📚 The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers: Cora has a devoted husband and two kids when she feels an instant attraction to a dad at her baby group in the Hudson Valley. The two later kiss, and discuss the possibility of an affair—but ultimately decide not to. At this point, the novel (out today!) splits in two sliding-door scenarios, exploring what their lives look like and what would have happened if they’d made the less ethical choice. A good follow-up if you’re still thinking about ‘All of You’ on Apple TV+.
✨ Vuori Cardigan (buy it used here!): It’s been nearly a year since I bought any new clothes, but when I moved into the van, I realized that there were a few core items I fully forgot to pack (like a long-sleeved top that isn’t a running top). After careful consideration, I bought the ‘Halo Cardigan’ from Vuori, which I love for its multiple capabilities. It’s cute enough to go out in, but is also a fabric that’s comfortable to work out and hike in.
🎥 ‘Good Fortune,’ in theaters: In this new comedy, Aziz Ansari is a down-on-his-luck L.A. gig worker who, thanks to his “budget angel,” played hilariously by Keanu Reeves, trades places with his privileged, white boss (Seth Rogan).
For more recommendations, read this week’s Sunday Edition! And our October book club meets next week over Zoom to discuss All the Way to the River by .
I spent my first morning alone in my van, after my boyfriend flew home, on the phone with customer service. I had ordered a carseat cover for Toast, and had it shipped “general delivery” to a post office, but days after its estimated arrival, it still hadn’t shown up. While on hold, I made a grocery list and mapped out a few errands, looked up a coffee shop to work in, and considered booking a yoga class or making plans with a friend for that evening. Despite waking up in Boulder, Colorado, my day looked suspiciously like one at home in Portland. As Jon Kabat-Zin famously wrote, “Wherever you go, there you are.”
This isn’t a problem in itself—there will be plenty of ordinary, errand-filled days on the road—but I can also see how easily the extraordinary could get lost in old habits. I spent countless hours saving for, planning, and designing this van because I craved adventure, but also because I want this time to shake something loose in me; to challenge the automatic habits and routines I’ve built. I love my life, but I’ve also become hooked on busyness, moving too fast to fully inhabit it.
This year, I hope to settle into a slower rhythm that leaves more room for awe, attention, and rest. I want to understand my own complicity in the things I so often critique and examine here: how easily I get swept back into productivity and Capitalism, even when it doesn’t align with my values. I believe real change is possible, but only if I approach it with intention.
Making a change—whether breaking a benign habit or years-old pattern—takes effort, where staying the same can feel as natural as breathing. Our brains and bodies crave continuity and the familiar feels safe (“This may not be the best option, but at least I know it works.”). Change, on the other hand, is often uncomfortable and destabilizing. It literally rewires the brain, and requires the construction of new neural pathways. It’s no wonder we often only change when we’re forced into it, like when an addiction leads to a “rock bottom.” More often, we reach for the lower-hanging fruits of easier, surface-level shifts: a new outfit, a new home or work project, a new van (ha). If I want this van journey—or any major life change—to provide something deeper for me than a long vacation, I need to create some intentions around it. Read on for:
The plan I’m using to set (and keep!) intentions for this new chapter
How to track your “red, yellow, and green lights”
Journal prompts for reflecting on the life you want to build
The actual intentions I’m setting for myself now
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