It's about [damn] thyme
— may is in bloom
Hello friends, happy May! I write to you with a little bit more pep in my step and some rejuvenation in my soul for writing. This month has a lot of help behind it - we’ll jump into why a little later - but because of this, this month’s newsletter is a tad longer. As we walk deeper into spring, I am wrapping up quite an insane season of work, house projects are winding down [read: we’re forcing them down for now] as we shift our focus to the yard, and really trying to enjoy the mix that spring brings. I am excited for the next season as some of my time and attention will be able to come back to For Each Season and Seasonal Staples very soon, as we come into the height of produce in the PNW! There is so much to look forward to this time of year. May has always been one of my favorite months, partly because I’m a May baby, but partly because I am a transitional season girly. We come into a new month with spring in full bloom - flowers popping out at every turn + patch of soil, sunshine mingling with romantic rainy days, more daylight, and all of the produce we all look forward to starts to grow. Let’s dive into peak spring.
Allergies, galore.
For those whose allergies are acting up, here is a free protocol for all my stuffed nose, itchy eye, sinus headache friends. *Please do not interpret this as you need to buy all of these products to alleviate symptoms - read their descriptions, pick 1 or 2 to try, and I hope they help relieve your red eyes, itchy throats, and sniffly noses.
Stinging nettle is an excellent herb to incorporate this time of year. With it being a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine, stinging nettle tea is a great way to help ease allergy symptoms. Nettle is also high in vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll. Below are some ways to incorporate stinging nettle into your diet.
Stinging nettle tea can be made with nettle leaves or an already-prepared tea bag. If making with loose nettle leaves, boil water, add 1/4-1/3 cup nettle leaves and boiling water into a mason jar, let it brew for at 20 minutes or up to 12 hours (depending on how strong you want it), then strain herbs before using.
— don’t want to drink it straight? Add some nettle tea into your smoothies!
Make a nettle pesto to put on eggs, pasta, toast, potatoes, fish or poultry, or to top off minestrone.
— 1 lemon, zested and juiced
— 1 cup chopped nettles, blanched
— 1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on preference
— 1/4 cup nuts (pine nuts, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds have been my go-to as of late)
— 1/4 cup olive oil
— s + p, to taste
— want to make it extra creamy? add 1/2 avocado
— add everything to a food processor, taste test and make adjustments as needed.
Use stinging nettle in recipes or meals as a substitute for kale or spinach.
Organic Olivia's Allergy Defense Tonic - stinging nettle in a tonic, along with other helpful herbs + spices.
Local honey or bee pollen is also a great way to combat allergy symptoms.
Ortho Molecular Product Natural D-Hist - 2 capsules/day
Beekeeper's Naturals Propolis Throat Spray - when needed; *do not use if allergic to bees
Taking a shower in the morning and at night also helps rinse the pollen off and clear the sinuses.
Sprouting Spring
Ways to use herbs + spices this spring:
— roasted cauliflower with dill and feta
— homemade tzatziki (dill, mint, greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon)
— cumin in homemade falafel
— nettle for those allergies (revisit previous section)!
EAT
May mood board
— olive oil herb cubes (shoutout to my bday twin for this one)
— grilled cheese on a chillier spring day
— having a fire
— a crisp salad on a sunny evening
— potential May intentions: Take a walk outside while the sun is out. WNBA is back! Eat a meal outside. Clean out the garage or go through closets. Go to your kid’s, friend’s kids, or in my case, my nephew’s lacrosse game. Get outside for a spring hike. Listen to birds chirping instead of your AirPods. Watch NBA playoffs. Start planting herbs.
What I’m cooking
Breakfast:
Meal Prep Breakfast Burritos (vegetarians? lose the meat and double the beans! here’s a vegan version for my vegan friends)
Strawberry Matcha Breakfast Bars
Lox bagels/toast - carb source, cream cheese*, capers, dill, lemon juice, + smoked salmon *I love subbing greek yogurt instead of cream cheese for extra protein!
Strawberries + Cream Overnight Oats
Lunch + Dinner:
White Bean and Asparagus Salad with Tarragon-Lemon Vinaigrette
Din Tai Fung Inspired Cucumbers
Whipped Brie, Honey, + Rosemary Dip
Vegan Spring Rolls, feel free to add shrimp! Another version is this Spring Roll Salad.
Sesame Kale Noodles with Lemon Tahini Sauce
Drinks:
Additional ideas:
For Each Season’s ‘Spring Recipes’ Pinterest Board
LISTEN
Spring Playlist:
— a mix of feelings to match the mix of weather in spring
Madi/Mads/M
— To be honest, I debated on whether or not to include this. With wanting to impress upon others to reflect and learn as we walk through this crazy life, I decided to say yes. This is a playlist that I continue to add to and shape. These are songs that I feel embody me. Where I came from, who I am, my own struggles, and reminders I need to hear. Silly songs that are nostalgic or remind me to not take life so seriously. Music is such a huge part of my life. This is a personal letter to myself. I hope you make one for yourself.
READ
How I Find Humor in Aging
Lauren Graham has shaped so much of my childhood, humor, feminism, and perspective. When I found out she wrote an article on aging, I had to include it within this newsletter. Because it doesn’t have to all be serious.
REFLECT
Not only is my birthday in May, but this year is my 30th bday. That comes with lots of feelings. Not as substantial but one to note, it is my golden birthday. The day feels a little extra special - which is a pick-me-up coming from someone whose birthday typically falls on Memorial Day weekend so holiday festivities usually take priority (or for me, it was club basketball tournaments). I feel as though the natural response for someone exiting their 20s in this day and age would be, “that’s a hard pill to swallow”. While my initial response moving through my 20s and thinking about turning 30 may have been just that, as I’ve gotten closer to turning 30, my response is more along the lines of, “that’s a large pill to swallow.” For us all, so so so much happens in our 20s. So many changes. Our brains aren’t even fully developed until well into our 20s (some studies say 30, thank God, I still have time). People get married. People get divorced. People run marathons. People have kids. People have miscarriages. People take leaps in their careers. People change careers. People still don’t know what they want in a career. People go to grad school. People pick up hobbies. People make friends. People lose friends. This is a short, insufficient list of evolutions happening amongst this decade. It seems as though multiple decades of development happen between 20 and 30 years old. With so many changes in my own life from 20-29, I wanted to write something to help me reflect, but also maybe help others wandering through those chaotic, magnificent, lonely, terrifying, and exciting years.
This mini project/self-reflection has been titled, “30 for 30” - a list of 30 things I learned throughout my 20s that have taught me, equipped me, and prepared me for my 30s. When beginning to write this list, I thought it would only be right to ask people that have not only lived through their 20s but profoundly impacted mine. As I have written about before, you are a culmination of the people around you. I would not be who I am walking into my 30s without my insanely loving, supportive, wonderful, and truly humbling community. I will start with my 30 lessons, with notes from my community that shared the same sentiment. At the end I wanted to provided some from them that did not necessarily resonate enough with me to make my list, but may ring true with you. To end the introduction, I share something my good friend Kyle texted me when sharing his lessons from his 20s: “And even more excited for you to turn 30 because in ALL honesty — it’s better than your 20’s. It’s basically your 20’s but with some money and some scars that will let you live a happier life.” What a beautiful segway. Cheers to 30!
30 for 30 (by SZA + Kendrick Lamar)
Time is the most precious thing. You cannot purchase more. You cannot earn time back. Choose what you spend it on wisely.
Deep breaths can stop hurtful words from being said and stop running thoughts from driving you crazy. Take one every once in a while.
You may not understand now, but everything happens for a reason (another translation by my dear friend, Meg: “what will be, will be”).
Don’t push God away when you’re angry. It seems counterintuitive (because it is), but I spent so many years keeping God at an arm’s length (really football fields away). For what? To feel more lost? To stew in my anger? To not gain guidance? SMART MADI. One of my college teammates and best friends, Kass, beautifully put it this way, “I feel like there’s always this vision of running into Jesus’ arms after you’ve removed these chains that have been weighing you down, but you can run with the chains on and he’ll still accept you the same”.
Two big things at a time.
Your health is the greatest gift (as OMP says, health is really the only thing that matters). Take care of it, in all senses of the word - that includes rest. As a childhood best friend, Trisha, learned, “Resting and recharging is important and should not be avoided”.
[Only] eat good food.
Friends shouldn’t drain you. Not everyone gets to be in your circle and that’s okay. As another childhood best friend, Taylor, reflected, “It’s okay to let some friendships go”.
Don’t pick it. I know you want to but it never helps the cause.
It’s more hurtful to not be honest. To quote Brene Brown, “Clear is kind.”
Be where your feet are. A synonymous thought by my thoughtful friend Kelsi, “stop trying to grow up so fast”. You end up missing out on what’s right in front of you. On an even more micro level, my lovely friend Abby said, “Enjoy the season of life you’re currently in”.
If you spend your entire life making decisions based on other people, or what you think other people want or want you to do, you will spend your entire life living for others. Screw that. Abby said “trust yourself”. Get to know your gut feeling and take it into consideration. It may not always align with what others want for you and that is okay, allowed, and often encouraged. Don’t let that people pleaser in you take over.
Take the trip. Reaffirmed by Kelsi. My mentor, Jen, had similar thoughts looking back on her 20s: “travel more, shop less”. In my cousin-in-law (its’s a thing, back off) Danny’s words, “Spend more money on experiences rather than things. The stuff you buy will get trashed or donated someday, but memories last forever.”
Lemon makes everything better. Mama West knows best.
Get things off the to-do list. They don’t take as much time or are as stressful as you think they will be once you actually do them. That is called anxiety. To expand on this thought, Kass said, “Worrying doesn’t impact the outcome, it only affects your mental state.”
You can do it all. You just can’t give 100% to everything. There is no such thing as balance. If you haven’t caught on by now, there are different seasons of life where certain things pull more attention. That doesn’t mean you can’t do other things or have to give up other things, it just may take the backseat in this season.
Failure is when you learn. In the words of Taylor Swift, “if you never bleed you’re never gonna grow”. A similar thought from my Gemini twin Caitlin, “Take the risk or the big jump. Don’t let ‘what if it doesn’t work’ stop you.” Another way to put it by my sweet friend Kyle, “As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized my comfort zone has not been my best friend but actually my biggest enemy. A car in neutral doesn’t go anywhere. Maybe reverse is what you need to get out of a situation, but always push yourself to move forward. Go faster. Try new things.”
Good for you and the same for me. This is a phrase one of my best friend’s, Gretchen, and I adopted years ago when we were both going through some rough seasons. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. Just because things aren’t going your way right now or you aren’t getting answers to questions you’re asking, doesn’t mean you won’t ever. To add to this thought, Melissa said, “You’re not as ‘behind’ in life as you think you are or may feel, so calm down.” Revisit Lesson #2. As my sweet honey of a husband said, “Don’t compare, everyone has their own pace”.
It takes more effort to stay angry than it does to forgive. One of my college teammates and best friends, Amy, once said this to me and it has stuck with me for much of my 20s.
Say yes. Melissa said, “say yes to experiences, moving somewhere new, meeting people, going to as many places as you can. Papa West reflected and told a story [as he often does], “Take the initiative, plan something, and invite people to join you. My friends and I had so many adventures. Driving to Mexico and then up thru the Canadian Rockies, twice. Climbing a 300 foot cliff with beginners, because they were interested and said, ‘yes’.” Within the same lane of Papa West, my wonderful friend Abby said, “Try new things!”.
Real friends hype you up, speak highly of you when you’re not there, and call you out when you’re messing up. If they don’t fit that description, they don’t fit into your life. Todd emphasized this when he reflected on his 20s, “Don’t do life alone”.
Fresh air is good for the soul [and the best reset]. Get outside, rain or shine. My dogs have instilled this practice into me and our walk is one of my favorite parts of the day.
Spend time with and be friends with your parents. Two people I value immensely. A sentiment shared by Melissa and Jen.
Never waste your company match in a 401K. If you’re eligible for a Roth, contribute to it ASAP. When asking Danny for lessons he learned in his 20s, I knew he’d have a financial golden nugget.
Prayer is more about listening than speaking. Mama West said, “sometimes God speaks to us in very loud silence”.
Fitness fades faster. Minimize your breaks from the gym and find joy in it, a culmination of thoughts from Danny and Jen. Kass described this relationship to exercise through a different lens, “Exercise is to mental health as peanut butter is to chocolate. It just makes it better”.
Wear your sunscreen. Truly cannot emphasize enough. Has anyone told you our ozone layer is thinning/weakening? Protect yo skin.
There’s nothing like old friends. A paraphrase of a Ben Rector lyric. From my sweet friend and mentor Jen, “hold onto old friends, you don’t realize how much you need them until later.”
Love is a verb. Mama West added to this, “[Love is] embodied by action or it’s just a nice thought“.
You’re always a work in progress. Because of this and to expand on this, go to therapy, supported by many of those I asked for lessons learned in their 20s.
Continued Lessons:
To keep some anonymity for my willing community who chose to be vulnerable with me, names will not be included and just written as thoughts.
— Get a dog or two. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
— He’s not worth it. Go to therapy.
— God is love and His love is relentless in mercy, kindness and justice. He delights over us. He cares about us - even the things we think are not worthy of his attention. He is always available and desires to be with us.
— I feel like my 20s was all about having fun, learning lessons, and trying new things. Sometimes I wish I could have skipped over some of the messier parts but sometimes the only way to learn something is by doing it yourself and hindsight is 20/20. I can’t judge my younger self by the things I know today. I was doing my best with the info and experience I had at the time and that’s okay. I think the main thing I realized is everyone is a little bit self-centered (in neither a good nor bad way) so they really aren’t paying attention to you and every little thing you do as much as you might have worried. And if you figure out what you want, work really hard and maintain good relationships, it will all work out and good things will come to you!
— Embrace change. Appreciate your body and all that it’s capable of. Cherish the time you have with loved ones. You’re capable of doing hard things.
— The world is SO much bigger than you. Switch careers a dozen times. Wear sunscreen, avoid tanning beds. Start Botox.
— Get a dog. Don’t stay at a job you hate. Money isn’t everything.
— Hustle culture is toxic and JOMO (joy of missing out) sometimes applies. But balancing connections with your people to nurture your relationships is important. Not everything needs to be taken so seriously. Have fun you’re just a girl.
— Everyone needs a budget. Having a nice pajama set is worth it. Hair clips over hair ties. Clean countertops matter. Mini vans make sense.
— It might be cliche but don’t be afraid to take risks or make a big jump. I feel like there’s so many of opportunities I missed because I was afraid of the “what if it doesn’t work”.
— It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the now or think everything is catastrophic but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and everything has a way of working out (not always how you’d want, but it often ends up better than you could have imagined). If there’s anything my 20s taught me is that tomorrow is always a new day and what’s meant to be will happen (with a little hard work and grit).
— One thing I learned is that people like to help people, so just ask them! And people like to be included.
It fills me with such awe of my community to read and re-read these lessons. I hope you take even one golden nugget from them.
COMING SOON
— I have many aspirations for For Each Season in 2025 (screams “merch!!”), but I am hoping to create + cook some recipes this spring. It may or may not be a 2025 resolution to get that train chugging along again. Thanks for agreeing to be my accountability buddies.
— For Each Season Library coming soon [for paid subscribers]: a place to find resources on a variety of health-centric conversations.
— Nutrition Timing [for paid subscribers] in the works to answer all of your nutrition timing needs.
Enough from me!
Making the most of each season,
Mads