Everyone and their mother, especially their mother, should schedule a day to leave early from work, get a facial, and climb into bed hours before bedtime while it’s raining outside. Everyone.
There is I stayed up too late tired, and there is maybe I’m depressed tired, and then there is I am doing-a-great-work tired. I find it helpful to know the difference.
For nearly two years now, we’ve celebrated Taco Salad Tuesdays in the Kincaid house. There is food and drink and music and dance and if we’re lucky, an evening without arguing. Tonight featured a margarita on the couch, our beloved Hornets basketball, and a special guest… Daddy’s macro lens and a portrait session. Tuesday nights are special nights.
10/10 recommend switching sides of the bed with your partner after years and years. That, and watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding with your kids with a beautiful charcuterie. Happy Valentine’s Day.
On a whim in middle school, I had second holes pierced into my ears during a choir trip in… this whim required a teacher to pose as my mother, after I phoned my real mother and pressured her into it.
On a similar yet different whim, I recently attempted to put earrings through those holes. Interestingly enough, the earrings went in with minimal pain, after decades without attention. I consider it one of the greatest accomplishments of my 30’s to date.
Here’s to the whim.
Over the last two years, I have slowly journeyed to a phrase I use for an idea that, until now, felt difficult to capture simply: my essence.
Essence is more than just a look or an aesthetic or a brand or a style. Essence involves what I wear, yes, but it’s much more than that. Essence looks backward and forward, combining my past teenage self and my future senior self to bring me the vibe of my present moment.
I often ask myself, How would 66 year-old Rachael react to this situation? What would she say matters most? How would she measure beauty? How can we honor her now?
But also, What did we love most about 16 year-old Rachael’s style and attitude? What made her try out for musicals, or choose to dance across the stage year after year? How can we get back there?
Essence is what I come back to. Essence is what makes me feel settled. Essence is swagger and confidence and risk, but it’s also comfort and home and safety. Essence is when I feel comfortable in my skin, because it matches what I know to be true in my bones.
Two candles are lit at the beginning of the meal as a reminder that we are the light of the world. Shabbat shalom.
