Reader, welcome to Afternoon Tea! As a self-confessed hopeless romantic and anglophile to the highest degree, it is one of my deepest sorrows that I am not one to regularly partake in the privilege that is afternoon tea. Although I often enjoy a cup of Earl Grey on slow afternoons, my chipped mugs and sliced bananas are poor substitutions for the Spode china and brilliantly colored petit fours that would abound in an authentic ceremony. As such, I invite you to a virtual celebration of the elegant pastime that begs us to appreciate beauty and focus on being present. Here, you will find a somewhat jumbled collection of my revelations, reflections, and that which I relish from the week. So please, brew a warm pot of tea, procure for yourself an array of scones and biscuits, and peruse with me what is lovely in life.

Thanking the Academy

What does it mean to thank the Academy? To do so is to extend a breathless word of overwhelming appreciation to a higher power, to a force second only to the Universe in terms of its ubiquitous and enigmatic presence. As such, here you will find my own earnest appeal to make my gratitude known – a profound and dreamlike thank-you to that manifestation which is omnipresent, alluring, and all-encompassing. 

• Reader, were you aware that Brideshead Revisted will be receiving a reboot with Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes, and Andrew Garfield at the helm? I believe I blacked out briefly when I stumbled across the news this morning. 
• Chick-fil-A with friends.
• Going to bed at 9:30 PM. I will acknowledge absolutely no judgement.
• My little sister feeling better after a terrible bout of mono. I thought she might be faking a malady, but apparently she was not.
• Setting aside time to read. 
• Excellent advice from my sister’s boyfriend. He is a very good sport, to put up with my endless teasing, but I am grateful to him in the end (I suppose).
• Wandering the aisles of Barnes and Noble.
• Cheering on my friends at intramural volleyball game! They lost. 
• My first weekend without a show in several weeks. Though I am still mourning the loss of Juliet, I admit it is nice not to worry about protecting my voice or energies. 
• Ballet in the kitchen when no one is home. 
• Being happy. Reader, I will forever and always be unendingly grateful for being happy.
• Driving at night with all the windows down.
• Texting frantically with my sweet roommate, who never fails to be kind.  
• An exciting new project on the horizons! I can not tell you how thrilled I was to be cast in this new short film, Reader. What an honour.  

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things…

In an unending effort to live just as my icon, Ms. Julie Andrews, below you will find my own weekly compilation of that which brings me just as much joy as “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens”. 

• Yellowstone. I’ve seen a bit of the first Season, but I picked up on Season Two with my roommate and let me tell you, beautiful Reader, this show is phenomenally well-done. 
• Reader, a woman I have followed for years and years is releasing an equestrian-inspired collection, and if I do not snag this trench coat, this brooch, or this cloak I may very well pass away. 
• Having recently closed a show all about Life magazine, I must say the Boston Museum of Fine Art’s current exhibition following the life and legacy of the journal is one I badly wish I could see. 
• I am currently making my way through The Count of Monte Cristo, and truly, the book is magical. I can not recommend it enough. I am similarly excited to begin A Brightness Long Ago, recommended to me by a friend! 
• The holiday season is my greatest weakness, and the premature Christmas trinkets (such as this! And these!) at Anthropologie are doing nothing to abate my fervor. 
• Oh, Reader. Little time may pass between posts before I bring you another creation by Inslee. How utterly gorgeous is this tiger?
• I have converted so many people to these joggers that I feel I must share them here. Comfortable, cute, and easy to match. A perfect combination! 
• As I have been endeavouring to up my skin and hair-care game, I have been introduced to the idea of skin cycling. So far, I can not sing its praises enough! 

Seven-Day Design

A word (or two) of wisdom to guide the upcoming week. 

Immortal Echoes

• “I walk the line.” – Johnny Cash

Evanescent Intentions

• This week, I will live with clarity. 

Reader, it is an awareness forever in my mind that, when writing pieces of reflection, I at times have the tendency to linger on those eras of gloom rather than memories of sunshine. I do not consider myself a despondent person in the slightest, but I am always slightly insecure whenever I post a piece detailing those moments of struggle though which I seem to have largely passed.

I know I ought not to feel this way – it is no secret, either for those in my personal life or you lovely readers who I consider members of my larger, extended community, that the last two years have been difficult. I do not mean to play the part of broken record, but I will speak of this truth just once more – I was not altogether comfortable in my early collegiate experience, and though growth of course comes when one is stretched beyond her limits, there are great differences between a lack of safety and a secure exploration of the unknown.

From these two years, I have learned the elusive art of self-love. Hokey though it sounds, to love oneself is a privilege I am grateful to have begun so early in my life. I have been shown the fabulous world that can be unlocked with simple kindness and support, both to myself and to others. I have been introduced to an environment where things are good; where I feel light and happy and full of this wonderful adoration of where I am. I have learned to love myself, Reader, but I will admit I have difficulty accepting that love from others.

And so, I spend a great deal of time looking over my shoulder – questioning, wondering, slipping back into old patterns of thought and leaning toward a state of hyper-vigilance. I do not think myself a victim, but I have acquired habits difficult to unlearn when finally, finally set free into a place of pure and simple good. 

For this reason, Reader, I will live with clarity this week. As a student, I will organise my days so that I eliminate feelings of being overwhelmed. As a person, friend, and community member, I will find clarity of self. I do not mean I will find “who I am”; indeed, I like to think I know who I am, ever-evolving person she may be. No, this week I define clarity of self as the pursuit of living into who I know myself to be, showing no mercy to the impulse to shrink, and practicing honesty with myself and my surroundings. 

I wish for you, Reader, the same. I hope you find your place of happiness, and if you are not yet there, that you trust it is coming. I hope you are surrounded by people who lift you up and adore you, and that you know these are exactly my feelings for you, though we speak from screen to screen. 

Until we meet again, with greater clarity and ever-growing love.

Love,

Lettie Anne