What Are You Enjoying?

A meditation on enjoyment right now (+ a list)

My social media feeds right now are 50% photos of luscious tomatoes and European vacations and 50% pictures of the unimaginable suffering taking place in Gaza.

Multiple times a day I find myself wondering how I can possibly continue doing what I’ve been doing, and yet, what can I possibly do instead? What can any of us do?

It’s mind bending and nauseating and heart wrenching to know this is happening while I savor a meal, go to the pool, walk my dog—enjoying the tiny particular pieces of my life and trying to acknowledge how bad it feels to enjoy these things with so much suffering.

This resonated with me:

Presence is not easy. It’s excruciating, in a way. Especially when you start to really feel how much suffering is stitched into everything, and how easily that suffering gets paved over by convenience or routine or ironic detachment.

And yet, not enjoying the tiny pleasurable parts of my life doesn’t feel good either! Not being grateful for what I have right now, while other people are truly struggling? That would also not feel right at all.

So I feel kind of stuck! Enjoying, and not enjoying, and trying to stay present.

In the meantime, the Cut has a list of where to send money. We can call our reps (5calls makes it SO easy), join a protest, raise awareness in our immediate communities. If you have other suggestions, please do share them.

What I’m Enjoying

• If you need a good hot weather meal (that does NOT involve turning on the oven) may I recommend Smitten Kitchen’s Cucumber Crunch Salad with Tofu? Made this for dinner a few nights ago and immediately went out and bought more cucumbers to make it again.

@selfiefayOOTD

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• Matcha with coconut water is the new matcha tonic for me. I whisk my matcha and then dump it into a quart container with a lot of ice and coconut water. Sometimes I add a scoop of ice cream!!!!

• Wearing just a towel over my bathing suit when I go to the pool.

• Sunflowers & bee balm growing in my yard

• My friend

  ío Marquez
  ’s new Substack about working.

• This post (and really Ali Liebegott’s whole Substack)

What You’re Enjoying

I also asked the Big Undies chat for some things they’ve enjoyed lately and their recs DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I’m linking to a bunch of them below, but join the chat so you can read everyone’s more in depth descriptions.

• Nnedi Okorafor’s book Death of the Author

• John Green's Everything is Tuberculosis on audiobook (read by the author)

• Iced tea from Smith Teamaker—the Exceptional and Lemon Black iced teas

• Julia Turshen
  ’s fries ‘n’ thighs recipe (I’ll be making this ASAP)

• Swordheart by T Kingfisher

• Mariel Franklin’s book, Bonding

• And Just Like That recaps on the Drinks with Broads Substack

• This incredibly tough read by Aaron Parsley about the flooding of his family’s river house on July 4.

• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

• The Liberty Lost podcast

• The Pairing by Casey McQuiston (Elliot, who recommended this in the chat had a ton more amazing book recs!)

• Emily St James’ Woodworking

I’d love to know what you’re enjoying lately.

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