Thursday Things #88

Detours and hope, candles and swimsuits, links and little things.

Apr 21, 2023

Welcome! Every other Thursday, I share a handful of things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. In other words . . . what I'd text you about if I had your number or mention if we met up for coffee! I'm so glad you're here. :)

Hey, hi, hello! What I have for you today are Some Links.

I spent the last few days in Mexico with the (in)courage contributor team. Many have already posted multiple reels from our time there and I’ve written exactly zero sentences because yours truly is a sloooooow processor—but I’ll tell you this now and say more whenever words arrive:

One of my favorite pictures from the entire trip, a shot of chipped nail polish and surprise cards covering teary eyes, features some of the world’s best people—without showing their faces. (in)courage has been part of my life for a decade and while I could tell you one hundred things about our time together or what these friends have meant over the years, I’ll simply say that they are the real deal, going above and beyond to care for one another.

Favorite things.

We each brought a few of our favorite things for a gift exchange . . . and if you’ve been part of Thursday Things for a while, I’m pretty darn sure you already know what I chose. Every time someone messages to say some version of “Okay, I didn’t really understand the lighter but then I bought it and oh my gosh!” my response is simply:

As if I needed an excuse to rave about this yet again, here’s what I shared in 2021.

Cue the dramatic music: My candle life will never be the same again.

When researching how to safely dispose of a lighter that no longer worked but still had a small amount of butane left (and yes I just had to look up that word again), I discovered the absolutely genius invention of an electric and rechargeable lighter.

There's no gas, no fluid, no flame. It's windproof. It feels much safer and works much faster. And it will work 18,000 times before you need to buy a new one. SOLD.

Get this for your people, for yourself, as a stocking stuffer, etc. I've shared it on IG Stories twice and judging from the responses, you're as amazed as I am. Someone said it's one of their very favorite things, another bought it immediately and has already posted a picture saying she loves it, and others said it would be a much better option around kids than the disposable ones.

Go ye forth and get the Electronic Candle Lighter, and may your candle life be changed forever.

(P.s. Get a wick trimmer, too. It’s safer, will make your candles last longer, and minimizes smoke after blowing the candle out. I use these two items every day.)

For my fellow ghost people.

As promised in Instagram Stories, here’s the packable hat link for my fellow pale as a ghost friends.

It is all of eight dollars and worth many more pennies. There are fancier options but it rolls up nicely and, well, eight dollars.

Clothing things.

The responses to these IG Stories revolved around one thing: clothes. As your resident So Super Not A Fashion Or Beauty Person, I think I’m supposed to point you to a Like To Know It fashion page that I obviously do not have and will never create.

Listen, I’m not your person for trendy things. When I find something I love I stick with it until the very end and so what I’m saying is that I will wear and wear and re-wear the exact same clothes until everyone in my life has seen them 200 times. It’s fine. Just act surprised if I’m still wearing these two beach/pool combinations four summers from now.

Cover up pants (I got the same size in both pictured here, but oddly enough the black pair is a little longer. You can roll them up though so it all worked out. Super light, breezy, and comfortable.)

High neck ruched swimsuit

Esmeralda slide sandals (other colors available)

Thin gold hoops (shared in Thursday Things before—love, love, love them)

Black swimsuit (Marshall’s in 2020, no link)

(Do you want to know about the pearl earrings and hair ties? LOL. Eye roll.)

(Target from, I don’t know, probably three years ago.)

Safe to hope.

Every line of this song.

Every. Single. Line.

You might remember The Faithful Project—“Authors and artists tell the story of God’s faithfulness in and through the women of the Bible”—from a few years ago? I’ve shared their podcast and book before, but this song deserves its own mention.

A friend sent it my way recently along with the reminder “friend, you are safe to hope.”

Well.

She’s heard ten thousand words from me about a situation where hope seems so beyond ridiculous . . . the phrase (from the song) wasn’t a bandaid on an open wound—it was (is) a knot in a rope, an anchor in a stormy sea, a reminder of what’s true when “the way is long and slow.”

What she didn’t know? When the album released two years ago, I played The Detour on a loop. Time did its thing, though, and I haven’t thought of the lyrics in many months. But here they are again, right on time in a major detour.

But then, perhaps the detour is the road.

This time will not be wasted / All the sorrow I have tasted / You sing hope across the valley of my tears / Sometimes love looks like delay / But You walk me through the wait / And I am learning laughter even here / You are with me here…

Always. On all the days. Even here, even now.

You and I . . . we are safe to hope.

Little things.

This popped up in IG’s explore tab and basically just yes to the whole thing, right?

The little stuff isn’t actually all that small, showing up and sticking with in highs and lows is the secret sauce, and ordinary life matters way more than we know.

“Tell me more.” Remembering an important date on the calendar. “I love you and I like you.” A just thinking of you, have a good day text. Taking out the trash. Sharing music. “Let me know when you get home!” Waiting to watch the next episode until you’re together again. A note in the mail. “I’ll hope for you.”

The list goes on and on.

What would you add?

Good Things

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