We Are Moving!

Five years ago, when I posted my Atlanta bucket list, I wrote that my attitude toward the city was this: I might leave tomorrow. Or I might stay forever.

During the last five years, my posture has, for the most part, remained consistent. Atlanta is an incredible city. I find it to be (still!) underrated and, at the same time, everything the 1996 Olympics convinced me it would be. If I wanted to live in a city forever, I'd unlikely consider anywhere else. The trees! The park! The people! The food! The coffee, oh, the coffee! It's amazing. 

But, during the last few years, I've come to learn that I am not actually a city person. I find myself dreaming of my old Indiana runs, when I'd pass cornfield after cornfield. Those amber waves of grain sang to me!

I find myself dreaming of a simpler life, with fewer options and less traffic. 

We spent the last two years praying over this question: Are we meant to leave Atlanta?

During that time, we felt like we were called to be still. Then we felt like we were called to go far. Today, though, we feel called to something in the middle.

In one month today, we will be moving to Virginia.

We bought our first house and couldn't be more excited to close in mid-September. And it's a fixer upper, which means I get to channel my inner Joanna. It feels surreal and scary and exciting. I have no doubt I will be sharing more about our move, how much I love this city and everything in between over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, thank you, especially, to all of you kind, gentle Atlanta readers who have supported me during the last seven years in this city. 

On Needing Grace

In the evenings, before bedtime and after dessert, Chris and I do the one-bathroom dance. We pivot around each other, brushing and washing and flossing as we share the mirror. Our matching electric toothbrushes automatically turn off after two minutes. During those 120 seconds, we walk around the house, brushing away, as we lock the doors, turn off the lights and say goodnight to Newton, our Fig tree. 

Some nights, though, we don't make it all 120 seconds. Is Sonicare playing a trick on us? I always ask Chris. I promise you that was more than two minutes. 

And then one of us always says: Sometimes, you just can't make it the full two minutes. And that's OK; you gave it what you could. 

Lately, those 120 seconds have been teaching me about grace. To be ugly-truth honest with you, my posture toward the idea often looks less like "you gave it what you could" and more like this:

Grace is amazing. For someone else. Grace is the best. For those who need it. But me? I don't need grace. I can out-perform my need for it if I work hard enough. 

It's as if I think I'm above it. 

I told you it was the ugly truth.

In my heart, I know and believe that I need grace like I need air. But in my hustle? It is evident that I believe I can work hard enough to outperform grace and leave it for the other girls. 

I prefer to do things at 100 percent. If you're not going to do your best, what's the point in doing it at all? Was my motto for years. In this season of life, though, I don't have capacity to live this way. I need to be OK with giving what I can to each day, and letting it be enough.

I'm realizing lately that I want to cultivate a sense of groundedness during all seasons. One where I believe that giving what I can to each day is enough - regardless of how busy life is. I want to learn to trust that my worth is not defined by productivity and, instead, inherent in the fact that I exist. 

Day by day, I'm learning to lean on grace a little more. I'm opening my hands up to all it has to offer and letting it wash over me. Some days, it looks like leaving emails in my inbox and unfinished items on my to do list. Other days, it means brushing my teeth for only 30 seconds and - if I'm feeling wily - skipping the floss. It's learning to practice grace every day, in small ways, until, eventually it becomes inherent in the rhythm of my life. 

Art & Gift Show at my House!

Hi, ATL readers! 

My awesome friend, Stacy Spiro, is hosting an art show at my house next Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Virginia Highlands. 

We'll be selling her gorgeous art and some gifts, too. It's never too early to Christmas shop, right? Or self-shop? (: 

She's generously donating a portion of the sales to The Letter Project. If you're a local reader, I'd love to see you there. Even if you're not an art lover, come have some sangria with us!

Details:

Saturday, August 19
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
939 Courtenay Drive NE #1
Atlanta, GA 30306

Liane Moriarty Comparison

I'm a sucker for any book that gives me a protagonist I can grow to know and love. Looking at you, John Green and Rainbow Rowell. 

Liane Moriarty always, always gives me a main character I can root for and connect with (even if she is nothing like me). Which is why I've yet to meet a Moriarty book I wouldn't recommend to a fellow fiction lover. 

I recently finished The Hypnotist's Love Story and thought I'd do a review of it compared to her other books. The idea came from someone's feedback survey  - so thank you! :) 

In addition to The Hypnotist's Love Story, I have read Big Little Lies, What Alice Forgot and The Husband's Secret. What I love about each one is that the ending is always unexpected. Even when I think I've figured it out - there is a twist. She's a finale magician! I do find her books to be slow to start. I often want to call it quits during the first 50 pages as she sets the scene. Give it a minute though - she'll keep things pacey after that. 

I also love how she manages to cover dark, dramatic topics, while infusing humor. Her books are somehow both gritty and light at once. I always end up empathizing deeply with the main character - and often crying at the end. 

Good: The Hypnotist's Love Story

This was my least favorite of the four I've read. It's about a woman who is obsessively stalking her ex. It is told from the perspective of both the stalker and the new girlfriend who, by association, is now being stalked. 

Sounds like a pager turner, right? It's good - and worth a read - but doesn't suck you in like the others. If you're planning to go on a Moriarty bender like yours truly, it wouldn't be my first choice. 

Better: The Husband's Secret 

This was my first foray into Moriarty. At the time, I had no idea what a hit her books were - I just thought it looked like a good beach read. Well-written beach reads are my jam. This one did not disappoint. It's about a woman who discovers her husband has been keeping a dark secret since high school that could upend their marriage. 

It's not as sensational as Big Little Lies (or as sad), but it's a good, quick read that makes you think about the power of our actions. 

I also read it's being turned into a movie starring Blake Lively, which is making me very happy. 

Better-er: Big Little Lies

Please (please!) read the book before you watch the show. It's so much better. But, isn't it always? I read this in Kenya and, even though we were typically exhausted from a long day of work, consistently sacrificed sleep to read. I was obsessed! This is about one evening, during which a horrible crime took place. As the details from the night come out, you learn more and more secrets about a seemingly perfect community.

This is one where she really tackles sad, heavy topics, yet you can't help but laugh out loud at the melodrama of the kindergarten moms. To me, the show is a lot darker than the book - but I have heard other people claim the opposite. Either way, start with the book for sure! 

Best: What Alice Forgot 

Even ahead of BLL, this was my favorite of the four. Alice is a 39-year-old mom to three who hits her head during a spin class. Upon waking up, she thinks she's a 29-year-old, pregnant with her first child. As a 30-year-old newlywed, I loved reading about her early marriage and couldn't wait to find out if she'd regain her memory. If you loved Big Little Lies, I definitely recommend this one, too. It is supposedly becoming a movie starring Jennifer Aniston. I can't wait!

So, which one should I read next? Any other Moriarty fans out there?