Mary Lynn! It means the world to have you following along with the words. So glad I got to see you and hear you read this a.m. The feeling of gratitude for our orbits intersecting is mutual my friend. <3
So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, friendship dating is strange, but also so NORMAL, like we have all been there! Romantic dating gets all the attention and I find people don't talk about friendship dating nearly as much. Here's the playlist if you wanna check it out (I think it's public so you should be able to access it):
oh Kate. I love love love your heart. and the words that come from it. how lucky am I, to have crossed into your sweet sweet orbit. you inspire me with your writings. thanks for sharing your honest honesty's here with us. XO
I'm so glad you invited me to a play date. Be it the playground or be it zoom, making new friends is vulnerable. And oh my the Salish Sea did not disappoint. Saw orcas!
Friend dating is so strange! I’ve never had to do the online dating thing (or apps or anything like that) because I married my high school sweetheart. Old school, I know! But it absolutely feels like I have to get into that kind of headspace when seeking out friends. Another thing I’m grateful for about Sustenance is a built-in space to do that with amazing humans, like you 🫶
Totally. I hear you. I grew up in a small town, and while I didn't end up with my high school sweetheart, I still have a very close group of friends from that time. I've been feeling very grateful for my online writing communities and also have realized how stretched I feel when dating friends out there in the real world. ha!
I'm just swooning over how you managed to weave this all together, Kate. It spoke to me from top to bottom—particularly the way you talk about making friends in our 30's.
"Energy knows energy. I like spending time with other people who are making things, making moves. I also feel I can be myself around people who are honest about having a limited bandwidth ... for engaging with others non-stop socially when you’re in the throws of making whatever it is you’re making, whether it’s poems or pain suisse."
Michelle! I'm so glad that we are able to connect on Substack. Second to Monday writing group, connecting with Monday writing group friends on Substack really gets me through the week. I'm glad that you felt it was all woven together. I've been told that my work tends to "ping pong" from one topic to the next. Those who get it, get it, those who don't, well, that's that I guess. ha ha ha
But yeah, it all feels so connected to me. Especially the whole balancing a creative life with a social one, and then how to eat the frogs (chores) in between all of that...I really do think that everything we do feeds our other processes? Writing feeds our lives, our lives feed our writing. I've been trying to see my days as one long braided essay...I feel most grounded when I view things in my life as different strands of my braids. Speaking of which, can't wait to read your next braided essay!
That Monday group... man, what did I ever do without you all to start my week. And honestly I love a bit of ping-ponging. It makes me feel trusted as a reader to follow the bouncing ball along with you, and to see + make those connections for myself. You're so right about it all being connected, too—and I love that perspective of viewing things in life as different strands of our brands. Fascinating and freeing, all at once.
And thank you so much for the excitement around my next essay! I feel SO much lighter after hitting publish this morning. 😅
Ha ha ha! It is a JAM. I've been listening to it on repeat since October has arrived. It's really great for car rides as the leaves are changing. It's a very celestial song. ha!
I think some frogs (like laundry frogs) we maybe never conquer fully. For the life of me I still haven't outgrown the dread of putting clothes away. The cleaning I'm good with. The drying I'm good with. The putting away?! Forget it. My largest frog yet.
Christina! I'm so pumped to be able to connect with you on Substack. It feels a lot more connective than keeping up with people on social media, for me at least. So glad you liked the audio version! And that it made you laugh! Ha! I've been enjoying recording the essays, it helps me with editing and it also is fun for my friends who live far from me to be able to be read to. Here's to eating our frogs, one at a time. 💚
Mary Lynn! It means the world to have you following along with the words. So glad I got to see you and hear you read this a.m. The feeling of gratitude for our orbits intersecting is mutual my friend. <3
Gah, I love this whole thing! The friend dating is so real! And I'd love to get a copy of this playlist. It sounds wonderful. xx, Ali
So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, friendship dating is strange, but also so NORMAL, like we have all been there! Romantic dating gets all the attention and I find people don't talk about friendship dating nearly as much. Here's the playlist if you wanna check it out (I think it's public so you should be able to access it):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bIpZ2mVEfbeq0PEcvYCKa?si=UFKmelLHSUqCx6YAfncfKw
oh Kate. I love love love your heart. and the words that come from it. how lucky am I, to have crossed into your sweet sweet orbit. you inspire me with your writings. thanks for sharing your honest honesty's here with us. XO
Love it Kate. I relate to the frogs and putting effort into new friendships! May all your frogs become delicacies.
Thanks for saying yes to playing with me! And I hope you relish the Olympic Peninsula seaside 🌊
I'm so glad you invited me to a play date. Be it the playground or be it zoom, making new friends is vulnerable. And oh my the Salish Sea did not disappoint. Saw orcas!
Friend dating is so strange! I’ve never had to do the online dating thing (or apps or anything like that) because I married my high school sweetheart. Old school, I know! But it absolutely feels like I have to get into that kind of headspace when seeking out friends. Another thing I’m grateful for about Sustenance is a built-in space to do that with amazing humans, like you 🫶
Totally. I hear you. I grew up in a small town, and while I didn't end up with my high school sweetheart, I still have a very close group of friends from that time. I've been feeling very grateful for my online writing communities and also have realized how stretched I feel when dating friends out there in the real world. ha!
I'm just swooning over how you managed to weave this all together, Kate. It spoke to me from top to bottom—particularly the way you talk about making friends in our 30's.
"Energy knows energy. I like spending time with other people who are making things, making moves. I also feel I can be myself around people who are honest about having a limited bandwidth ... for engaging with others non-stop socially when you’re in the throws of making whatever it is you’re making, whether it’s poems or pain suisse."
Your words are a balm, thank you for this. ❤️
Michelle! I'm so glad that we are able to connect on Substack. Second to Monday writing group, connecting with Monday writing group friends on Substack really gets me through the week. I'm glad that you felt it was all woven together. I've been told that my work tends to "ping pong" from one topic to the next. Those who get it, get it, those who don't, well, that's that I guess. ha ha ha
But yeah, it all feels so connected to me. Especially the whole balancing a creative life with a social one, and then how to eat the frogs (chores) in between all of that...I really do think that everything we do feeds our other processes? Writing feeds our lives, our lives feed our writing. I've been trying to see my days as one long braided essay...I feel most grounded when I view things in my life as different strands of my braids. Speaking of which, can't wait to read your next braided essay!
That Monday group... man, what did I ever do without you all to start my week. And honestly I love a bit of ping-ponging. It makes me feel trusted as a reader to follow the bouncing ball along with you, and to see + make those connections for myself. You're so right about it all being connected, too—and I love that perspective of viewing things in life as different strands of our brands. Fascinating and freeing, all at once.
And thank you so much for the excitement around my next essay! I feel SO much lighter after hitting publish this morning. 😅
♥️ at the airport now and gonna give it a read, sequoias here we come.
DROPS OF FREAKIN JUPITER. wow. I needed to be reminded of that song. And first date friend energy - so felt!
If only I could eat the laundry frog once and never have to eat it again
Ha ha ha! It is a JAM. I've been listening to it on repeat since October has arrived. It's really great for car rides as the leaves are changing. It's a very celestial song. ha!
I think some frogs (like laundry frogs) we maybe never conquer fully. For the life of me I still haven't outgrown the dread of putting clothes away. The cleaning I'm good with. The drying I'm good with. The putting away?! Forget it. My largest frog yet.
I loved listening to this so much ! Laughed out loud several times. Very inspiring! 💜💪🏼 I’m going to go think about eating frogs now!
Christina! I'm so pumped to be able to connect with you on Substack. It feels a lot more connective than keeping up with people on social media, for me at least. So glad you liked the audio version! And that it made you laugh! Ha! I've been enjoying recording the essays, it helps me with editing and it also is fun for my friends who live far from me to be able to be read to. Here's to eating our frogs, one at a time. 💚
So glad it resonates Leann! Here's to letting autumn be the time for frog eating and friendship!