Ecstatic December
11 things bringing me sanity and joy in the fullest of months
Ah, December: the month that feels like four weeks packed into two. Does it feel that way to you? I’m feeling it more than ever at the end of 2023, the year I will forever remember as the one that sprinted by. As I sincerely asked last week on Instagram, “What is time?”
I don’t have an answer, but I do have a random assortment of things that have been making this fullest of months a little more ecstatic. This idea was inspired by my friend Ali’s monthly specials in her wonderful newsletter
, the recent TikTok trend “Random Things That Have Made My World Better,” and my love of a good tangent. (Note: The word “love” appears in this list 20 times. Hope you feel all of it.)I’ve chosen 11 for the highly strategic reason that it’s my favorite number. And today is the 11th! That seems like a good sign. So without further ado and in no particular order, let’s list!
P.S. Make sure you scroll to the end for a few “you heard it here first” announcements.
"The Orange" by Wendy Cope
I thought I’d begin and end with poetry, because it always feels like an open door to somewhere good. Recently, I was texting with a friend who was heading back to LA through a labyrinth of delayed flights and missed connections, and I sent her this poem by Wendy Cope (which is also the title of a new book of her work):
At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.
“So unusual,” my friend texted back, “To have a poem about, just, actual happiness. Surprising but gentle, unmitigated happiness.” I couldn’t have said it better.