Weekend Reading 06.20

On finishing. Plus links for your weekend.

Hi friends. Recently Tom has (gently) pointed out to me that a couple of things around the house could stand to be replaced.

Our bedroom comforter for one, which has passed the soft/broken-in stage and is now just worn. Or the plates of our everyday dishes, more than a few of which have chips.

I’ve got my eyes open for replacements but I’ve learned that I hate having to go in search of things – I prefer they find me when I’m not looking. Like when I make a quick stop into Pottery Barn to see what’s new. Or meander through an antique mall. Or even scroll my Instagram feed.

In the meantime these things aren’t bothering me too much (yet). I think I must be what Gretchen Rubin calls a finisher (vs. an opener).

Ask yourself this question: do you get more satisfaction from opening a new jar of peanut butter or scraping the last bit out of the old one? Now you know if you’re a opener or a finisher.

It doesn’t matter at all, but it’s a fun thing to know about yourself.

When I looked up what Gretchen had to say about opening/finishing I found this: “Perhaps this explains the weird satisfaction I feel when something breaks or is worn out. Why do I like to see the worn spots on our sofa? Why do I like getting a hole in a pair of socks? Perhaps it’s my Finisher nature, delighting in the finish.”

So here I am taking satisfaction in the fact that our comforter has some worn spots that, if I’m honest with you, are actually becoming holes. Or that some of our dinner plates have chips around the rim.

Can we just call the holes and the chips patina? Probably not.

I love our comforter, by the way. Or more specifically, I love the way the comforter works with the rest of our bedding. It’s a retired Ralph Lauren pattern and I have done multiple eBay searches to see if there’s a new one lurking out there somewhere, but no.

The dishes I’m not so in love with so they’ll be easier to replace.

And then there’s the kitchen table whose top is kind of wobbly. The kitchen table I happened upon years ago while meandering through an antique mall, as it turns out. I paid a kid who worked there to deliver it to my house and thought I would paint it but I never did.

It has served us well but now it’s time for a new one. Here’s hoping that one will find me.

A few things I saved to share with you this week:

“I do believe that sometimes people have dreams for you you don’t even have for yourself.” - Colman Domingo

Author-owned bookstores across the U.S. The article includes seven, but readers add more in the comments.

If you are a fan of Aaron Sorkin and/or journalism stories, do you know about the follow-up to The Social Network coming this fall? I’ve got October 8 circled on my calendar.

I get compliments on this dress anytime I wear it. On the way out of a restaurant last Sunday a lady stopped me and asked if I could “give her a little twirl.” lol. It also happens to be the most comfortable thing I own.

The eight best audiobooks of the year so far, according to Modern Mrs. Darcy.

For paid subscribers this week:

Do you get more satisfaction from opening or finishing? Let me know in the comments if you feel like it. :)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Julie