Things You Should Know: A List
Alternately titled "things I’m starting to believe and want to remember."
Me. I am the *you* in the aforementioned subject line. The passing of time has been heavy on my mind. My niece just turned four, Otto is seven, my dad is about to turn seventy, and a friend’s daughter recently started her period (a fact which has nearly sent me into a tailspin). 2024 has been one of the most brutal yet transformative years of my life — I’ve been learning lessons left and right, continually working to separate my value from my work. I’ve had doors open, and too many to count close. I’ve felt powerless and powerful. I’ve said both hellos and goodbyes. I’ve jotted down questions like Am I better off sad than hopeful? and thoughts like Never underestimate the power of a day of rest.
This week I read the short novel Bitter Water Opera by Nicolette Polek, and cannot stop singing its praises. In it she writes, “A surfer once told me that all the rushing water sounds fade away when you are gliding through barrel waves. In the center of chaos is a stillness where people forget where they are.” That line hit me like a ton of bricks. This has been one of my biggest personal epiphanies: When everything around me feels chaotic, there is still a stillness that exists.
Here are some more notes I’ve written, compiled, thought, read, chatted about or been considering lately.
It’s just not that serious.
Simplify then amplify.
“Time wins over time. What survives materiality is a story.” —Nicolette Polek
Even the little things are big.
There’s nothing better than a slow morning.
Emotions don’t need to be scary.
Life is full of contradictions, better to get used to it.
Go for that walk.
Take notes.
“Letting go is sacred.” —Alex Elle
You can always start over.
Keep a journal of your dreams.
Accept every phase.
You don’t need everyone to like you.
Nourish your mind, not just your body.
It’s ok to not know.
Stop and smell the roses. Literally.
There is power in positive thinking.
Pay attention, observe, look for patterns.
“As Jung often mentioned, most of our troubles come when we have lost contact with our guiding instincts, that energy within each of us that’s in service to becoming who we are in the world.” —James Hollis
Life can be bigger than you’ve imagined.
You will be happy.
Don’t attach.
Go out and get bored.
Trust the transitions.
Both can be true.
Prioritize pleasure.
Stability is important.
“What feels on the surface like rejection is often redirection. When you ask for a big life, you cannot keep fighting for a smaller one to stay.” —Brianna Wiest
Look up.
Everything can lose its luster.
Life has a way of working out.
No one really has a plan.
Don’t be an asshole.
Stay in your power, but get out of your own way.
Also, stay in your lane.
Work can wait.
Believe in the process.
Déjà vu is magic.
Know when to shut the door.
Focus on meaning.
The worst years can add up to the best years.
Remember, your period is coming.
Love,
Elise
NOTEWORTHY
If you haven’t checked out Disarray yet, do it now! Our quantities are getting low, but we are excited to be launching at Porter in Seattle. View our other stockists here.
My new favorite spot for a drink.
Sneak peek of a new project / special work in progress that I’ve been working on with the Soñadora Studio team.
PLEASURE
Nobody Wants This. Yeah yeah, I’m sure you all have seen it by now too, but it’s still very much worth mentioning. My favorite show in a long time.
Life is busy, and this meme made me laugh.
Ok wow, never thought about putting sesame seeds on a tortilla, but I’m going to be making this immediately.
CONTEMPLATING
Six Questions To Ask Your Partner At Midlife, According To Couples Counselors. One Dan and I have been asking a lot is “what is our next chapter?”
In The Field: Salt Ceramics & Twenty One Tonnes. Just some beautiful people and beautiful interiors that I’ve had the great pleasure of capturing on film for Ozma.
Tour The Serene Lisbon Apartment Of Designer-Duo Garcé & Dimofski. I can’t get this space out of my head.
Photo Credit: ‘Cosmos’ series by Maureen Martinez-Evans.
The list! So true, all of it.
Love lists of life advice, was not expecting this. With your permission I may just pass to my daughters :) ✨