Just Jump

Hello friends!

How’s your summer going? Last week, I took the kids to a birthday party at a country club, where they decided they wanted to jump off the high dive. Ever the supportive mother, I parked myself in a lounge chair to take videos. Well, one of my kids chickened out and didn’t want to jump until MOM did. 

So, determined to bottle my fear of heights, I cut a group of twerpy 6th graders in line—even though they towered over me—and climbed up the ladder, walked the plank, then hesitated two seconds before jumping in and feeling the cold water shoot through every crevice of my body. It was awesome. 

Naturally, there’s a greater metaphor to be made here about mustering all your courage and plunging into the unknown with both feet. But we can unpack that another time. Let’s get into the Sunday links!

Xo,
Toby

• Even though I grew up in Nashville listening to Waylon and all the classic country greats, I’ve never truly been into country music. That is, until this summer. I went through a Judds* phase—because, women—then I was introduced to this banger and started wearing cutoff shorts with bathing suit tops as shirts ‘cause it just felt right. Next, my friend who works in the industry clued me into some seriously top shelf music by Tyler Childers. And now I’m all country all the time. (YouTube)

*I don’t recommend trying to sing this at karaoke night. I’ve never bombed so hard. (But don’t you love the old concert footage without everyone holding iPhones in the air?)

• Product rec: I gave this to a friend for her birthday because she’s always complimented how I smelled when we went in for a hug. I started wearing it years ago after asking the shop girl for her sexiest perfume. Don’t gatekeep your beauty secrets! (Sephora)

• One of my book club besties recommended a Mel Robbins podcast episode, “The Let Them Theory,” which was super-relevant to my “bossy” personality. She describes going from being a control freak to letting the current of what’s happening take you in a different direction. Preach. (Apple Podcasts)

• What are you watching these days? I blew through Am I Being Unreasonable, which is funny and dark in a Fleabag + I Hate Susie kind of way. Plus, the female friendship carries on the Dead to Me vibe. (Hulu) 

• Think I’m going to watch The Perfect Find this weekend. Will report back. (Netflix)

• My oldest son is obsessed with Zelda and has been plugged into Tears of the Kingdom all summer, which I never related to until reading this brilliant essay from Amber Sparks. (The Audacity)

• When Joy gifted me this charming cherry necklace, I passed it down to my daughter because she loves it. She was over the moon and I love this company’s product descriptions + overall mission. (Delicacies) 

• I am not a pet person — sorry, sorry — so I appreciated Anne Marie Tendler’s tribute to her pup, Petunia, because it helped me empathize with all my friends who have cats & dogs. (Elle) 

• Have you seen Past Lives? It’s a stunning film I’ve worked into every conversation this month. I couldn’t help but Google Teo Yoo, who’s big on the K-drama circuit, and omg. (Twitter)

• I couldn’t click on Jia Tolentino’s profile of Olivia Rodrigo fast enough. (Vogue)

• “As Bugs Bunny knew, gender is theater, whatever else it is.” – the fabulous Alexander Chee on drag culture. (Harper’s Bazaar)

• The summer reading list is my favorite post of the year, and you can find it here. A few of those books aren’t released yet but you can check out last summer’s since those are all available at your local library. Happy reading! (Joy the Baker)

• Joan Didion’s writing has been hitting hard for me lately — okay, fine, she’s had this effect my entire life — and I hope you’ll pause today to read On Self-Respect. (Vogue)

• My house was experiencing a hot dog hangover after the holiday weekend so I made Joy’s Easy Watermelon Feta and Cucumber Salad. Easy is the key word here but, mainly, this salad always feels so crisp and fresh when it’s a million degrees outside. (Joy the Baker) 

• Finally, the only person who can get me to read 8,121 words on David Foster Wallace in 2023 is Patricia Lockwood. (London Review of Books)