labours of love

and the human connection

this week’s Thought (singular)

you don’t know who the fair-weather friends are until the weather isn’t fair anymore

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hi

if you haven’t already, please check out Dracula Daily. it’s what set me on the path of this concept, this whole labours of love shindig.

in a world that’s becoming increasingly antagonistic towards doing things just for pleasure, just for the fun of it, carrying out an activity that isn’t directly related to monetisation or creating a brand, or contributing to tangible self-improvement, feels like a crime. nothing can just exist anymore. time spent not being productive is time wasted, and hobbies are only useful when you’re already an expert at them, you can advertise them, or you have a quantifiable measure for how you’ve progressed while being engaged in them.

out of all this gloom, i came across the term labours of love with all the delight of a birthday party. bear with me as i give you the cambridge dictionary definition - a piece of hard work that you do because you enjoy it and not because you will receive money or praise for it, or because you need to do it. suddenly the world seems so much bigger, so much warmer.

people who are churning out content in fandom are regularly undertaking labours of love! gardening is a labour of love! having a little secret notebook where you scrawl down the nicest verses you encounter is a labour of love! this newsletter is a labour of love! it’s all so delightful and incredible, it’s like you’re saying, “yes, yes, this is work. this takes effort, and this takes time. i don’t want to stop.”

i’d like to leave you all with this lovely bit i found on tumblr.

ps: while i was researching the term, i found out that its source is the bible

pps: this is the 10th edition of thodi. that means 10 weeks of me showing up in your inbox and saying my silly things. here’s to many more <3

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Photo by ÂdÂm K on Unsplash

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English Recitation Competition

1. Among Women, Marie Ponsot

   What women wander?
   Not many. All. A few.
   Most would, now & then,
   & no wonder.

2. Imaginary Paintings, Lisel Mueller

   5. How I Would Paint the Leap of Faith
   
   A black cat jumping up three feet 
   to reach a three-inch shelf.

3. The Bridge, C. Dale Young

   I love mirrors and that stupid tale
   about Narcissus. I suppose
   there is some Narcissism in that.

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Middle School Book Review

The Red Palace by June Hur

historical fiction is not my go-to genre, but after reading this, i plan on rectifying that. such a well-plotted mystery-murder, with nicely done twists. the characters are fleshed out beautifully, but perhaps what was even more incredible to me was how subtly the relationships between them have been described.

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The Good Side of the Internet

1. Queens of Infamy (column, personal favourite)

   From the notorious to the half-forgotten, Queens of Infamy, a Longreads series by Anne Thériault, focuses on world-historical women of centuries past.

2. Who are you? (animated video, 13 minutes)

3. How Istanbul Became the Global Capital of the Hair Transplant

   Transplant surgery has gotten extremely good—and extremely expensive. But in Turkey, a brand-new hairline (and a stay in a plush hotel) are available for a fraction of the cost of a stateside clinic. Our writer hopped a flight to go under the knife and find out if it was all too good to be true.

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this week’s Song

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thank you for reading, and see you next week <3

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