking in Cambria, Elena's slice of paradise. Hope this can transport you as it transported me. Best part? No one taking the power of your decisions in sight.
Great first piece of your newsletter. Grateful for my friend Janié❤️
I'm so in love with this post, your writing, everything!! So grateful to have you in my life sweet friend!