Hi there, it’s Hillarie! This is your favorite weekly newsletter about things I found worthy of my time and I think you may enjoy, too. Keep reading for some ideas to get your week started.
Friends, what a time to be alive. I have to remind myself that to struggle and feel (anything) is to be human. No human emotion is innately good or bad, no matter how awful it may feel. It is what we choose to do with that information that leads us in different directions. This realization has allowed be to I set an intention to slow judgement of myself and others because we are all having our own human experience. Being complicated and messy are part of the journey, we just need to allow the grace necessary to grow from these experiences. Remember that loving yourself, each other, and the earth are all deeply intertwined. Be well and take care.
A book worthy of your love:
Belonging: A Culture of Place by bell hooks
Seeking belonging is an essential part of the human experience that bell captures so beautifully in this book of short stories. We feel belonging, or lack thereof, deep in our bones and our bellies. Personally, life has been an ongoing search for belonging, until I reconnected with nature. And that is precisely why bell’s experience resonated with me. She reflects on her childhood spent roaming the wilderness of the Kentucky mountains and the journey that brought her back to that place as an adult—all in search of belonging.
I started reading this book in November and was slowly making my way through it when word of her death spread only weeks later. My heart is still heavy. The world needs more people who aspire to love deeply and fully as bell hooks did. Her words remind me that the pleasure and pain of finding our place is what makes us human. And that our capacity to love ourselves, each other, and the earth are deeply entwined.
“Estrangement from our natural environment is the cultural contest wherein violence against the earth is accepted and normalized. If we do not see earth as a guide to divine spirit, then we cannot see that the human spirit is violated, diminished when humans violate and destroy the natural environment.”
Tasty recipes worthy of your tastebuds + soulful stories:
The Korean Vegan
Sharing food and stories have tremendous power to connect people, and this woman makes me feel like I’m sharing a home-cooked meal with a good friend. As she cooks delicious Korean food, she tells stories about her life. Some funny, some sad, and all deeply and vulnerably human. Without eating a thing, I walk away from her videos feeling full and nourished. Check her out!
Activity worthy of your curiosity:
Snowflake identification
Did you know that there are over 35 different kinds of snowflake shapes? The shape is determined by the temperature and humidity. Essentially, the higher the humidity, the more complex the snowflake shape becomes. That also means that certain kinds of snowflakes may only be found in regions with hospitable conditions. So cool! You can see the complexity in shapes in photographs by snowflake photographer, Alexey Kljatov.
Ready to identify some snowflakes? Grab a piece of black cloth and a magnifying glass. Put the cloth in the freezer so you are ready to pull it out next time it snows. Once the snow starts to fall, grab the cloth and head outside. Collect some flakes by placing the cloth on a cold surface and start your investigation.
What shapes are you seeing?
What does the shape tell you about the moisture and humidity in your area?
Have some fun and if the snow is really coming down, try making some snow ice cream!