This Week: A Quick Check-in
How are you, fam?
Dear fam,
It’s winter break! Both kids are off of school, so my wife and I took a few days off to complete submerge ourselves into the “vacation” existence. I put the word vacation in quotes because, while it has been a super fun and eventful week, it’s not any kind of respite. This is a full-time job — one I love! — but still a lot of work.
Minus one meltdown that I’ll be processing in therapy for a while (parent guilt is the stickiest kind of guilt, you have to really scrub to get it off), it’s been a pretty great week. Highlights have been:
Ice-skating twice with Big Kid! I forgot how much I love being on the ice, and getting to share that with my kiddo is just such a joy.
Making a chanukkiah with my older sibling and Big Kid! It’s the one in the back in the picture above.
Playing dreidel
Going bowling and getting totally demolished by Big Kid
Snuggling on the sofa while it snows outside
Dancing with Toddler at a Chanukkah party
Spending time with folks we love
As you read this, I’ll be driving upstate to visit some new-but-close friends. It’s hard to find time to write a newsletter during weeks like these. That’s why it’s almost midnight as I’m writing this! Still, I wanted to take a few minutes and acknowledge that school vacations are, for families with kids, the height of Chaos at our own individual Chaos Palaces. And holiday seasons bring Chaos with a capital C for folks, whatever their family situation may be.
It’s a whole mix of hard and beautiful and unbearable and delightful and yummy and exhausting all kind of melting together. You know?
So, how are you holding up? What’s going on for you this week? What’s messy and hard? What’s messy and fun? Share what you feel comfy sharing.
In the meanwhile, here are some things I found interesting this week. Plus a new song by a dear pal that we’ve been playing on repeat over here.
Love,
Mikhal
Welcome to the Chaos Palace is the space where I write about ADHD, queerness, Judaism, and how to navigate the mess that is the world. You can support my work by sharing this post with others, subscribing, or just clicking the like button. That makes the algorithm send my words to other folks who might enjoy ‘em. Or just read! That’s huge, too, and very appreciated!
And now for some links…
Keep raising money to support trans folks in red states by donating to
’s Pay It Forward campaign. on the danger and potential of fire to both destroy and create. on his encounter with Luigi Mangione, and some insight he gleaned through that conversation. collected a whole list of incredible witches offering services to other witches. Or, you know, regular folks can purchase them, too.The latest in our Dreams of Chaos series is an interview with Phoebe Potts, a writer, graphic memoirist, storyteller, performer EXTRAORDINAIRE.
This week, my wife and I finally watched Your Fat Friend, Jeanie Finlay’s superb documentary about
, activist, author, and self-described “fat lady about town.” I knew it would be incredibly moving, and it was beyond what I imagined. Powerful is not a strong enough word. I think you should go watch it so you can go ahead and start unlearning all the garbage we were taught (and continue to be taught) by the diet and wellness industries.Eva Gertz’s new album is incredibly lovely and fun to drive to, but this song in particular has captured our imaginations. The bass is killing. And that solo! Yes, baby.
“Leave that shit. Along the road. Little. By. Little. Baby, let that shit go.” Thank you for this gift, dear Eva!!