One of the few times I went to detention was after summer break, when we were told to write an essay about what we did over the summer. I don’t remember what I wrote, but I do remember taking my ex-crush’s essay, erasing “We went to the beach” and replacing it with “We went to Mars.”
I promise this essay is more truthful.
Life Update
The summer started with my oldest niece's wedding, which, despite years of therapy, I'm still not emotionally prepared to have nieces old enough for. Then we spent three weeks in and around Indiana with my in-laws, my family, and college friends.
Then Jamaica! Some extraordinarily generous people in our community made it possible for our family to spend a week at an all-inclusive resort. Thank you. We're immensely grateful.
I understand some of the all-inclusive hype now. I mostly sat by the pool and the beach, read, and sipped piña coladas. The kids, meanwhile, discovered The Game Show Network, because the true luxury of resort life is free cable. One night we took a boat tour of a luminous lagoon, bioluminescent water that glows wherever you disturb it. I got in and splashed around like Moana. The Rock did not make an appearance, but it was still magical.
August was mostly camp-shuttle duty and more watching, relaxing, and reading. I'm working through Deep Space Nine and the rest of Star Wars: The High Republic, and—believe it or not—I have burnt myself out on Star Wars novels. More on that below.
The whole running-for-fun thing is back, too. I'm consistent again for the first time in a while. I don't think I'll hit my goal of a marathon by my 40th birthday. But maybe a half?
As I wrote in June, I didn't go into this sabbatical carrying baggage or exhaustion. I didn't need to reinvent myself or Enneagram-3 myself into a stack of new projects. Which means my list of "things I accomplished" is short. Fortunately I feel no guilt about it, because there were no goals to fail. Instead, I'm eager to get back to work and ministry. I've also noticed I'm comfortably at a point in life where a pile of external projects doesn't hold the appeal it used to. My marriage, my relationship with my kids, and my own health are the projects. That's plenty.
What I'm Watching and Reading
We watched National Treasure with the kids. What an absurd, entertaining movie. It fails the Bechdel test spectacularly and has more plot holes than a salt shaker. But you can't beat stealing the Declaration of Independence.
Nemesis Games, book five of The Expanse. This series is actually what soured me on Star Wars novels. The High Republic books get the job done: the plot moves, the lightsabers ignite. But they don't come close to The Expanse's characterization or world-building, and the prose isn't in the same weight class. Sorry, High Republic writers. (Nonfiction returns once the sabbatical ends.)
The Last Emperor. A potential "project" I'm toying with: catching up on the movies I've never seen, thanks to a weird, disrupted, and then sheltered childhood. I'm starting with top-grossers and award winners from my birth year (1987) and moving forward. First up was this biographical epic about the last emperor of China. Long, but more watchable than I expected.
Young Sherlock. An Amazon Prime series produced by Guy Ritchie, who made the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies. You kind of have to forget it's a Holmes story, because most of the cliches are missing, which makes sense, since he's young and still learning. With expectations adjusted, it's an absurd-but-fun mystery across ten episodes.
Ted Lasso, season 4. I feel like the magic is back?
Battlestar Galactica. Our friend Bekki and I have talked about re-watching this series for years, dragging Emily along with us. We're finally doing it. The themes are shockingly timeless, especially now—fascist authoritarianism, and our collective inability to care about the repercussions of data centers, technological disruption, and climate change.
Some Favorite Apps Right Now
Runna. A running and training app that's more customizable than anything else I've tried.
FoodNoms. I had gum graft surgery this summer, which meant weeks of avoiding anything hard, tough, or crunchy. I needed to make sure I was getting enough protein and calories without living on milkshakes. FoodNoms has been great for that, and it's nowhere near as scammy as MyFitnessPal.
Does anyone have suggestions for easing into strength training when you hate strength training? Everything I've tried—simple dumbbells with an Apple Fitness video, basic push-ups—I have hated. There has to be an on-ramp for people like me. Hit reply and tell me yours.
