An Ode to Slow Afternoons // Reading, Spending the Afternoon with Salem
Hello, Folk of the Hollow!
The
The air has finally turned cold here in the Hollow. The leaves have all either turned an earthy shade of red, orange, or brown or fallen completely from their branches.
Winter is lingering on the edges of this sudden change in weather. Saturday, the first snow of the season is supposed to move in. Though the ground will be too warm for any of it to stick, it will still be nice to be able to sit and watch it fall from my cottage library with the fireplace roaring and something hot to drink in my hands.
Autumn is my favorite time of year, especially this point in the season when the world finally begins to get cold. I thrive in the cold—I think it has something to do with my anxiety, and how the heat of the summertime makes me feel like I’m having a panic attack every moment I’m in the heat.
The cold, though? I’m my happiest in the cold. I thrive in it. I do my best work in it.
But today isn’t about working. Today is about relaxing, something I struggle to do.
Salem and I spent some time up in the library today. I made myself a cup of hot caramel chocolate chip cookie flavored coffee, turned on the fireplace space heater, and snuggled up with My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki. I have to read it for my Literary Theory class and so far I’m really enjoying it! I can’t wait to be able to do a full review of this book when I finish it, because so far I haven’t been able to shut up about it!
My favorite way to reach optimal cozy when I’m in the library is to turn on my bluetooth speaker that looks like something out of the 1940s and listen to a playlist from Nemo’s Dreamscapes. I love the soft, gentle crooning of the oldies music coming through my cute little speaker. It calms my nerves and quiets my mind. Normally, I like to find playlists that are close to the current weather or season.
I’ve heard people say that to romanticize your life you need to think about the soundtrack. The music is what makes movies the genres they are. I don't know what that would look like for you (although I would love to hear about it in the comments! ) but when I’m trying to romanticize my life, I look for music that feels like something out of a fairytale. Lately that has been things like Belle and Sebastian, the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack, Madilyn Mei, and many others. But in the library, when I’m trying to relax? I always turn to Nemo’s Dreamscapes.
We ended up getting a little cold, so I grabbed a blanket and Salem went from sitting at my feet to snuggling up on my chest. He loves our fluffy blankets (we have several, both because they’re soft and because the cats love them!) and he has been in a really big snuggle mood all day. I think he loves spending time with me in the library when I’m either reading or working, and I’m guessing because it’s a quiet, isolated place for him to be a little antisocial for a while.
He and I ended up finishing a couple of chapters before I started getting a little sleepy. All day it has been rather slow and mellow, making everyone in the house drowsy. Danny has been sleeping for the last couple of hours, and Wednesday has barely made a peep. Sometimes days like today are necessary for calming the nervous system, which I needed.
Quiet days are important. Sometimes they can be hard to come by when we’re busy with so many things. I know between writing Project Flowers, querying my thesis, getting my second Masters degree, and working a full time job I sometimes don't feel like I have time to stop and breathe. That’s why days like today are so important. They give us a chance to stop, to breathe, and to rest, so that when we once again go back to our responsibilities we can do so with more in us than we had before.
What are your favorite ways to relax? I’d love to hear about them!
Until next time!
