What I’ve been reading lately

5 May 2020

Though Articles Club has faithfully continued meeting over the last two months, we’ve switched to focusing on “life lately” updates instead of our usual fare. I miss our deep dives into important (and not-so-important) topics, but have also been enjoying the simple, and shorter, time together – after a long day, Zoom fatigue is real!

In honor of Articles Club, I thought I’d collect a few of my favorite recent coronavirus thought-pieces to share – all reads and listens that would be just perfect for discussing around the table. They’re less about current events and more about what life right now means for life beyond the pandemic. I hope they light a little spark in you today!

P.S. Perhaps you’re tapped out on coronavirus reading right now. Been there! Just for you, I’m including a few photos from this weekend’s backyard campout :) Enjoy!

Our favorite floral melamine plates in action!

Present in the Pandemic | This sermon from Jon Tyson was a gentle but firm reminder to abide in the midst of difficulty and sameness. He speaks persuasively about distraction, and what it means for our core relationships and our intimacy with God. If you loved The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, you’ll be nodding along the whole time. In the words of Jon, let’s not say at the end of this, “It was kind of a blur, and then it was over.” The teaching starts at about 44:30.

It’s Okay to Be a Different Kind of Parent During the Pandemic | This is perhaps not the essay you’re thinking it’s going to be. Mary Katherine weaves insight from her husband passing away, leaving her and her two young daughters behind, into advice for parents dealing with our current upheaval. A poignant and lovely piece.

When the Small Things are Everything | Another simply beautiful essay, this time about being a “second responder.” If you’ve been moved by the kindness sprouting everywhere, if you’ve been a part of this kindness in any small way, you’ll love this piece.

Parenting in the Age of Anxiety | Though this is not, strictly speaking, an article focused on coronavirus, it is The Atlantic’s most-recent cover story and couldn’t have debuted at a more relevant time. This is an eye-opening, sobering, and yet hopeful read about the current epidemic of anxiety, focusing on the impact parental anxiety has on children. I think this is a must-read for basically everyone right now.

Have you read anything notable about our current times – something that moved you to action or made you see things in a different light? I’d love to hear. You know I’m always down for a good read!

P.S. Backyard camping was a success! June fell asleep about 10 and woke up with the birds at 6 :) John came inside and promptly crawled into bed next to me, ha!

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Kelly Strawberry
May 5, 2020 9:47 am

I’ve read two of the articles this morning already, and it’s making me miss our articles club so much!!! Thanks for sharing. These are good! :)

May 5, 2020 10:42 am

Ditto to Kelly! Already can’t wait for our next articles club… even if we skip the articles again. The best groups of gals!!

May 5, 2020 12:22 pm

“When the Small Things are Everything” is one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever read. I started to write down favorite lines and basically just wrote the whole piece!

Something I’ve been loving lately: the new “How to Build a Life” column from The Atlantic. I read the first one last week (you can see it here: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/04/how-increase-happiness-according-research/609619/) and it’s really been sticking with me!

Chelsey
May 5, 2020 5:12 pm

When I read the article on anxiety in The Atlantic this month, one of my first thoughts was how I wish we could have articles club to discuss! Miss you ladies!

Abigail Gray
May 6, 2020 8:57 am

I loved When the Small Things are Everything, too and I am feeling that deeply right now. Two of my favorite stories to read right now are this one from the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/inspiring-galvanizing-beautiful-spirit-2020/608308/

and this REALLY fun and heartwarming story on this twitter thread about a little girl going out of her way to spread sincere kindness: https://twitter.com/hughweber/status/1256731692611571712

Kate
May 14, 2020 2:00 pm

Thanks for these article recommendations! I was especially interested in the section at the beginning of Parenting in the Age of Anxiety, which talked about how our generation is doing worse than our parents’ by several financial, health, and environmental benchmarks, and that many Americans expect their children’s generation to fare even worse. I don’t have kids yet, but this is a concern I’d been having long before coronavirus seemed to put all our futures in question. You were so generous with sharing your journey to deciding to have children with us, and I wondered if this was something you and John discussed along the way?

May 15, 2020 7:13 am

I’m also in the time of not reading much anymore – just personal, heart felt emotions from friends and favourite bloggers online. And any fun tips for mamas at home x