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I’ve been catching myself using the word delight.

There are terrible things happening right now in the world that are the opposite of delight, that are rampant with violence and oppression and uncertainty, so it feels a little weird to write a newsletter about feeling delight.

And yet, I keep catching myself saying what a delight and how delightful.

Here are six things that delighted me recently.

1. The first time I noticed myself feeling bigtime delight was when I watched the show Heated Rivalry. Whenever Kris goes away for a work trip, I settle into my routine: order takeout, turn off all the lights, curl up on the couch with one dog and at least one cat, and watch the whole show again (which is called “reheating” in the fandom).
   
   I have theories about why it brings me so much delight that I hope to discuss on a podcast episode (just pitched to a dream filmmaker guest, fingers crossed!), but in short, it feels like vicariously discovering you’re queer and falling in love for the first time, but it happens in a the world of a romance where nothing truly terrible happens. Plus that soundtrack with Feist and Wolf Parade is catnip for millennials like me. I promised myself I wouldn’t write a wholeass email about Heated Rivalry so I’ll cool it for now, but suffice to say: it delights me ever after reheating 5 times.

2. Last weekend I stood in line for an hour and a half to access a pop-up sale for one of my favorite ceramics brands, East Fork. It was cold and windy, and passersby kept pausing to ask what the blocks-long line of cold New Englanders were waiting for. When we said “pottery,” most folks responded, “oh” or “cool” and went along on their way. I get it; I feel the same way about the line of dudes outside Best Buy that we pass by on the way home from the gym (we looked it up; they’re likely waiting for computer processors, which seem boring to me).
   
   My fellow chilled ceramic lovers were happy to chat with me in a shared language about glaze colors and the pros and cons of the three mug sizes, which was its own kind of delight when you share a hobby. If you’re an East Fork fan and you’re wondering, I ended up getting two coupe plates, four cake plates, and one small mug, which I used for a cup of tangerine tea later that afternoon when I was home and thawed out.

3. I saw a post on social media where someone knitted two sweaters that looked like covers to Phoebe Bridgers albums. The first time I heard Lucy Dacus’s song “Modigliani” I was driving alone in my car and I thought, this has to be about Phoebe Bridgers and then thought how incredibly sweet. As someone who gets very mushy about my love for my friends, I totally get writing a song about your friend that you miss.
   
   After I saw the album-shirts on socials, I spent a good half hour on Reddit trying to determine if/when Phoebe Bridgers would come out with another album. One fan basically said, “she’s young, of course she’ll come out with another album one day, let her live,” and I liked that a lot.

4. I did end up buying the “I’m Coming to the Cottage” (Heated Rivalry reference) magnet for my car, which is a delight on its own! But to double my delight, on the way home from the East Fork pop-up, while waiting at a red light, I saw in my review mirror the woman in the car behind me grab her phone and snap a picture. I hope she sent it to her friends with “OMG LOOK,” which is what I would have done.

5. Friday (our chihuahua) has started doing audible yawns. She’s already a very talkative dog, so imagine a little squeak that builds in volume as she yawns. UGH it is cute.

Curiosities

• My pal and collaborator Dr. Katy Peplin of Thrive PhD has a wonderful community offering called The Clearing. If you’re in grad school and are looking for low-cost and high quality support, check it out!

• Cody Cook-Parrott is hosting an 8-week book club/study group for their new book, The Practice of Attention. I just signed up, so maybe I’ll see you there?

• Gabrielle Ione Hickmon is offering another installment of her Applications for Artists Workshop Series, “How to Apply to Artist Residencies and Fellowships” in May!

• I loved Michelle Pellizzon-Lipsitz’s recent newsletter, “disappearance as an abundance hack.” For the last eight years, I’ve been sharing my experience online, talking about my health, my career, my projects, my spouse, my pets—and today, my current delights. I’ve daydreamed about moving to the woods to make stews and write books, where from the middle of nowhere I could only advertise my coaching services on the corkboard in the local coffee shop. I’m not really going to do that (at least not for a long time), in part because the internet rocks and I work with clients all over the world, but I did appreciate Michelle’s reflection on what it feels like to navigate wanting to be seen or not seen online.

Thanks for coming along for the ride today! Feel free to respond to this email if you’d like to share any delights you’re enjoying right now.

Take care and talk soon,

Dr. Kate

Email: kate@katehenry.com

Website: katehenry.com

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