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Does anybody else ever feel like they have so much stuff?

Lately I've been grappling with the sheer fact of all my things, and how much it seems I have acquired over the years. My mom shared with me this creator on YouTube who makes videos on minimalism and her 10-item wardrobe, and I've enjoyed watching some of her content. I don't think I could be a minimalist to that extreme extent, but I've enjoyed some of the principles behind her videos. 

Here's what I've discovered: The more I find myself in pursuit of stuff (namely, clothes, an obsession which could go on indefinitely as fashion is so ever-evolving), I find myself less able to hear the still, small voice of Jesus in my everyday life. It's convicting and dismaying, even as I find myself still on the hunt for more things to consume my time, money and energy.

As I've been sorting through my closet today, these thoughts came to mind. The things I think will fulfill me (a flowy tiered maxi skirt; a pair of impossibly cool boots) never truly do. And then they end up discarded or forgotten in some corner of my closet the moment the next thing comes along.

It seems our whole society has been peddled the idea of having more, more, more at the click of a button in a way that those from generations past never had to deal with. Much has been written on fast fashion and the incessant trend cycling only sped up by social media. As someone who's trying to distance myself more from the digital noise for my own mental health, I return to this space for a tiny reprieve. These days, I'm longing to unplug from the idea that I'm always one new product away from my "perfect wardrobe" and into my own creativity, and my relationship with Christ. I'm trying to focus more on what matters, rather than get caught in the never-ending pursuit of what will fade. 🌼

Be kind to yourself,

Autumnal Anecdotes

November is here in full force, reminding me of last fall and all that came with it. Last fall: Michigan, and family, and then tough times. Life lately has been a strange mix of painful moments, as the memories come; and beautiful ones, as the cool weather encourages more sweaters, more fall candles, more long walks in the park. In the same breath I wish I could turn back the clock: If only I could jump back to fall of two years ago, 2021; or that of fall 2019, before everything happened, the world shut down and life changed forever.

I know what he would say to me; I know that he would be proud. And I know that, just as the leaves fall from the trees, seasons come and seasons go, and there is a time for everything under the sun. Our lesson in church this past weekend was from Ecclesiastes 1:2 ("Everything is meaningless"), but how, of course, nothing is meaningless with Jesus. Faith can be challenging in grief; at times it has felt like even with Jesus, everything is still meaningless, but I know that's not true. 

It's cathartic to come to this space and write again. It's nice to have a little cozy corner of the internet that seldom few know about, and just tuck in and type some thoughts out. I think writing as a whole is something that I am longing to return to. 

For many writers, NaNoWriMo is a time to write a novel throughout the month, and although I won't be participating in that challenge, the call to come back to writing is deeply felt. Life sometimes feels more and more distracting the older I get - and with so many things constantly calling for my attention, sometimes it feels as if I've put off that childlike, creative side of myself that just wants to pull on a cozy sweater and write.

I always find that fall pulls out the best side of me, and in little, quiet moments by myself lately, I have felt an inkling of my old, creative self returning. She's quiet, but she's there. I know he would say, "Write. Run. Take care of yourself," but in his own voice, which I miss. And so I am trying to get back to myself, one moment at a time.

It leads just like a river runs,

Things I Love: "Black Friday" by Tom Odell

Photo credit to Tom Odell and his team

Every now and then, a song comes along that completely knocks me out.And yet, that barely does justice to the beauty that is Tom Odell's new song, "Black Friday."

It's almost too special a song to me to share, but here I am. This song just reaches down into the deepest, gooeiest, most desperate parts of myself and makes me just feel. It makes me miss childhood, my father, and those early days when I used to listen to Tom's music, back when my sister and I were just discovering records and his first album was on constant rotation in some corner of the house.

I don't know what it is about this song, but it makes me want to get connected with things I used to love. To go back to simplicity, to delight in the beauty of a sunrise or pen on paper, rather than constantly looking to entertain myself online.

I love how art can inspire so many different things in as many different listeners. There's something just so beautiful and powerful about music. It's also nostalgic to, 10 years later, come back to Tom's music after a time away. Hello, old friend!

Take my hand and hold it gently

up against your cheek,

30

Today, I turn 30.

It feels odd to be embarking on the start of a new decade on a ho-hum Tuesday morning. 29 was easily the hardest year of my life and I'm hoping 30 will bring some much-needed peace. It's weird to be celebrating my birthday in the midst of a season of grief, but at least this year marks a new beginning.

I hope this next year, this next decade, is full of laughter, friendship, gardening, writing, creating, and Jesus. Also, music!

You can find all of my old birthday posts that I've been compiling since I was 21 here. (I can't believe I've kept the Birthday Post™ a tradition for so long!)

Till next year,

Tiny Joys: July 2023

Today I am introducing a new segment on the blog: Tiny Joys!

Tiny Joys are just what they sound like: little things that have sparked joy or a smile for me recently that, when life gets tough, can really make a difference in my day. Like pizza. 🍕

Tiny Joys: July 2023 Edition

Women supporting women: A great start to the weekend looks like putting together an alternative outfit just to go to the coffee shop and receiving a compliment from a very sweet customer. It was basically this.

Lavender lattes: The reason I was in the coffee shop in the first place was to get an iced lavender latte. This has been my beverage of choice at the moment and I'm sad I didn't discover it sooner.

"Fast Car": I'm probably VERY late to the party on this one, and I normally don't listen to country music, but this weekend I can't get "Fast Car" out of my head. The popular version right now is the cover by Luke Combs (very good) but it's the original by Tracy Chapman that is even more raw and authentic. It's heartbreaking but beautiful. Give it a listen!

"Adult Drama" by Natalie Beach: If you're a contented little introvert like me, there is nothing better than picking up a long-awaited held item at the library. This week, it's "Adult Drama" by Natalie Beach. I'm obsessed with essays, memoirs and funny/insightful non-fiction collections, so I've been devouring this book this week. 

Writing: This week I was assigned four new articles to write at work and in a joyous burst of inspiration, I wrote and wrote and wrote nonstop until I had the first piece done within a few hours. After a season of grief, I feel like my creativity is finally starting to surface again, and it was one of those moments where I felt so elated to be able to write for a living. 

And now, for the...

• I bought ridiculous bat-themed creepers/stompy boots because why not?

• Looking forward to watching "Asteroid City" with my mom later this week.

• This song blew my mind.

• I recently subscribed to the Downtime newsletter and it's always a fun read. 

What about you? What are your tiny joys this July?

I had a feeling I could be someone,

It's Been 84 Years...

Welcome back to the blog! It's been a minute. And by a minute, I mean a literal 439,000+ minutes, oops. Somehow, the last time I posted was for my obligatory annual birthday post in 2022. Buzz, your girlfriend, WOOF. Better late than never?

In the past 439,000 minutes, life has been ... weird. I lost a loved one. Time went all funny. Things got hard. In Summer 2022, back before everything happened, I planned to retire this blog and start afresh under a new domain. But now, here I am, a full year has passed, and I never did press publish on the new site.

As I look ahead at turning 30 in September (a whole new decade!), my mind has been on time, life, aging, and memories. You know, I'm kind of awed by the fact that I've been posting on this blog in some form or another for about 10 years. My biggest struggle throughout my blogging journey has always been wanting everything on my site to look *perfect* but as I've poked around the blog a bit for nostalgia's sake, its contents are a beautiful reminder to me of all the little moments and memories (often imperfect and offline) that I've made along the way.

So, for now, Acoustic Erin shall endureth. To give the ol' gal a bit of a fresh look, I changed the blog header and also am sprinkling in bits of my own handwriting (see below). I may be making more tweaks to the layout, pages and look/feel of the site as the weeks go on, but mainly, I'm excited to finally feel like I have words to write again, and to be returning to a medium that, amidst all of the chaos online, feels delightedly old school and slow paced, the same as it always was. 

It's good to be back.

New post signature say what,