In 1987, REM was a cool new indie band and the year they released The End of the World. I was twelve in 1987 and just beginning to discover “cool indie bands” like Modern English and just barely - and reluctantly - leaving behind playing Barbie Dream House after school. Barbies were out, kissing was cool, and new music came out on tapes and CDs. I was introduced to REM in high school by friends Adam1 and Mark.

When we could finally drive, we drove around Omaha in an old car with the windows rolled down, where I was further introduced to Depeche Mode, U2, and Erasure (an obsession that lasted all summer and played on repeat on my yellow walkman). The music needed to be loud and we had to go fast enough that the wind blew our hair back and we could sing over the music without being embarrassed and then look at each other and laugh.

In those days, if the car was really fancy, the doors and windows were electric and the tape flipped over by itself. Hearing REM reminds me of those hot and humid summer days. And sometimes, the lyrics of The End of the World will randomly run through my mind.

It’s the end of the world as we know it

It’s the end of the world as we know it

It’s the end of the world as we know it

and I feel fiiiiiine.

This song is oddly comforting, as it was in 1987, when the world was falling apart…or was it? Maybe cable news was just exploding.

Somewhere, for someone, the world is always falling apart. And somewhere, for someone, it’s the best day of their entire life. Earth School is ________________ (I’m going to let you fill in the blank because I don’t have just one good adjective).

I don’t write songs, but I’m dropping some art here because making art is an act of creation, it’s active and it’s hopeful when there are so many things happening that are not beautiful, only destructive and hateful, and make me feel so so sad.2

Most of Sunday afternoon was spent sitting in my study staring at art supplies until I finally just picked up a pencil to silence the imposter voices in my head. The more paint on paper, the more colored pencils, the more hand on brushes, the more the imposter voices saying there is nothing you can do to change anything became a little less loud. And this is when I finally understood the phrase, “making art is an act of rebellion.”

This poem slays me to pieces. I want to recreate it with more beauty and paint. an old drawing that I like more now than I did then… Keeping a visual journal would be a really fun way to mark time. I’m especially proud of my watercolor pumpkins, the tree not so much…why is it so hard to draw a tree?

Inspiration this week came from who creates and posts her visual journals and who recently wrote about gathering artists as a “call to action.” Ya’ll, I’m no professional, but I do have colored pencils and crayons.

There’s inspiration everywhere. I’m always drooling over and ‘s work (check out their Letters to a Dead Author collaboration). I love how talks about dropping out of medical school and picking up a pen and now he’s got his first book coming out and is teaching others.

If it really is the end of the world as we know it, at least we went down putting some beauty into the world…

Be a rebel. Make something. Color. Write. Sing your heart out. Tell me about it.

Amy 💖

p.s. eat your yogurt3

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The Last Part:

Listening: To the sound of leaves through wind after the sun has set on a blood red sky.

Writing: Still working through the latest draft…almost at the 75% mark which is the “all is lost” moment and it really is sad.

Eating: These cheesy egg bites. High protein, really fast, so delicious. I add sauteed mushrooms and spinach which stretches the recipe to seven. Since the kids are gone, they last me all week!

Reading: Outlive by Peter Attia, MD

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is part-mystery, part understanding of the human heart 💖

Ten Thousand Tries is Golden’s quest to save his dad and the soccer team ⚽

The McNifficents is one summer with six rambunctious kids and their miniature-schnauzer nanny 🐕 New Hampshire’s 2024 Great Reads for Kids selection!

1

Adam had a crush on me, my sister had a crush on Mark, and I was pining after Aaron Horn who was dating Tris. Unrequited love all around. I just thought you should know :).

2

The shooting at the Michigan church hit close to home. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I know the inside of that church. I can imagine the scene of shielding babies, small children, and people you’ve loved and served…my heart aches. And turns to fury. America has a serious gun problem.

3

Last week I shared a picture of my fruit and yogurt bowl that I eat nearly everyday for lunch. And that same week, a 101 year old woman shared her secret to longevity: YOGURT three times a day…