A Litany of Small Comforts
Hello Dames Nationals,
I am struggling to function effectively while witnessing the United States’s increasingly rapid slide into authoritarianism. I knew it was coming, I knew it was going to be astonishingly bad, and every day it’s somehow still worse than I could have imagined. It’s especially hampering my ability to write anything— I have nothing original or valuable to say about the problem and writing about anything other than the problem feels… worse than being the band playing as the Titanic sinks. At least they had reason to believe that their rendition of “Nearer My God to Thee” might provide real comfort to the people who heard it. Having that much confidence in anything I produce right now is a real struggle. But. I know I’m far from alone in feeling this bereft/terrified/furious/overwhelmed and, for better or worse, I am one member of the band you are all relying upon for a little fiddling to make the time pass. So I am putting fingers to keyboard and sharing a short list of things that have been helping me keep my head above water since January.
A Litany of Small Comforts, As Promised
My Dog, Pepper
I know you cannot each individually stroke his silky ears or hold him atop you like the world’s best combination of a heating pad and a weighted blanket, but you can at least gaze upon this picture and feel reflected in your body the simple joy of being a tiny dog atop a table in the local dog park on a sunny day. Pepper can give you at least that much.
Doing Things With My Hands That Preclude Holding a Phone
Another reason that writing is hard right now is because I’m barely consuming anything. The net effect of interacting with my phone is nearly always dread. Not interacting with my phone, though? That I recommend wholeheartedly. For Christmas, I received art supplies for which I had a nostalgic fondness: Caran D’Arche Aquarelle water-soluble pastels, which are like if water-color pencils were instead water-color crayons? They’re very fun to play with at least in part because they connect me with a time when I drew pictures because it was a fun thing to do rather than because it was something at which I hoped to excel. Finding an art material that connects you to that same vibe and fucking around with it is something I heartily recommend. Predictably, I have used them to draw a portrait of Pepper:
In addition to drawing, I have also returned to knitting, a pastime I last enjoyed in, I don’t know, 2010? Turns out, my current brain fucking loves knitting— and so does TikTok, which has made both finding fun patterns to knit AND finding instructional videos for when those patterns become indecipherable so much easier. I have so far made: a simple triangle scarf out of a fancy hand-dyed yarn I indulgently purchased myself, the highly viral Sophie Hood which I could never have completed without this clarifying TikTok, and the equally viral Sophie Scarf out of the yarn I had leftover when I completed the hood (a yarn I heartily endorse). I am now plugging away at Purl Soho’s Flowerfield hand towels because the pattern gave me a chance to purchase two of Purl Soho’s Chirp Cotton sampler bundles which bring my color-hungry brain joy just to look at. I recommend all of these projects to anyone else trying to get into knitting or refresh their memory ABOUT knitting, especially if part of the joy you derive from the hobby is staring at hand-painted yarns or delighting in the feel of very fine fibers in your hands. All of them are pretty easy to make, and all make the most of really nice yarn.
I have also purchased fabric paint and begun painting a sweatshirt. No word yet on how this will turn out, but I can confirm that the time I have dedicated to it was an excellent brain vacation.
Mainlining a Long-Running Network Television Show
My boyfriend had never watched The Good Wife so, after finishing The Diplomat’s exquisite but too short run, we dipped into it and boy howdy, it still hits!!! Are there triggering incidences of Glib Obamacore Neoliberal Optimism? Yes, occasionally. But mostly there are the delights of 22-episode seasons where all the episodes basically slap. If you have never watched The Good Wife or have not recently rewatched it, let me endorse that exact path. If you have consumed that show, however, let me urge you to find something else with seven streamable seasons to enjoy. Start the ER binge all this talk of The Pitt must surely have you considering! Celebrate the fact that Northern Exposure is now available to stream on Prime! Remember that Elementary is out there being undemandingly delightful— go enjoy! You deserve 2+ months of not having to wonder what you’re going to watch when you finally have time to turn your brain off at the end of the day.
Disassociating to JetPens’ YouTube Channel
If you’re a stationery head like me, you’ll be unable to resist clicking on videos titled “Simple Yet Satisfying Office Supplies” or “Award Winning Japanese Stationery” or “What Is the Best Highlighter on JetPens.com?” What I can tell you is that these JetPens videos deliver exactly what you’d hope they would: deliciously riveting minutia. While their dedicated staff will convince you that you cannot live without, for example, a set of highlighters with little windows in the chisel tips that let you see exactly what you’re highlighting as you highlight, with a free shipping minimum of just $35, JetPens impulse buys come in handily under the reasonable “little treat” threshold, even in this economy.
Gap Matched Set
Over at The Strategist much has been made of a so-called “Gapaissance”, but not until this season did the items in stores begin to match the truth of their assertion. As a result, I have bought more items from The Gap this spring than I probably have in the past 15 years combined. The most vital thing: their organic heavy-weight cotton matched set of sleeveless shell and cropped wide-leg pants. They are perfect. They feel a soft as an ancient t-shirt you can never bring yourself to throw away, but drape with an elegance that makes them work brilliantly as street clothes. Unfortunately, Gap for sure knows they cooked with this set, so they have yet to go on sale, and are usually exempted from discounts. But they’re so good they might even be worth buying… full price! I have barely worn anything else since my set arrived 3 weeks ago. I’d go with your usual size, or one up, for the top, and your usual size, or one down, for the pants. I got a large in both and they fit great.
That’s all I’ve got for you today, Dames Nation. If you have anything that’s getting YOU through [gestures drearily] all this, please share in the comments. In the meantime, I hope my litany is some help even it’s far from “Nearer My God to Thee” <3
XO/Dame Margaret
Thank you
Pepperrrrr <3 Daily Pepper is something bringing me joy in #TheseTryingTimes, as are all the pets of friends/internet strangers that I get to look at on my phone. Also of course my IRL cat. All manner of little guys!!