A Tuesday Catch-Up Post
How the screen break is going, Thanksgiving, & some self-promotion
Hello, & Happy almost-Thanksgiving!
Two weeks ago, I shared that I was going dark—that is, quitting my social media apps— for the rest of the year. I thought I’d share here a bit about how that is going.
But first, did you notice? This is my third consecutive Tuesday of publishing on Substack! yay! Committing to a regular posting schedule was one of my goals with this break, so I’d like to officially make it official: New posts on Tuesdays!
As for the other goals I mentioned in that post:
Finish some 2025 reads:
I doubt I’ll finish Diary of a Country Priest or Middlemarch by the end of 2025, though I have been reading them in my usual short bursts with somewhat more frequency. I also picked up Searching For And Maintaining Peace and am almost through it. For years, I had been operating under the assumption that I had already read it, but turns out I was confusing it with Uniformity with God’s Will. Oops! Anyway, it was recommended on yet another podcast, and happened to be on my shelf.
On that note, podcasts have (predictably) become somewhat of a crutch in this social-media free time. The pull of the distraction machine is strong. Oh, and I did delete the Substack app within 48 hours. Timelines gonna timeline.
Christmas shopping (and wrapping?) done by Thanksgiving! (ambitious)
Too ambitious. But shopping is mostly done. Just gotta get to the wrapping.
Spend more time with my kids, like really with them, not just sitting or standing near them.
I think I’ve been doing this more, but sort of like the reading, it’s short bursts. It’s hit and miss. It’s reminding myself to take the dang earbuds out of my ears and just sit and do a puzzle with them.
Be more attentive to God’s voice
Probably should’ve included (at leat to myself) some ideas for “how I plan to do this” with this goal, but I’d say I’m getting there. Excited to begin Advent next Sunday with what feels like a little “head start” on the silence.
Probably the biggest challenge I’m noticing is whether this break is about silence and being more present, or whether it’s about wasting less time and getting! more! done! I’d really like to try to make it about the former, the problem is there is just a lot to be done—all the time!
Advent is needed.
Thanksgiving
Thursday is Thanksgiving, which means we’re supposed to reflect on what it is we are thankful for. Of course there are any number of things I could share, but the first that comes to mind is Kindergarten Turkey crafts.
My youngest and I just capped off a week of Thanksgiving themed activities through the public/homeschool hybrid program he’s a part of through our local district. We made hand turkeys and learned the word “cornocopia.” We read about the pilgrims and learned facts about turkeys. I know he will be more than happy to next year be in a “real” Kindergarten classroom with a teacher that isn’t just Mom, but I’m so thankful for this extra special year with him.
In Case You Missed Them:
In keeping with the plan to post every Tuesday, I’m flirting with the idea of making every other week’s post like this one, i.e. mostly a life-update covering miscellaneous topics. These are (theoretically) easier to write and will (hopefully) allow me more time and space to develop the drafts that feel not quite there yet.
I see other substackers using posts like these to link to other articles—either their own or to other writers’—and I just think that looks like fun. So here are some posts of my own that I’m proud of, in case you missed them.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!