I want everybody to live very close
There is a piece of artwork I saw a few years ago by that has become a kind of north star. It's titled A Well Spent Life by Joanna Sky Fusco:
I used to have this, for a brief time in my twenties in a big group house with people who are still close friends. It's harder to re-build in my late thirties, in a monogamous marriage, and as the only two dwellers in a house in a fully residential neighborhood. The answer seems to be hosting people and saying yes to more casual, low stakes gatherings to make sharing space and feeling comfortable in others' homes a second nature.
So I headed down to DC to see some old friends with some banana bread in hand from moonjelly33's recipe - it's my second time baking it and it turned out perfect both times.
We stopped at the U.S. Botanic Garden on the way, which is a beautiful institution regardless of the crazies in charge.
It was rainy but the tourists were there, especially the teenagers from schools all across the country in their ponchos. The conservatory felt especially cozy in the rain.
We played Cascadia, which was a nice chill game to play while chatting and catching up. It wasn't too hard to get going with it - which is important to me since long introductions to new games take the wind out of my sails very quickly.
On Sunday I recovered and spent time in the studio, working on a new pattern of blocks I wanted to trial before working on a blanket for a friend's upcoming tiny human. All this fabric is properly pre-loved, from two old duvet covers and a floral curtain. It might be too loud color-wise, but it's just a pillow cover. I have a lofted daybed in my studio that doubles as a guest room, but I want to commit to doing my creative work there and not my bed. Thus having some nice pillowcases for some yard-sale pillow forms.
Monday I kept sewing and then had friends over for a puzzle, and snacking and sitting, and chatting and a misty walk around my neighborhood. Everyone bringing some delightful little treasure of sheep cheese or a weird soda or a spliff. We got the whole puzzle complete in two hours, which only mattered because we kind of got ourselves into a frenzy over it.
I feel like I am building a life of interconnectedness and interdependence in some areas. I am throwing myself into baking and quilting because it feels good to think of others while I work on something. It has felt good to stop all non-essential spending this month and to pack snacks and go to free museums and parks. I'm in a small, agile, action-oriented mutual aid group that is filling free fridges in the city. I'm sharing numbers with the artist who gave me fabric at the yard sale. I'm thinking of how to be a good family friend of babies, born and squealing and on their way later this year. I am really, really loving aging into caring about things that matter.