On finishing a rough draft & how much your kindness meant

Plus a trip to the lake, books & shows, & great places to donate

First, I was really moved by the response to my last post, especially the part about feeling vulnerable and struggling to finish the rough draft of the cookbook I’ve been working on—thank you! It was a lovely reminder that we’re all more alike than we are different, that we’re all carrying something heavy whether it’s visible or not, and that what connects us is our humanity, our tender spots, our struggles. Again, thank you!

I’ve learned over the years that one of the best places for me to deep dive in a creative project is at our family’s cottage in Michigan, and as the deadline approached, I booked a flight very much hoping that that pattern would hold true.

The couple days before the trip were full of tears and frustration, and I texted my family ahead of time—warning, I’m coming in pretty wound up! The first night I arrived, they all joined me on the cottage porch to watch the sunset but left me early so that I could get some much-needed sleep—and I think I was asleep before the sun even fully set!

The next couple days, I worked and watched the water and paced and scribbled on index cards. I walked up and down the long gravel driveway, working things out in my mind. I went up and down the beach stairs, typed and typed, puttered and wandered and then on Thursday afternoon, all of a sudden, earlier than I expected, I realized I was done!

All the puzzle pieces came together and I felt such a wild rush of relief—you know it’s going to happen, that creative projects always do eventually get finished, but also your mind starts to play tricks, and you do sometimes think it will never happen again for you.

I went for a long walk in the woods with my mom, and my brother took us on a late-season boat ride, all the way up the river, the colors of the trees on the river bank absolutely stunning us. I loved the cool, clear evenings with my family, the perfect balance to the sort of kooky, intense, rabbit-hole writing days. And I loved the crisp air, the lake, the sky, the leaves, the wind—another perfect balance, a respite from the buzz and noise of city life.

apple cake, NYC marathon, Rucola--yum!