Folded corners and the feeling of home

Saying hello to dog-eared places

dog-eared (adj.)
“the turned-down corner of a page, especially of a book, to mark a place”

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Hello, 2024. I know we met a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to introduce myself a little more.

I’m Rachael, and I’m a reader. A writer. A word person. I love the intentionality and meaning of language.

In my childhood, damaging a book was practically breaking an eleventh Commandment. Bookmarks were supremely cool: for over a year, I treasured a Lord of the Rings one featuring Arwen and a stack of books. But I couldn’t always keep my books perfect. Wear is inevitable, in some way. A sign of love and life. Scuffed covers. Cracked spines. Torn and dog-eared pages…

My paper copies of Mossflower and Harry Potter are falling apart, their spines broken from my habit of rereading — and there was a lot of rereading because visiting Redwall Abbey and Hogwarts felt like coming home.

Dear 2024, I know new years are often for new resolutions, but that’s not for me. Instead, I’m pondering all the things I want to continue. “Like dog-earing a page of a book,” my friend Lauren said. “A place you want to return to again and again.” She was talking about her shop, aptly named Dog-eared Coffee¹, but dog-earing is coming to mean so much more to me.

I’m exploring what fills my soul. The things I want to love so well that they become worn and familiar. Daily reading tops my list. Drinking water. Podcasts. Painting my nails has become a pleasant weekly ritual. And, yes, this will be a year of lattes because finding spaces that feel like home is everything, and Dog-eared Coffee is a dream. A tasty, cozy haven of coffee and books (plus an enchanting playroom).

But back to you, 2024. Back to us. I’m bringing spaces, habits, and people that make me feel safe and help me come alive, like Dog-eared Coffee, Miller Park, splash pads, book club gatherings, and revisiting fictional worlds. I’m noticing aliveness and returning to it again and again.

What are you bringing, 2024? Who are you going to be? Will we find more dog-eared places together?

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Hi, Reader,

I’m curious what spaces and habits bring you life. What are your dog-eared places?

Here are a few things I’m folding the corner on for 2024:

• the chairs by the window (I’m coaxing my family to start calling our front room “the library”)

• The Magic Tree House books (challenging the kids to re-read and re-listen to as many as we can! and then we’ll celebrate!)

• our downtown library (the children’s section has lovely windows)

• trips to the YMCA with the kids so I have time to write (plus splash pads in the summer)

• black trash bags (my current favorite method of decluttering, thanks to The Decluttered Mom)

• Emily P. Freeman’s Soul Minimalist substack (because she is exactly the kind of voice I want in my head)

• podcasts (particularly thinking of The Lazy Genius, The Next Right Thing, and Exhale — again, because I want these generous and encouraging voices to permeate my heart)

• favorite coffee shops (especially Dog-Eared Coffee)

• You Need a Budget, aka YNAB (which is transforming my habits on spending, saving, and funding our dreams)

• vitamins and anxiety medication (seriously life-essential)

• counseling and brainspotting (another life essential)

• eating what feels good later (and not only what feels good in the moment)

• putting my phone down (which sometimes translates to actually losing my phone but still helps me practice being present and grounded)

• writing down a dinner plan each week (ie, bringing peace to every afternoon when I’m tired and less inventive)

• picking out nail polish colors for the week (last week was dark blue, and this week is a rich, deep plum)

Don’t forget to share your ideas too!

Warmly,
Rachael

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Photo of our home library in progress

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Hello.”

1. In case you’re local, please visit Dog-eared Coffee!!!! You’ll probably see me there. https://dogearedcoffeecompany.com