14 things to make you smile today.

DIY paracord jewelry, buying an antique shop in Maine, hydrangeas, 100% cotton nightgowns, selling a novel and masterful upcycling.

I’m experiencing a rare summer burn-out that hasn’t inflicted me in recent memory— it’s neither entirely personal, nor professional, not any one thing or person, it just feels like LIFE has sucked the meat out of me like I am a juicy clam for the eating.

This feels particularly evil because I love clams, and I wish I was eating them right now.

I described my malaise to my fiancé as though I were a bank that had been withdrawn from too many times and needed to start charging overdraft fees to anyone who asked me for something or wanted to vent to/emotionally dump on me without any reciprocal exchange or care. Overdraft fee for YOU! Overdraft fee for YOU TOO!

He reminded me that overdraft fees are actually one of the most predatory parts of modern banking and I am inclined to agree with him, so I will, fortunately, not be charging anyone any overdraft fees at this time. 🙏

As we started to near the end of this week, I increasingly began to act like a toddler—easily and unpredictably set o…