Things of Beauty #30

Cool hikes, good stuff from the algorithm, & digital finger painting

August has definitely settled in here in Virginia, which means it's hot, hot, hot and also that it's back-to-school time. I'm in the middle of some of the busiest weeks of the semester with orientations and classes starting and last-minute schedule adjustment questions.

I used to lament that the time I spend on my writing projects (like this newsletter!) would dwindle during these times of the year, but I'm slowly learning that it's less about trying to keep some sort of perfect balance between my university work and my outside writing projects and more about embracing the ebb and flow.

As a result, I'm doing much less reading in the spaces I usually do and way more giving my brain a little rest by getting outside, looking at pretty things, and creating just to create.

---

A smattering of lovely and relaxing things, of late:

🚂 A couple of weekends ago, I visited the Blue Ridge Tunnel, which is just a little over an hour from where I live. It's an old rail tunnel that you can now walk through on foot. It's dark enough that you have to take a flashlight or wear a headlamp, and the temperature inside is pretty consistently in the mid-50s (Fahrenheit). There is also a lot of dripping water. All these things make it a perfect hot summer's day walk. The whole thing was built by hand, which is wild to think about as you take in the bricks, as well as the sheer amount of rock that was blasted through.

📙 Love this piece from

Georgina Green

about how fear tries to silence us and how we can push back against that.