In Summation | February 2023

Making time for play, creating rituals, & reading short and long books

Hey, reader!

February was a whirlwind and a very good month…that ended with another illness for me a Lou 😩 Writing through the fog of yet another cold, I can still recognize that this is a month where I read great books (how often do we get to add new lifetime favorites to our mental lists?!) and found myself feeling reinvigorated professionally with the launch of my Reading in Public series. Getting to see Louise light up around her family from her 2.5-year-old cousin to her 98-year-old great grandpa was also a major highlight. And I feel like I reached a new level of parenthood after successfully traveling cross-country with her solo—she was unbelievably kind to me sleeping for large portions of each flight but I think I still get to wear that particular badge of honor.

At the same time this month I’ve been struggling with some serious feelings of overwhelm and have realized I’m mourning the loss of leisure time. In today’s In Summation, I’m thinking through what leisure time means now that my hobby has become my job and considering how I can make time for play and fun in my busy schedule. I’m also sharing some personal thoughts on rereading childhood classics, what I love about our new family shabbat ritual, and the balanced reading approach that worked for me this month. I’m also sharing lists of some rather long and rather short books I love—from this months reads and beyond.

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