Friends, hello! Happy Sunday!
I slightly relaxed my grip on quarantine life for the first time in months the past few weeks and woop – not a great idea. I came in close range to the virus and locked it aaaallll back up. A test today showed a negative result, thank goodness, but I’m gonna keep it on lock for the foreseeable future. It’s a wild world and we aren’t out of the woods yet.
I’ve taken it back to some of my early quarantine activities – working from random places throughout the house. My favorite this week was this chair and bench spot under a window.
This week in the kitchen I’ve really elevated my smoothie game to basically ICE CREAM with the addition of frozen riced cauliflower and full fat coconut milk. I’ve also made very delicious brothy beans thanks to a generous amount of olive oil. After many months of life without my many-day-a-week yoga studio routine I can feel the waist band shrinking. It’s frustrating so… I’ve taken to loose dresses and that’s that on that.
I’m wearing my mask, washing my hands, and my pants and I are currently not available for the words ‘double pandemic’.
The offering this week is below. It’s on the lighter side. It represents the weight I’m able to carry this week. As every Sunday, take only what you need and take it easy today:
• Love Is Medicine for Fear. It’s SCIENCE! (The Atlantic)
• By now you’ve listened to AOC’s lesson in decency and if you haven’t, it’s required listening. We’re someone’s daughter too. (The Washington Post)
• My long read this week: The flexible work fallacy. (Aeon via Ann Friedman)
• For a brief moment join me in considering the advantages of being tiny when trying to Outrun a Dinosaur. (Wired)
• Here’s a truth from Tiny Leaps Big Changes if you need it: Nobody Remembers Your Failures (Apple Podcasts)
• This week Oprah reminded us of our guts: Life First Speaks to You in a Whisper. (Apple Podcasts)
• I’ve resurrected the Clay Pigeons playlist. You might need it too. (Spotify)
• A few of my friends have read The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch. Have you? I want to dive in but I hear it’s on the heavy side and… ya know, 2020. (Indiebound)
• This week I had a single peach on its last leg and made a small batch of this Peach and Cardamom Lemonade. (Joy the Baker)
• The Kitchn has 7 helpful ways to store your fresh strawberries. And if your strawberry ripeness still gets past you, make a few future smoothie packs. (The Kitchn and Joy the Baker)
• Jon made Tres Leches Rice Pudding and I fully support it. (The Candid Appetite)
• These days, all I want to do is crafty things and I find these DIY Painted Bangles so lovely. (The House That Lars Built)
• This week last year: Let It Be Sunday, 231! There are some good articles from this world past. (Joy the Baker)
Be well this Sunday!
My love to you.
xo Joy
Samantha
Your advice are always good for the heart
Molly
“I’ve taken to loose dresses and that’s that on that.” PREACH lady ??????
KW
I love your new site design! So easy to read.
joythebaker
I’m so glad!
Trish
I, too appreciate you and your authenticity. It makes me love you even more! I can totally relate to “It represents the weight I am able to carry.” That statement choked me up because of its relevance in my own life.
Keep doing what you do, Joy. You don’t realize how many people you are helping. Peace and joy to you.
ELIZABETH A AQUINO
I vouch for Lidia’s memoir. She is a friend and mentor, and her book is brilliant. She writes sublimely of heartache, loss, violence and the power of the body. Read her shorter piece in Guernica if you have a chance, as a warm-up to Chronology.
joythebaker
Thank you so much! Of course I need to read it. I needed this little nudge.
Heather
Every week I look forward to let It be sunday, for the hundreds of sundays you have provided this space. Thank you for you and for keeping us together during the good and challenging seasons.
joythebaker
Gosh I just appreciate you so much!
Kaleigh
Obviously Jon and I are on the same wavelength! I just made your brown rice pudding because I needed some comfort food and it was exactly what my heart and body needed. I’m glad you’re still doing OK in NOLA! My mom (a nurse) had a scare but she also tested negative.
joythebaker
I’m glad you’re mom is staying well! And rice pudding straight from the fridge is exactly the comfort food we need right now.
Cyndie
I really like the new minimal design. I’m glad you tested negative, I worry about you in NOLA. Take care.
Prissy
Loose dresses! Now there’s a nice idea. One I’ll be pursuing. I have always like long sun dresses for summer.
I’ll be packing up the fam for Yosemite soon. Should be fun. I can relax now that I’ve found a wonderful animal watcher for the fur kids. Here’s to hoping the furless kids find some news worthy nuggets from panning for gold.
Everyone, please take care. Always makes for a sweet Sunday break to read Joy.
joythebaker
Fur and Furless kids has me cracking up. Enjoy your time in Yosemite, Prissy. Take good care!
Carole
Thank you for continuing to educate and entertain, you and your honesty are much appreciated…pandemic and other times! Love the new (?) look. It’s beautiful. Stay healthy in all ways!!!
B
Always love reading Let It Be Sunday. Glad your test was negative, stay safe and healthy. Have you ever checked out Yoga with Adrienne? It’s not the same as yoga class but she has helped me get through quarantine.
joythebaker
I like yoga with Adrienne but I’m not able to kick my own butt the way it gets kicked in real class. It’s ok though – it’s where I’m at.
Sally
Thank you. I look forward to your posting on Sunday. You are awesome. I love that AOC is so strong and honest. Thank goodness for real people with a conscience.
Debra H Bures
I’ve also read The Chronology of Water, and yes, it is heavy in parts. It’s also beautifully crafted, and, I think, well worth the read.
These are indeed strange and challenging times—opportunities, I think, to look at how we do things and at what’s important to us. We’re pretty much at home, barring trips to the grocery store and to the post office to get the mail. We have what we’ve called a curated bubble, and are very careful what we do, and with whom. My daughters live a distance away—one in NYC, and the other in the DC area—and, although we haven’t seen them since last year’s holidays, and won’t see them for some time, it’s what we all need to do right now. So I work in the studio some and in the garden lots. And I keep the faith—-art is alive and is an essential part of all our lives—and we WILL get through this.
Thanks for being part of my Sundays.
Scott
Thank you for…I dunno. Doing this every week? Being vulnerable? Being an authentic human?
F*** it. Thank you for being you. I appreciate you. And my wife thinks your Instagram stories are amazing and hilarious.
joythebaker
Scott you crack me up! Thank you for being here!
Mary L Broughton
Read The Chronology of Water. I loved it! It’s real life, a woman’s real life filled with ups and downs, heartache, first loves and steamy sex. The book has become one of my favorites. I read Kristen Stewart has optioned the rights for the movie and will play the main character. SHe’d be great in it.
joythebaker
Ok ok you’re right I’m being ridiculous for not reading it immediately!
Katie
I have been following you through this whole pandemic thinking “damn, Joy really has her **** together through all this.” It makes me feel better to know you are having the same human issues as the rest of us. Be kind to yourself, it’s dress weather anyway and we’ll all deal with pants again at a date TBD.
joythebaker
I’m really trying to keep it together but good grief – of course a pandemic takes its toll!
Ryann
Thanks as always for the thoughtful offerings. You’re a part of my Sunday and I’m grateful. And AOC is the hero we need right now. ?
Ryann
Question mark completely unintentional.
Sara
Thank you, as always. Times will get better, eventually. The new design looks nice, by the way.
Beth
Thanks for the Let it Be Sunday as always. You are part of my Sunday morning routine! I am also glad you had a negative COVID test. Take care!!!
Laura Silberman
Thank you. Each week you open my eyes to so much; I appreciate the life journey you share. Take care of yourself!