The blog post I can't bring myself to write

Hey readers, I can't tell you how many times I've thought about sitting down to write a "what I learned" post in these pandemic times, times that happened to coincide with profound personal changes, and how many times I've set the idea aside. I used to write these posts regularly, about [what I've learned in a month, or a season; sometimes in a whole year](). In some ways, writing what I've learned is easy. Like, right now my daughter is three rooms over singing "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and do you know why? I do, and I learned it in August: because Miley Cyrus covered it, and that's the only reason my daughter and all her friends know anything at all about Poison, the heavy metal band that was popular when I was in grade school. Boom, done. But in other ways, writing how I'm evolving in my thinking about life is serious stuff. And writing what I've learned on that front this year, or last ... it feels pretentious to me. The idea puts me in mind of a particular category of book I abhor: the memoir written too soon, without the benefit of time, or the perspective of a long lens. But to live is to learn. These past eighteen, nineteen months I've been learning (how could I not?)—and yet I feel, before those lessons have time to become something solid, I'm having to unlearn and relearn and reconsider them, and then begin the whole thing again. I love blogging's ability to capture a moment in time, and yet I don't know what I might accomplish by capturing that in words, here in this space. But the gift of this blog, to me—and it is a gift, no question—is that it compels me to ask myself the questions. Questions like, What am I learning? In the process of doing so, I've wondered if perhaps I'm asking myself the wrong question; if the better one isn't, What do I know? Even that has proved changeable. One of the best-titled books I've ever read is Dorothy Allison's brutal little memoir [Two or Three Things I Know for Sure](). I still can't get over the title, how much meaning it holds in a handful of words. It comes from something her Aunt Dot used to say: "Lord, girl, there's only two or three things I know for sure ... Only two or three things. That's right. Of course it's never the same things, and I'm never as sure as I'd like to be." But here's what I do know: were I to write down what I've been learning, I'd tell you about the hummingbirds. How my husband Will moved the feeder from under the big tree in the backyard (the one the cicadas loved) to just outside the kitchen window, and now they're humming away at eye level all day long. We're giant dorks around here (you knew that already) and every time anyone spies a hummingbird they yell Hummingbird! and we all race to see. They're there all day long; it's not even novel anymore—and yet I feel (I know?) that it's vital not to lose the wonder, and so I make myself come look every time, and I don't turn away while they're at the feeders. If I wanted to capture what I'm learning at this moment in time, I would say I'm learning that even when you're tired and spent, it's worth the tiny bit of effort to [give this sort of magic a nudge](=), because simple, uncomplicated delight isn't easy to come by. That might even be a thing I know for sure. Superlatives: Y'all, there are a zillion things going on in the MMD/WSIRN universe and this is a tiny sampling: • My favorite blog post: [8 (mostly) little things I'm loving for mid-summer](, because I always love these slice-of-life posts. • Best conversation: [How do you feel about long books](? The short answer: it's complicated. • Pure Gold Comments Section Award: [More favorite things to buy at Trader Joe's](. I had a blast shopping for your recs yesterday! • Most popular book list: [12 narrative nonfiction books to satisfy your sense of adventure](=). Much to my surprise, but I like it! • Most fun podcast conversation: [Backlist and brunch](. Mind-blowing books, mood reading, and Philadelphia love. • Most helpful podcast: [Streamline your digital TBR](. I had no idea how much readers needed this! So glad these tips are working for you. • [MMD Book Club selection]() I can't wait to read next: [If We Were Villains]() by M.L. Rio. Choosing favorites is impossible so I'm going with our September selection; I can't wait to chat with the author later this month. Two weeks till blast-off: [My new book journal My Reading Life](=) is hitting shelves in just two weeks! Thanks so much to those of you who have preordered. Real talk: [this fourth quarter is shaping up to be a hot mess](=) for retail and if you are at all inclined to order this book, please place those preorders now. Doing so really tips the odds in favor of you getting your book when you want it—and other readers getting their journals, too. If you'd like a signed copy, please preorder from my local indie, [Carmichael's Bookstore](=). I'm headed in this week to sign a big batch of preorders, and will likely drop by again before publication day. Thank you so much for your support for this journal and all my work. It's everything. I hope this newsletter finds you well, friends. Happy reading! Anne P.S. Oh goodness, I almost forgot, but speaking of things I've learned: [my third book]([Don't Overthink It]( is on sale across all digital platforms for less than two bucks right now. [Get your copy here](=) or wherever you get your ebooks. = © Anne Bogel | 291 N Hubbards Ln Ste 172-225, Louisville, Kentucky 40207 [Unsubscribe from all MMD emails](