"Little Snacks" in the Garden and in Life & A Free Romantic Novel
I’d like to share an epiphany…
Do you always feel pressed for time? Like you can’t possibly fit in everything you want, or should or need to do?
The truth is, you can’t. (More on that below.)
I’ve felt pressed for time my entire adult life. (Haven’t we all!)
Actually, my whole life. I’ve written about this before—that my parents lived that way, always rushed and stressed, never a free moment.
To me, even as a child, they seemed overwhelmed by their careers and family responsibilities.
For a long time, I’ve wished I could live without pushing myself to get things done All. The. Time. And as it always does, “When the student is ready the teacher appears.”
A few days ago, the teacher(s) did appear, in an author interview:
I think my whole life is little snacks of activities. Big things happen even when I do them small bites. That’s how I get by. Little 500 words. Little email. Little cup of tea. Little walk… My little bitty life works for me. —Amie McNee, writer and artist
After stumbling on the interview with Ms. McNee, I couldn’t stop thinking of the “little snacks” idea. Then later that day, I had a moment with a bumblebee…
And a breakthrough…
Why couldn’t I try to take life in small bites? Little moments?
And be comfortable with that?
In a serendipitous way, just weeks before, my turn for a library book came up: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.
In a nutshell, Four Thousand Weeks (the approximate amount of time most of us have on this earth) shows that there’s really no such thing as managing your time. You’ve only got 24 hours in a day, and no amount of “managing” is going to change that!
Instead of trying to organize your day to get as much done as possible, and stressing out when you don’t accomplish what you’d planned, Burkeman points out that it’s just not possible to do everything, get everything done.
The book’s wisdom is in showing you ways to be content with what you are able to do.
Having taken copious notes, and pondering lots more about the book’s concepts, I was primed for a mindset change.
Then Along Came Amie McNee…
And that same day, the aforementioned bee.
I was entering our shop with my bike when I noticed a bumblebee on the bottom of the doorway. It was stuck on its back, struggling, its little legs flailing in the air.
Thank goodness I hadn’t inadvertently squished it. I found a little twig, than eased it around the bee’s “feet” (or lower appendages, maybe?)—until, a few seconds later, the bee found a purchase around the twig.
With the bee still clinging to it, I turned the twig right side up, and carried it about four feet away to a native bleeding heart plant, the blossom just beginning to open.
I set the stick carefully next to the blossom, so the bee could take a little drink to recover. It soon climbed off the stick and was on its way.
I thought of that small moment the rest of the day. And how much it meant to me, to take a minute or two—a little snack of time—to rescue one small wild creature.
Maybe, I thought, it is possible for me to change. To stop pressuring myself every waking moment to Do this! Do that!
And simply try to focus on what’s important to me.
Is it working? Well, it’s early days, folks! I’ve had a busy couple of weeks teaching my community education workshops—and behind with pretty much everything: writing, gardening, replying to my favorite Substacks, and this newsletter!
To be honest, I can’t help but feel under the gun.
But I’m trying. So far today, I’ve been moseying along with “little snacks.”
*Little breakfast.
*Little reading.
*Little 200 words + Little 400 words.
*Little “Farm TV” (While cycling, watching the mama cows and their calves on the farm down the road)
I’ll be in the garden shortly, with more little snacks in mind: **
*Little bed prep.
*Little watering.
*Little pruning.
*Little wander in the woods.
**And enjoying little moments of contentment.
What do you think about the “little snacks” idea? How do you get things done? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I Didn’t Want It to End Department
I was surprised by this novel.
I’d put Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest novel on hold at the library after seeing it on a couple of lists of book recs. I’d already read a few of her books, and found them clever and witty. I enjoy smart novels! Yet none of her stories really touched my heartstrings.
I expected about the same from this one. I read the first dozen pages of Romantic Comedy, then put it down. The protagonist wasn’t quite my cup of tea.
More than that, I had a hard time getting into the story—it had too many ideas, too many characters, and too much going on at once. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, I decided I don’t need that when I’m trying to relax!
I suppose the book suffered a bit in comparison to My Favorite Mistake, the Irish, super-lively Marian Keyes novel I mentioned last month—which was clever and witty and did touch my heart.
Still, without another novel calling to me, I gave Romantic Comedy another chance.
As I’d expected, it was clever and witty…yet surprisingly tender. Really lovely.
The love story seemed entirely real. The characters so very human, with strengths and foibles and quirks just like the rest of us.
Not like what usually passes for a rom-com, where there’s some kind of silly, contrived plot line. The kind where you know, with absolute certainty, that the heroine and hero will get together at the end.
(And often, you don’t care all that much whether they do or don’t!)
In Romantic Comedy, I wasn’t sure the two protagonists were going to make it—while still enjoying the irony of the title!
No spoilers here, but I will say I couldn’t put the book down until just before the Epilogue. Then because I didn’t want to let go of the story, I put the book aside for a couple of days.
Finally ready to accept that the book really did have to end, I read the Epilogue, smiling to myself. And very glad I gave the book another chance.
Speaking of Books… If you’re looking for a tender, romantic read that’s not too sweet…
Lately, I’ve been thinking of the joys of free books.
Our local library system is asking the voters for a (well-deserved) levy lift. Which of course means higher taxes. (A tough sell in these days of economic uncertainty.)
Yet it’s made me appreciate, more than ever, all the value a public library brings to its community.
And the costs of the books I am privileged to read for free.
Romantic Comedy, $28.00. My Favorite Mistake (paperback) 18.99. Four Thousand Weeks, a relatively short read at 240 pages, $27.00. I just checked out Matt Haig’s latest, The Life Impossible, $30.00. Thank you, Dear Library!
In the spirit of sharing free books, my 3rd Irish novel, The Hopeful Romantic has been chosen for a Kobo Books free ebook promotion!
This story has a special place in my heart. Years ago, a kind, creative friend—we’d bonded over our mutual love of Ireland—sent me a card I loved so much I taped it my journaling notebook.
The card pictured an Irish farm, with cow grazing in front of a lovely ancient barn built of golden stone. I decided, I’m going to write about that farm some day…
In The Hopeful Romantic, a Dublin wife and mother risks her already shaky marriage when she rekindles her friendship with her husband’s old mate. Kerry feels trapped in her cubicle-bound job, and longs to have a farm.
As some readers here know, I’ve been there! The loss and relationship conflicts she experiences weren’t mine, yet her story poured out of me. As it turned out, she might not be the only hopeful romantic in her marriage!
I didn’t want Kerry’s story to end either…so I wrote a sequel, The Galway Girls!
For the rest of this week, The Hopeful Romantic ebook will be free at Kobo—just scroll down to the “Free Women’s Fiction” carousel.
The ebook is also free Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and just about every other ebook purveyor until early next week. (Not on Amazon—some technical issues. Sorry.)
I hope you’ll take a look!
More About Hearts and Hopefulness…
When you’re a writer, creating something out of nothing—well, nothing tangible—of course you hope your piece or post or book will find readers.
But not just that…you might also hope those readers will “create a nice little home for you in their heart.” —Russell Nohelty, The Author Stack Substack
And it goes both ways…
The writers of the Substack newsletters I love—the ones I always try to reply to—have done exactly that. To you, my favorite writers, I want you to know I’ve created a nice little home for you in my heart. Thank you for all your wise and lovely posts!
As always, I appreciate you so much for spending time at This Little Farm Life. If you enjoyed this post, I hope you’ll press the handy “Like” ❤️ button! And sharing a comment is always lovely too!
Sending my best from our mossy woods to you—
Warmly,
~Susan, from the Foothills
What a sorrowful and delightful story--and so true of many of us. My new assistant operates exactly like me; rushing from one thing to another, a fantastic number of tasks are completed. But she often arrives home from her myriad rush-filled days tired and out of sorts. Still, we plunge on and see no way out. That's the sorrowful part. The delightful part is the bee interruption or whatever may interrupt this gaggle of activities and take stock. Examine your life; feel the sun on your face. Lift up your heart; say a prayer; empty your mind. Send out a joyous cry that I am alive; still alive. And what a wonder it is. Never to be taken for granted. And ever so grateful; ever so profoundly appreciative. Love you, Mom
Absolutely love this, the bee intervention (often do this very thing myself as well as air-lifting stranded earth worms back to moist earth), the book suggestions and of course the little snacks concept. (And yes! Libraries rule!) Not only do these small things impact hugely they are *kind* of all we have. I do not believe in "waiting" for that one big thing :) Excellent!