Well hello! And happy Monday to you. I hope it’s been a good one. We had a very nice weekend, mostly taking it easy and catching up on sleep, but also seeing friends and exploring the local art museum. I’m finally back at 100% this week and it feels great to have energy again. We discovered that Monica loves being tossed (an inch or so) in the air. She smiles very big and even laughs a little, which is rare. She is a serious baby.

I can’t believe tomorrow starts February! Are you planning anything for St. Valentine’s Day? Budget-friendly ideas are welcome. Anyway, here’s this week’s five.

Think & Drink

This was a tradition that someone started in Charleston. I heard about it and started it up again after the individual moved away, and this weekend we finally hosted our first here in Florida. A Think & Drink is a small gathering of people who want to have a meaningful conversation over drinks. The discussion usually revolves around something related to religion/morality/philosophy. The goal is the pursuit of truth through lively discussion. Debate and contradicting ideas are welcome. This Friday’s was a definitive success. The topic was ‘fraternal correction’, which we took from the Summa Theologiae, question 33 (for St. Thomas Aquinas’ feast day). Fraternal correction is essentially the idea that we all need feedback from time to time, and therefore we are all called to give it every now and then, as an act of love. This is controversial as we are all very averse to confrontation these days (unless it’s over the internet), and for the most part highly sensitive when it comes to criticism. But just like athletes or dancers or singers, we all need correction. The more open we are to receiving it, the faster we will grow and the more others will be open to receiving it, too.

Jordan Peterson

A controversial figure, that’s for sure. I find his candid commentary on culture and ethics refreshing and enlightening. He certainly has thought about things… a lot. He is coming here on Tuesday and Stephen and I are going to see him! It’s been a long time since I went to a live event like this, so just getting out will be a thrill. Even more so, to see him in person, after watching so many videos and reading some of his content will be a surreal experience.

How to Talk about Covid

It’s the elephant in the room that we can’t quite get around. You just never know if the person you’re talking to is going to be on the same page, and it seems that disagreement = death these days. This podcast episode addresses the dicey topic of talking about covid in a reasonable way that I found helpful. We’re all in the same boat, after all. It shouldn’t be taboo and we certainly can’t afford to let it come between us.

Minimalist Mom

I stumbled across this channel on Youtube and have been really enjoying her videos about home organization. A clean house gives me more peace than I can say. Keeping your house tidy might seem like simple enough, but honestly people who have thought about this more have great insights about systems and tricks to help with this undertaking. The bottom line, less stuff = more clean.

Antiquing

I didn’t think we’d be that couple, but here we are. Stephen and I have gone to about half a dozen antique shops since we moved here—and we love it. While a lot of it is junk, and a lot of it we would never need, we have purchased some great pieces at antique shops—including some beautiful art. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt. This weekend we finally got night stands (I had been using a wine rack up to this point…) and some lovely icons at two different antique shops. This unlikely hobby has been quite useful and entertaining for us.

So that’s it! What are you excited for this week?

With love,

Miranda