Do You Like This Headline?

Issue 53 is only a little rad

Good evening, morning, Tuesday, or Wednesday. I hope this letter finds you better than I am. Our readers pick up on what we feel when we write, so I best be honest and tell you — I feel sad, bad, mad, and a little rad.

Parenting small people who wear diapers, eat mush, and wail for words is challenging.

Parenting teens is much, much harder. Maybe you’ve caught wind of our struggles at home lately with my son, but I won’t go into detail here for privacy. I know it seems unfair, but you understand. I know you’d do the same. (Though you may have stopped short of saying anything at all. Alas, I’m not that classy. It seems I need to talk.)

Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems. People will preach this the way I am now. When they do, you may try and imagine. Or maybe you think you’ll skirt the issues. But it’s not until you’re smack in the middle that you get it. And I’m in it, and I get it. My kid is big, and today’s problems are a similar size.

Are you ready for the little bit of rad I mentioned?

Big problems create big love, tight bonds, and massive respect. We’re wading through a pile of garbage, and we’re doing it together. He wants to talk. He wants to watch Family Guy. He’s conscientious, engaged, and someone I genuinely like. We’re more in love than ever. That’s rad.

---

Tomato Hoarding

It’s tomato-hoarding season.

Did you know you can freeze whole tomatoes? Read that again. You can put a bunch of tomatoes in a bag, freeze them, and pop them into a soup or sauce.

It’s that time of year at my house.

When I stroll the produce aisles of the grocery store in winter, I play a quote over and over: “Never trust a tomato in January.” It haunts me. I don’t recall where I heard it, but it tells me a summer-grown fruit doesn’t belong in winter’s bounty.

If you tomato hoard, you enjoy summer’s vines through wintertime.

PS: I know freezing for too long ruins nutrients and texture. We’re all doing our best.

---

I Love My Job

Look at these faces. I love them. Also, I have a new framed Suz Bax work of art in my background. I love that, too.

Better pictures do exist.

Something else I love: knowing people worldwide through writing I’ve never met in real life.

I met Stephen in Write of Passage one year ago. We’re on the same newsletter streak. He celebrated his one-year last week when I celebrated mine. He wrote me this note following last week’s issue. It made me smile.

“Someone not to be messed with.” :)

Congratulations back to you, Stephen. To you, Alexandra, and you, Vishal. Christin, I think you’re at one year, as well. There are so many who deserve congrats. Writing for 52 straight weeks is no joke — I’m not laughing. Sharing this habit with people all over the world is remarkable and rewarding. I witness their writing improve before my eyes. I don’t always believe the same is happening to me, but it doesn’t matter. I’m still going!

---

Good Inside — Everyone Is!

Parents, for the 700th time, I recommend Dr. Becky Kennedy for seriously good parenting advice. This time, her podcast. After all this recommending, I didn’t realize she had a podcast. What kind of fan am I?

---

Thank you for listening. Your prescription: Let someone know you’re thinking about them. Until next week…