Bye January: 2+ years on the road, off-leash dogs, etc
Haley (and Scout) here with this month's recap of writing, reading, and other tidbits
Hi! I hope your February is off to a tolerable start. I actually hope (that wonderful thing with feathers) it’s off to a great start—but given the current state of our country and environment, I will settle for tolerable. Scout and I are cheering for you.
Below is my monthly recap, where I round up everything I’ve shared on the Paws and Reflect blog in one place (in lieu of sending you emails for each individual post).
As always, let me know if you have any questions! I’m trying to spend significantly more time on Substack and other writing pursuits than on Instagram lately, so comments here and emails to haley@pawsandreflect.blog are excellent ways to reach me. I really appreciate your support.
Cute Scout photo as a thank you ↓
✏️ What I’ve created lately
Published on the Paws and Reflect blog
Vignettes from a trip to my hometown (personal narrative)
For me, January was dominated by a nine-day solo visit to Wisconsin. It was heart wrenching and heartwarming and many things in between.60,000 miles and two years in our converted van (van life)
Reflections on our time traveling so far, plus a bunch of stats on overnight stays, lodging costs, etc.The siren call of shallow sharing (social media)
Sometimes nuance risks pushing everyone away instead of connecting with everyone in some way.“Under control” off-leash dogs can still be a problem (dogs)
Back on my responsible dog handling soapbox for a minute 🤓“What do you do?” (poetry-ish)
Like… as a job?Is Scout a girl’s name? (communication)
On feeling heardWonder beyond my little black mirror (social media, culture-ish)
Moving into a van amplified my passion for screen-free time—but it's remiss not to acknowledge how often fully logging off isn’t possible in our modern world.Grief memoirs and chronic illness (books, health)
Speed reading sad tales, whispering "thank you" for the feelings, and finally writing about my mom's rheumatoid disease.Short musings I’d have previously posted on social media (tidbits)
My ex got married and I went mad (personal essay)
If he has grown into a loving husband to someone else, then could I have been the darkness?
Featured elsewhere
Walking the Dog Shouldn’t Be a Chore for Kinship
This was one of the very first cold pitches I sent after deciding to “put myself out there more” last summer. It feels so good to see it live on the Kinship site! (More to come: I just submitted my second piece for them last week 🤗)Busting enrichment myths, part one for Juniper
Largely inspired by my podcast chat with Taylor Finton, friend and face behind Bindi’s Bucket List!
📚 What I read last month
Nonfiction
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad ★4
You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie Smith ★3
My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me: A Memoir by Jason Rosenthal ★3
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke ★4
I’ve Tried Being Nice: Essays by Ann Leary ★4
Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship by Catherine Raven ★4
Morningstar: Growing Up With Books by Ann Hood ★4
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell ★5
Fiction
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton ★4
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley ★3
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston ★3
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue ★3
😁 What I’m most excited about
Truthfully, excitement is hard to find right now—and when I do stumble upon the sensation, it’s hard to feel as though I’ve earned it. This is not novel. I also know it’s temporary. But my list of enthusiasm is less robust (and took more effort to create) than usual.
Continuing to figure out what it means to be a “writer” and how I can further improve. When I work with editors at different publications, I get to practice being edited. The process is uncomfortable and also so, so, so necessary for me.
Watching Scout lie in the sun. Lying in the sun with her.
Having the opportunity to think even more about social media. Yeah, I know I’ve been doing that for like a year—but it’s extra salient now. Do I want to get off Instagram all the way (especially in light of recent Meta goings-on)? Is questioning why some of my posts get eight likes after three hours and others get 1,000 after one remotely worth it? How can I better structure this blog to connect with people the way I want (when I currently feel I still rely on IG for that)?
Making homemade key lime pies when we drive farther south this month. I love the Space Coast—but I’m itching to move on and better embrace the location flexibility that was the whole point of living in a van.
Writing lists of kind things people have said/done (like the guy on an airplane who offered my crying niece some of his own snacks) and referring to them as needed.