on slower living, creative joy, and reveling in the weirdness of retrograde season
yes, we can have nice things // 11
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Hello lovely!
New here? yes, we can have nice things. is a twice-monthly “running list” of of reasons why humans can have nice things. This is a space of both positivity and reframing “things” that may not at first seem positive; it features poems, stories, art, podcast episodes, articles or (good) news items, ritual practices, signs from the Universe, submissions from readers, and more.
If you’re interested in sharing a submission to nice things. please email yours to kimiawrites@gmail.com to potentially be featured. You can also drop shorter submissions in the comments. I’m happy to cite you by name and link out to your Substack or other email newsletter if you have one. Rather be anonymous? Just let me know.
This week’s edition includes plenty of book recommendations; Substack essays on creative joy and recovery from addiction; discussion of the concept of slow living; and more.
1. What does it mean that so many people are being turned on to the slower living movement at this time? So many of us are feeling the need to step away from screens, and away from the harried and frenetic energy of the grind and its glamorization.
While I was planning for my travels, and even while I was abroad I could feel the temptation of using my movement from place to place as an exit strategy. A way out from being in my brain, sitting with myself via throwing myself into the strangenesses of foreign locales. I’ve realized that I did not start out moving from place to place in a more intentional way.
See also: I was busy with the work of hurtling myself through the world, pinballing my way through Asia, letting loose a long-held breath or two in Italy, then Greece. See also also: Asia is a blur, but by the time I reached Italy I felt a very real desire to attune myself to the energy of Tuscany, to drop in and follow its slower pace—and that desire stayed with me through the rest of my travels.
And it has remained, perhaps is, surprisingly, flowering even more since I’m back in the States. A very small part of me still pushes against it—through a little voice that insists, “I need to get things done now now now NOW!”—but a larger, more vocal part of me has taken charge. And trust me, she stays doing the throat chakra work. She is getting louder all the time, and I like listening to her.
2. Perhaps this is a separate thing entirely, but for me the concepts are interwoven, partially braided into one another. I’m writing of the “soft girl” aesthetic, which started out as a viral microtrend on TikTok (what else is new), full of pastel shades and hyperfeminine fashion. It has since evolved, though. I like to think of it as a reclaiming of gentleness, kindness, vulnerability, and of feeling into our emotions in a world that often seeks to make us hard.
3. In the last edition of nice things. I shared that I was in the midst of reading Sarah Winham’s Still Life, and upon finishing I couldn’t recommend it more. One of those books, like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, that I wish I could read for the first time all over again.
4. If you, too, missed Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic when it was published in 2020, I’d like to gently nudge you in its direction. I felt I could really sink my teeth into the lite gothic horror elements, especially the sensation of somnambulant creepiness pervasive throughout the story. I’ve since moved on to another of her novels, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.
5. I deeply loved Keeley Rees’ essay for her 'stack, What I Wish I’d Said Instead:
She writes, “It comes down to this: when we’re sharing work with others, we’re not just crafting the thing itself, we’re making our way through our own stories & mental malarky first.”
The piece discusses the differences between creating from a place of fear—and creating in spite of it. And it is so important!
6. Just had to share that I’m still thinking of London, after having fallen in love with it—and with the English countryside by way of the Cotswolds. The weather was less than ideal, with unpredictable summer rains that came sweeping in and then dissipated just as quickly, but it gave me a wonderful, teasing little whiff of, dare I say, October? Also, I gather that a wet English summer isn’t completely unheard of. 🙃
7. I’ve been a lot more active on Instagram lately, which is a strange about-face. Since I started sharing my travels on the platform, though, I’ve been feeling inspired by it again—and by sharing my experiences and my work far more consistently. We’ll see how this goes!
8. This lyrical essay, via
, is achingly beautiful in the best way. I forget sometimes that writing does not have to be lengthy and convoluted to pack an emotional gut punch. Adore being reminded otherwise.9. Love, love, loved Jodie Melissa Rogers’ guide to rest, shared here via her newsletter
. It’s full of helpful insight on how to actually let yourself rest, especially if you’ve been addicted to hustle culture for years, as so many of us have experienced and are now actively stepping away from. I especially appreciated the additional resources and journal prompts—this very much feels like the perfect guide to get started on slowing down and allowing more leisure, more enjoyment, more space into your everyday life.10. I read You Could Make This Place Beautiful,
’s stunning and evocative poetic memoir, within the space of a few days in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Thanks to for sharing her copy!) And it has stayed with me, as the most heartbreaking—but ultimately transformative—stories do. I found the loose and meta vignette style refreshing; the way Maggie plays with form is masterful and welcome. I was introduced to her work with much of the world through Good Bones (the poem that went viral in 2016), but rediscovered her poetry this year, and I’m so glad I did.11. I came across Persian health expert and teacher Chervin Jafarieh’s podcast, Wake the Fake Up, through a TikTok video discussing astrologer Debra Silverman’s recent episode, Applied Astrology: Your Shortcut to Self Discovery (here it is on YouTube).
It’s my new favorite thing to hyper fixate on podcast, honestly. There are so many gems that stood out to me from this episode. One of my favorite quotes that I’m going away with, though, is Debra’s: “The slower I go, the more I get stuff done.” Seems perfectly apt for this time—and for the theme of this newsletter!
12. This week’s poem is a classic: The Peace of Wild Things, by Wendell Berry. I simply never tire of this one.
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
And last up, your witch tip of the week:
13. If you’ve been feeling that the vibes are off and the energy just feels, well—all around sticky lately, you are not alone. As of Monday, September 4, we’ll have a total of seven (7!) planets retrograde.
The best advice I’ve seen on this?
It’s been a messy and chaotic summer, full of change, transformation, and sticky relationship stuff for pretty much everyone I know. Finding creative joy wherever we can is paramount. Moving slower makes things feel easier, or at least easier to stomach in some cases. Staying in your body, or finding ways to feel closer to it, is key. Rest is no luxury, but a necessity. And reveling in the weirdness is IT!
I’ll leave you with this…
A few journaling prompts:
When and where do you find yourself numbing out?
How can you bring yourself back to your body during these times? (Hint: The breath is a great place to start.)
What brings you the most creative joy—and how can you prioritize making more space in your day-to-day for this?
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Big hugs,
Kimia