Five comforts and some post-election media recs
Gathering in community is what we need right now.
This is the Friday post at Downtime, a feel-good weekly roundup of recommendations and delightful distractions. If the email cuts off, you can view it on the web.
Hello,
I’ll be honest, I struggled with what to write here this week. Like many of you, I’m grieving and still processing the election results—and reflecting on what this means for our collective future, not to mention the future of so many marginalized communities. For my daughter, our future generations. I’m holding space for this grief and I see you if you feel the same or feel scared. I want to share some more personal reflections and how I want to move forward, but I first need to take time to process a little more.
One thing that’s clear coming out of this is that I’m thinking hard about what I can do as an individual who is in community with others. Like, IRL community. I bookmarked this post from Kendra Austin about leaning into and helping your immediate, local community through actions like supporting mutual aid groups.
Have you felt this urgent need to gather and help others in your community, too, during this time of feeling so helpless? What would be helpful for you right now? Should we start a big group chat with this purpose in mind? Create meetups in our cities? Let me know in the comments or by email (alisha@downtimenewsletter.com).
With all that said, the majority of today’s newsletter was created with the purpose of providing cozy comfort and distractions, which is the purpose of the Friday posts at Downtime. If you’re not into this type of content today, I understand, and please feel free to skip it. I know it feels weird to see the world burning and also see fluffy content about what to read, watch, bake, etc. in your inbox. Take what you need and take care, everyone.
—Alisha
A quick sponsored thing before today’s issue:
Longtime readers know that I’m a big big fan of Alex Mill for a few reasons: the quality of their fabrics is unmatched, their uniform-style collection of closet basics that you can mix and match (but never grow tired of), and their saturated colorways that make their items stand out (and look expensive). I love that they’re decidedly not a trend-driven fast fashion brand—many of my favorite pieces I bought years ago, like this beloved cardigan, are still available on their site today. It’s a testament to not only the quality of their clothing but the intentional way they design their pieces — meant to be loved and to last.
I chose a few of my favorite pieces from the site that would make a fabulous gift — for your friend, sister, partner, or—ahem—yourself. You can see all my picks here.
*Sponsored mention. Thanks for shopping and supporting the brands that support Downtime.
5 Comforts and Coping Mechanisms During a Dark Week
These tweets from Rebecca Solnit were the only things that truly consoled me on Wednesday. (I reshared parts of it in an IG post here.)
Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary on Max. I randomly chose this special from 2019 to “watch” together with Lily on Tuesday morning, when election day jitters were high. And gosh, this show is such a wonderful reminder of the goodness that can exist in the world—and how important it is to instill values of empathy, inclusivity, and kindness in our kids and future generations. The special is available on HBO Max, but if that’s not accessible to you, I also highly recommend scrolling the Sesame Street Instagram account, which is just pure gold. An oasis of softness and care.
Visiting a local bookstore. On Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling deeply lonely. I felt the intense desire to be in community with people whose values align with mine, so I drove to a new-ish indie bookstore called People’s Book. I had a lovely chat with the owner, who greeted me. He shared that they host fifteen book clubs. They regularly host community events. They are trying to grow. “The store is a nice space to be in, especially on a day like today.” And yes, it was, I thought, as I soaked in my serene surroundings. My heart rate slowed, the world stilled, and my eyes happily flitted between shelves of new releases, standout paperbacks, and nonfiction titles. Lovingly handwritten staff picks adorned notecards; community event flyers dotted the walls. There was a Social Justice section toward the front, and in the back, a beautifully curated children’s area basked in the afternoon light. The store’s tagline, 'You Belong,' made my eyes well up with gratitude. I felt at peace. I found some hope in a quiet bookstore—a sanctuary, a haven with floating Eric Carle caterpillar stuffies hung by the window.
After, I walked down the block to a café where I met a fellow mom and we were able to commiserate about the election. It helped me feel less alone. Indie bookstores are some of the last true bastions of community we have—and isn’t gathering in community a big part of the answer to all of this?
I also finally grabbed a hard copy of James, which is on my fall/winter TBR. Picking up a comfort read. I picked up Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, which is technically a middle-grade fantastical novel. I loved her Vanishing Treasures so much that I decided to grab this one, too. I’m settling in for a soothing read.
Something to stress bake: I bookmarked this apple cider doughnut cake. Or maybe these brownies, which look incredible.
(Image: Smitten Kitchen)
Post-Election Book and Media Recs
Continued after the paywall:
A hopeful book
An action-oriented book
A news source I appreciate now more than ever
Informative newsletters I’m reading
A podcast I like
Plus — some fun reads and links that have nothing to do with the election, if you need that.
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