Sunshine, Creative Projects and Reading Recs

Sketching break at the Seattle Asian Art Museum

My firstborn instigating a tween homework-burning party in a friend’s front yard.

Hi friends,

I’m finding some renewed energy with Seattle finally drying out a bit and teasing us with some sunshine. I even got motivated to do some yard cleanup over the weekend (very rare for me these days) and I was reminded of how much I enjoy doing projects with my hands with a tangible result. It’s solo and meditative and satisfying, even when you end up with blackberry thorn scratches covering your arms. These are the same reasons why I think I enjoy baking so much, but in this case it had the benefit of some much-needed Vitamin D.

Caregiving can be very mentally and emotionally taxing, as well as physical, and rather than working toward an end result, you’re mostly keeping things (people) afloat, and doing repetitive tasks - there is no cleaned up yard to admire or tasty treat to enjoy when you’re done. In fact, you are never really done. And caregiving is by nature a group project vs. a solo one. There are many rewarding aspects of caring, it’s just very different. Creative, hands-on projects, to me, are the perfect complement.

This week I’m sharing some reading suggestions as I continue to work on more in-depth essays, and solo parent three kids during spring break - send thoughts & prayers your legislators messages about affordable care!

📰 Caregiving in the Media

I’m excited to share that on Saturday I had an essay published on Business Insider, about how I was thrust into sandwich caregiving, and sharing a few things I’ve learned along the way. The story may not be anything new for those of you who have been reading this newsletter for a while, but it’s fun to share with a wider audience and I hope it piques interest in the topic of caregiving.

Fellow sandwich caregiver

Courtney Martin

shared her story in the LA Times, tying it to the heartbreaking story of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. She makes a compelling call to action for adult day programs, particularly for those with dementia.

🏥 Care Economy Resource Hubs

I’m working on an essay about the possibilities and complexities of care privatization and profit. If you want to read about how market-based solutions to the care crisis is being looked discussed on a global level, check out The Care Economy Knowledge Hub. It uses the 4R framework to look at impact: Recognize, Reduce, Reward and Redistribute.

The Holding Co also has great resources on market based care solutions, with a US focus. Their interactive investin.care website allows visitors to explore different areas for potential investment, market size, care service and product design, and more.

📚 Books

[FICTION] Last month I read Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, which was recently made into a film (that I haven’t seen yet). It was one of the more bizarre books I’ve read in a long time, but also pretty fun. Essentially, an artist and mother to a toddler finds herself transforming into a dog. It hits the nail on the head in its descriptions of motherhood’s inevitable identity shifts and rollercoaster emotions, but flips them into a weirdly funny, magical realist jaunt.

[NON FICTION] I just finished The Electricity of Every Living Thing by Katherine May. This is a “woman goes on a long walk to figure things out” book, in the vein of Wild. Katherine is a British, middle-aged woman with a husband and kid who realizes that she is Autistic. I found it really interesting to read the perspective of someone who is Autistic describing the process of suspecting, diagnosing, and reflecting on her past and present experiences and challenges. I have to say though, she did NOT make the South West Coast Path sound particularly appealing! And it was ‘not appealing’ in the same way that my neurospicy kid would describe many things as they are happening, even if you know they are kind of enjoying it and will reminisce about it fondly later on. Might have to bookmark that topic for a later newsletter…

That’s what I have for you this week, friends. Next week you can expect some Mother’s Day-themed musings. Until then, let me know in the comments if you have any good reading recommendations - especially books!

xo Anna