Hi friends,
How are you feeling these days? Rushed? Taking your time? Missing summer? Over this past weekend, I made a note to write you about slowing down. I’m reading a lot about slowing down these days. Does this ever happen to you? You bump into an idea as if you were running into your old friend in a small town and it’s the second or third time this has happened, so you’re tempted to say something corny — “We can’t keep meeting like this!” This is the way I feel when I read about slowing down. “Hello again,” I say in my soul. Like a recurring dream visiting me under moonlight, like a familiar friend waving a hand, the word “slowly” retraces its steps to me, again and again.
This one is from Meghan Palmer’s thirty pieces of unsolicited advice, “Budding love, red sauce, evening walks—most things are better when done slowly. Try not to rush so often. In the wise words of André De Shields, slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to go.” Most things are better when done slowly. I loved this so much that I wrote it in my notebook. It’s becoming a comforting mantra for impatience and for the inevitable moments when I spill things on my kitchen counter because I’m trying to do too many things at once.
The next appearance comes from Chloé In Newsletter who shared a popular tweet suggesting that we should be slowmaxxing: reading long, fat books, making 48-hour chocolate chip cookies, spending hours in nature, spending fifteen minutes or more making your coffee, spending more time breathing.
And in the latest Maybe Baby, Haley Nahman asked, “Who says speed-reading 200 YA novels is better than reading one book slowly and thoughtfully, and then reading it again?” This made me question my 60+ book reading goal for the year.
It feels natural that, at the start of September, we’re questioning whether we need to change speeds. Maybe it’s the change of the seasons sending us down similar channels of thought. Maybe it’s my algorithm, my little online bubble, influencing me. Maybe the universe simply wants to make sure I get the message. Most things are better when done slowly. And so when I have a morning like the one I had today, waking up an hour late, my dog vomiting just as I raise my coffee mug to my lips, unfinished conversations because there’s simply no time and the day must begin, I’m reminding myself there is somewhere I can slow down if I take a moment to see it. Maybe I can’t spend hours reading a massively long book while laying in the sand with the sound waves breaking on the shore all around me (as much as I would love to), but there’s always a second for a deep breath and there’s always beach ambiance videos on YouTube.
In an effort to slow down in my writing process, I’m returning to handwriting for personal journaling and for outlining and writing shorter scenes in my novel. Google Docs, Scrivener, and Microsoft Word are all programs I love, but I’m finding that slowing down with a pen in hand is letting me capture words that would otherwise run out of reach in a second, and there’s something pleasant about not looking a blinking cursor, taunting me, on a blank digital page.
— Alyssa
Thank you for reading!
I send a Mood Ring letter out every Tuesday. Please forward it along to anyone you think would enjoy it. And if you’d like to check in with me, I can be reached: alysrochwrites@gmail.com.
Mood Reads
For a cozy, happy mood read I recommend “Petal To The Metal” by Courtney Kae from The Heartbeat Newsletter. This short, sweet story has flower puns, great characters, and a happily-ever-after.
I’m Baking . . . with pumpkin, of course. It’s pumpkin season, so I thought I’d share my favorite fall dessert (it’s also perfect for any time of the year). I bake Baran Bakery’s Pumpkin Sheet Cake from their “Pumpkin Chai Sheet Cake” recipe, but instead of their brown-butter cream cheese chia icing, I make a plain cream cheese frosting. Other times I have topped it with homemade whipped cream, a drizzle of ginger honey, or eaten it as-is. This cake really can go with any type of topping you enjoy!
On a side note, I found myself in a discussion about the best ice cream toppings with a Trader Joe’s team member the other day. “Have you ever thought about the last time you had sprinkles on ice cream?” They asked. I thought about all those times as a child when I begged my parents for toppings on a dessert, and now that I have full decision-making power to put sprinkles on my ice cream, I never do it! I need to remedy this.
I’m Writing . . . a story set in a small coastal town. When I started my novel, I was convinced it would be set in the rainy pacific northwest, taking place mainly in Seattle, but lately, when I write scenes, it feels more natural for my characters and their story to be set in a small fictional California town, beaches and sun and all. Most of my inspiration is coming from Monterey, CA, which is not far from my hometown. I’ve also started making a mood board on Pinterest. It’s helping me get over some mental blocks when my creativity levels feel absolutely empty.