Issue #23: A (Not So) Total Eclipse of the Heart
Issue #23: A (Not So) Total Eclipse of the Heart
Eclipse Season Journal Prompts, THE Pancake Recipe, and Dior.
Hey friends,
How are we all faring this eclipse season? So far, I’ve spilled tea on my laptop, had to tend to home responsibilities solo for a week as my husband has been navigating a nasty cold flu, and work collaborations have come to a grinding halt for no reason other than we are all so in it right now.
That being said, I’d like to encourage us all not to give in to the fear-mongering that can come with “heavier” astrological happenings. Chrissy went into this in her newsletter, Fwd Joy, this week, and I concur that the shifts that happen during eclipse portals don’t have to involve your laptop being fried, a loved one falling ill, or some other huge disruptor.
It can be a subtle shift, like Chrissy’s mental health decision to sleep with her phone outside of the bedroom. It can be finally calling that friend you’ve lost touch with but miss dearly. Perhaps you start moving your body because you’ve had enough of the season of sluggishness.
Put succinctly: This eclipse portal has the potential to move what needs to move so you can step into the you that feels most true to who you are at this moment.
And how beautiful is that?
Last week, I was having a tearful session with my mentor. The tears I’d been holding in finally sprung out of me as I explained what I’d been working through, and she lovingly guided me to a much healthier reframe. At the end of our time together, I decided to go into the weekend and the rest of the eclipse season (that was quite frankly kicking my butt) with the intention to have my heart open and receive joy.
Yes, I had a pile of dishes in the sink + a work project looming over me, and I was able to treat myself to lunch. I sat next to Brooke Shields while journaling — an iconic NYC moment!
Yes, I had a night of tossing + turning, and I went to breakfast with a friend who filled my cup.
Yes, I had a day of running around doing countless chores, and I went to a yoga class where I chose to speak up + ask for heart-opening sequences. The joy and nourishment that gave me couldn’t be beat.
Yes, I had to figure out dinner solo again, and I decided to read my book at a cafe in the sun where a waiter patted me on the back, said, “No worries, señorita,” and handed me a glass of crisp white wine — it wasn’t on my bill.
I had a weekend of random, fulfilling conversations with strangers, I saw a proposal, I listened to a free jazz concert under magnolia trees, and a woman invited me to share her blanket and watch a ballet performance in the park.
I'm not bringing Hugh Grant into this, but he really hit the nail on the head when he said, "If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love, actually, is all around."
It is. You are. The world is filled with it.
Let’s make a point of keeping ourselves open to it.
AirPods out in line, hand extended to help, looking for joy, and feeling the offerings of love shine on you, even in the darkness.
That’ll help.
Big hugs,
K
Ornette Coleman // Piece Inspired by Warren B. Davis’ “Crescent Lady” // Art by HHeininge // 2014 News Clipping
The two books I recently preordered both have to do with France and Food.
Asking the class to raise their hands if they’re at all shocked by this development.
I detailed a whole missive to my love of food, and while I don’t know the official statistic, I must mention something French in at least 40% of my newsletters.
That being said, when I found out one of my favorite authors, former NYT food critic, Ruth Reichl, of
, was writing a novel about a young woman embarking on an unexpected gourmet trip to the French capital, I preordered quicker than you can say, “Baguette!”
The Paris Novel (Bookshop, Amazon) debuts on April 23rd, and I look forward to reading it before my June galavant to the City of Lights.
Amuse-toi bien!
🇫🇷
La Cuisine in Paris has been on my list of dreamy cooking classes for many moons. When I found out the founder was releasing a memoir about her journey of opening a French cooking school as an expat, I preordered from a local shop immediately!
The French Ingredient (Bookshop, Amazon) will be released on April 9th, just in time for New Yorkers to read under the cherry blossom trees at the Ladurée in SoHo.
Bon appétit!
These storage bins come in a wide array of colors and actually add some “oomph” to a bookshelf or coffee table.
I recently picked up this family-style pasta bowl and can’t wait to fill it with our favorite Tomato Peach Pasta from Justine of
this summer. After sipping an Aperol Spritz while watching spicy La Piscine, please!Who gets, like, the most shit done?? Mothers! AND YET, I still often worry about how my career will be impacted once I start having kids. More articles like this one, please, for the love of God!
I enjoy intentionally choosing my scents. I bought Santa Maria Novella’s Acqua Di Sicilia the week Aaron + I got engaged and wore it until our wedding day. Then, I spritzed on Fuegia’s Juan Manuel the morning of our wedding. The smell of the Ryder by Hollister perfume (sadly discontinued) takes me right back to my junior high summers spent walking my neighborhood with my best friend and eating popsicles in driveways. This Spring, I splurged on Sisley-Paris’ L’Eau Rêvée after smelling it at Zitomer’s in December and thinking about it all winter long. It’s citrusy with a base note of patchouli. Perfect for the season when the flowers begin to bloom!
This salad took a while to make, but it tasted so good + lasted us (two people) the whole workweek.
This is where my mind’ll be wandering off to when I’m in a daze. Do not disturb!
Almost every weekend, Aaron leaves me tucked into bed and goes to make his famous pancakes with bacon. Except it isn’t his recipe. He uses this one a la
from our prized New York Times Recipes of Record Cookbook (Bookshop, Amazon).P.S. It freezes great!
This is my go-to packing list. I save it to my Notes app on my phone and check it off as I go. Upon returning, I uncheck it, so I’m ready to roll for next time!
If you’d rather copy/paste straight to your Notes App, use this list:
Packing List
Chargers
Toothbrush
Book
Headphones — Charged
Meds
Shoes
Jewelry
Tampons
Hair Brush
Straightener
Makeup
Razor
Face Wash & Wipes
Hair Tools
Umbrella
Period Undies
Journal
Stretch Band
Purse with ID, Card, EpiPen & Dramamine
Notebook
Computer
Masks
Clothes
I don’t watch much TV. I don’t say that in a nose-turned-to-the-sky stuffy way or an I’m-so-not-like-other-people way, but it takes a lot for me to sit still, reading > watching (usually), and it feels daunting to start tuning in to something with a million episodes so I feel like I’ll never catch up.
That’s why when I say that if you love history and fashion, you should absolutely watch The New Look, you should listen. The recently debuted Apple+ show is about Dior’s ascent into high fashion, which completely altered the course of women’s wear as we know it.
I was surprised when it wasn’t fun + filled with frivolity — I’m not sure why I thought it would be since I’m well aware that The New Look got its moniker for giving the world beauty + hope again following the horrors of World War II — but instead was given the privilege of bearing witness to a time period in which fashion meant so much more than just what people wore.
I watched 9 episodes in one weekend (saving the 10th + final episode only because it hadn’t debuted yet) and was blown away by the progression of the storyline, the artistic lens the cast + crew gifted us, and the superb casting.
Now, if you need me, I’ll be reading Dior’s autobiography, Dior by Dior (Bookshop, Amazon).
Journaling is a tool I depend on to help me work through murkiness during periods of deep transformation. Feel free to use these prompts for eclipse season transformations or simply as a jump-off point for experiences you’d like to explore in a deeper way.
If you got something out of this issue, I’d be so overjoyed if you shared it with a friend who might enjoy. xo