Shanah Tovah (almost)! Hug your mother. And tell me about your towels. This is where we are.
Reflections from a week where dear friend and sister friend lost their own mother too soon, and not at all gently. We wished her on to a peaceful place, with the heaviest of hearts; hearts so heavy because she filled them with LOVE, for all of us, in more ways than she’ll ever know. And that, we’re all so lucky to carry forward. M and L, you are the embodiment of everything beautiful and magnificent that we knew your mother to be, and you pass that on to your own children, and that beauty lives on, in all of you. We love you.
I walked in from services to my own mother and kids. And I just counted my blessings, big time. Our home is still not done. Parts of it are beautiful. Some of it is maybe 80% done? The rest is dug-out work just beginning and half-finished work and the whole of it is full of sawdust and boxes, but less so only because my own mother has been here for weeks helping us settle all dust, move and clean, and loving her grandchildren, and me like only a mother does. And our friends. Oh my goodness. Friends just keep showing up for an hour here and there and doing what they can to help the progress and to fill us back up with love and more energy, and laughter. Always laughter. And then they leave. And then they come back. And we’re just so freaking lucky.
I’m looking forward to this new year. For so many reasons. And wishing you all a good new year as well. Whether you are Jewish, Jew “ish”, or not at all, when someone offers you an apple, honey, and a happy new year: just take it. Always.
Far less serious, and yet also real reflections on the old and the new:
Once upon a time, I was on the hunt for the perfect bath towels. They needed to be the right size; not too big, not too small. I like an oversized towel, but something short of a bath sheet. I like towels to be thick and fluffy, but not so thick they never air dry, and not so fluffy that they shed all over your newly clean body. And I like my towels white. Therefore, every so often, they require bleach; and not all towels can stand up to bleach over time. Oh, and they need to be “affordable.” It’s actually super easy to find towels that meet my requirements if you are willing to spend $80-$100 on a towel. I am not. So 10 years ago (Dear Lord) I found them. We as a family, extended family, and many guests and friends have gotten our use of those towels over the past decade, for sure. But ten years, and 4 moves later, it was, sadly, time for them to retire to the rags bag.
I repeated the search. I wouldn’t have if not for my respect for Gloria Steinem. If not for that incident, I would have just ordered the very same ones right-up, and looked forward to another 10 years of bath towel bliss. But there was that, and so I’ve been on strike from Lands End for 2+ years. My search ended me back in the very same place. They are just the best quality, best priced towels, and they were on sale (25% off with code: ROSE). So I sold my soul, and bought them in many multiple sets, because that also decreases the expense. I’ve since been repeating to myself, in my own mind, over and over, the wise beyond his years words of my friend Davis, “there is no ethical consumption in capitalism.”
Right. But ouch. And ugh.
So I’m putting it out there to you, sweet, well informed readers: what is your favorite bath towel? And why?
And for that information, I’ll trade you some other HOME Decor fun on sale this weekend. And wish you and your families a great weekend full of love and a very Happy New Year to come full of many blessings. xoxo A
