Welcome to the fifth volume of The Savour Stack.
A thoughtful collection of 10 “things” that made me pause, ponder, and peruse. Whether for one delicious moment or as a current ongoing wonderment. Things, thoughts, books, ideas, tastes, observations, music, etc… that prompted me to slow my roll so I could lovingly savour them.
Let yourself be inspired, delighted, amused, or, at the very least, briefly entertained by the thought of them.
New leaves + fresh rain = pure delight — Our Bird of Paradise just sprouted a grand new leaf and it was a joy to watch it beautifully roll open. What made it even more joyful was witnessing the new leaf after a good rainstorm. Post-storm, when everything feels cleansed and scrubbed anew, unpredictable pearls of rainwater anoint the young ribs of the leaf. I strummed my finger along them, listening to this new rhythm of life with pure wonder. Welcome to the world new leaf.
Vivian Maier - I’m not sure how I happened across the life and work of Vivian Maier recently (and I’m equally unsure how I missed ever hearing about her before now). Her story is a curious enigma. In case you are in the dark like I was: she was a nanny and an American street photographer, whose work was only discovered and praised after she died. But even more mysterious, she never developed or shared any of her photos while she lived. Boxes and trunks full of undeveloped film were auctioned off after her death and sold to John Maloof who, by chance, began to develop them and set about puzzling together the bizarre life that she led in the film Finding Vivian Maier. Utterly fascinating.
Komorebi - A beautiful Japanese word that roughly means “sunlight leaking through trees”. One of the most subtle, ethereal, and beautiful phenomena (in my honest opinion). Easily encountered during a walk in the woods, I find it even more compelling when we can witness komorebi indoors. As a biophilic human, I’m always curious about the ways that we can bring the outdoors in. And the ways that they organically do so themselves. I was reminded of komorebi and the influence it can have on a home space in this recent article by Mayer Rus.
“Look at What The Light Did Now” song by Little Wings — While thinking about komorebi — cue this song.
Sunset siren song - (Almost) every evening these days I’ve been seduced by the sunset siren song. The song that lures me from whatever I’m doing at the time and draws my gaze outside, in a desperate need to see the sunset. The song that won’t let me look away until the fiery colors have begun to dissipate into the increasing darkness of night. The song that ceases the ability to become distracted while it’s being played. The song that demands my full reverential presence. The song that feels so familiar but is never quite the same each night.
“Garamond” Google search - Several weeks ago I followed one of those random “thought trails” (which can easily become wormholes) and happened across one of those “Easter eggs” of the world wide web. I was musing about different types of fonts and their origins, which led me to think about one of my favorites (Garamond) and the desire to learn more about it. When I typed it into Google search, I was surprisingly delighted to discover the entire search results had changed into Garamond! I don’t know much about web coding, so I’m not sure how easy this is to do, but it felt like one of those out-of-the-way things that someone does for the sheer creative joy of it - knowing that they might delight a random person who encounters it (which they most certainly did in this case).
“Reunion” painting by Frank Howell — I feel like somehow this painting has been buzzing around my periphery for a while now. And then, all of a sudden, here it is, in my line of vision with my full attention. If I close my eyes and hold my hands out, I can almost feel the hummers surrounding me too. Thank you for sharing your gift, Frank.
Summer Solstice by Nina MacLaughlin - I discovered and fell in love with Nina MacLaughlin’s essays Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice this year and I could not recommend them more. She perfectly captures the essence of these pivotal times of year, what they feel like, what they look like, and the memorable moments + rituals we practice around them (whether consciously or unconsciously). She writes in such a way that somehow her memories feel like my memories too. Like she is writing from a place of collective understanding that this is what this time of year must feel like. And for me, it rings true. One of my favorite quotes from Summer Solstice:
“Let’s return to the screen door slamming, bare feet on the porch, peach juice sticky on the chin, sun on the back of your neck. You can return to a time of more time. Summer brings the memory of summer, a gentle flight backward. It’s the season when a person can feel their wingspan again.” - Nina MacLaughlin
Wind Phones — I just recently learned about Wind Phones and was immediately taken by the idea. I randomly came across a post by Jamie Lee Curtis who shared that her friends had recently created one in Joshua Tree, CA in honor of their children who tragically passed away. In essence, a Wind Phone is an unconnected telephone booth created as a place for people to communicate with loved ones who have passed on and process their grief. Originally created in Japan, Wind Phones now exist all over the globe and there is even an online directory to find (and list) a Wind Phone. The concept resonates with me so much (on many levels) and, synchronistically enough, there happens to be one near the city I’m moving to soon.
Lucky sea beans - On the same note of moving soon, I made sure to take one last trip (for now) to my favorite local shell shack before I leave. I had my sights set on getting a big conch shell (which I found!) for my new home. But I also happened across a small box of “lucky sea beans”. I picked one up and the store owner immediately chimed in with their beautiful story: these “beans” can float across entire oceans intact. Naturally buoyant with a smooth and well-protected shell, it is considered good luck to find them washed up on the shore. It felt like the perfect token to take with me as I “float” to my next destination (which right now feels oceans apart).
What have you been savouring lately? Would love to know if you feel inspired to share.
xx
Heather