

Discover more from the Empathy List
Hello friend, Liz here.
I’m not a gratitude journal-er. My journals tend to be filled with all my BIG feelings instead, the neon ones that are too hot to handle. (Note to self: This is also the reason all of my journals will be incinerated with me, after my heart stops).
But 2020, with all its cheeriness, is making me rethink my stance. When everything looks bleak—COVID numbers climbing in the U.S., holidays effectively cancelled, and my kids’ elementary school most likely probably going remote—maybe “thank you” are the words to reach for.
I will tell you all day long to let those Big Feelings out to get some air. But I’m also working on saying thanks for small things. Like books that tell the truth about American history. Like my kids’ teachers, who are literal angels. Or the fact that, remarkably, no one in my immediate family has yet contracted coronavirus. And don’t even get me started on my gratitude for the New York Times (true love!).
What are you saying “thank you” for this week? Tell me in the comments.
By the way, I’m thankful for you, faithful reader. I would not have any reason to do what I do—as a volunteer creative writer for the public good—without you here with me. As a thank you, I’m going to do a book give away on my Instagram (@LizCharlotteGrant). I hope to see you there. ;-)
Warmly, Liz Charlotte Grant
P.S. Next week won’t be a normal Envy List. I’ll share with you my Thanksgiving menu, as I’m an avid cook, and let’s be honest, food is the best part of the holidays. (Even COVID can’t take that way from us! ;-)) As inspiration, would you share your recipes with me? ;-)
the Envy List
When an Afghani chef is deported to Guantanamo Bay, he starts a restaurant for the inmates. Sort of. (Bon Appetit Magazine) Read more…
Decolonize your bookshelf. Buy a book from one of these Native American writers. (Electric Literature) Read more…
Did you know an octopus has taste buds in its hundreds of suckers? (The New York Times) Read more…
What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had? Mine was the first bite of vanilla cake, dyed pink, I made while in labor with my firstborn. ;-) (Every Little Thing Podcast) Listen…
A Don DeLillo short story about an international flight. (Harper’s Magazine) Read or Listen…
BONUS: A cartoon about how to pick which movie to see. (The Curator Magazine) Read more…