Kimberly Hirsh
Everybody writes about being the mother of a baby. But what about being the mother of a big kid? You are this new version of yourself, integrated with the old, out of the early fog, free of the strange combination of portentousness and tedium. But you are still postpartum, you are eternally postpartum. You matresced, you are no longer becoming a mother but you are a mother. What is unique at this stage? Are you still annihilated? Is your life still kintsugi? Do you live in fragments? I think yes, but the fragments are bigger now. You have more time for yourself but you remain available, vulnerable, to interruption at any moment. You still steal your moments for self from sleep. The quiet of the sleeping house is still a precious time.
I’ve been conducting inventory on our 5000ish volume school library and it’s been going well. It’s surprisingly physical work. Today my arms don’t like it and I’m having to take more breaks than I have previously. This is an example of the variable disability of chronic illness. ♿
Crucial Track for June 3, 2025
"The Book of Love" by The Magnetic Fields
What song would you use to describe your current relationship?
The first song that came to mind was Riki Lindhome's "Middle Age Love," because we've been together for almost 27 years and still find each other super attractive. But I wanted a less explicit choice so I picked "The Book of Love." It's long and boring, like our relationship might look to people outside of it, but I love so much of what my husband does.
Crucial Track for June 4, 2025
"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers
Describe the perfect song for a road trip and why it works.
This song starts every road trip our family takes, as an homage to its use in How I Met Your Mother. The driving beat is perfect for that early road trip energy.
🔖 Read The real reason Musk retreated by Daniel Hunter (Waging Nonviolence).
This article about the power of collective action really made me feel hopeful.
Finished reading: Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey 📚
A fascinating book about what our ghosts say about us.
📚💬📝 “Tending to your body and mind is a way to tend to your work.” Sarah Fawn Montgomery, Nerve: Unlearning Workshop Ableism to Develop Your Disabled Writing Practice
📚💬📝 “A disabled life is a life interrupted.” Sarah Fawn Montgomery, Nerve: Unlearning Workshop Ableism to Develop Your Disabled Writing Practice
Finished reading: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera 📚
Another re-read. I basically cried through the last two chapters.
📚💬 “In that moment Manuela began counting her blessings to have found friends who not only came to the rescue but who knew there was no problem in life one could not tackle armed with good cheese and champagne.” Adriana Herrera, An Island Princess Starts a Scandal