Beautiful and Beast-y Things

Can we live with all of it? We do, we just do—and it’s a wild frontier.

This essay is free to read. Consider becoming a paid subscriber for full access, and join us for R&R Summer Camp.

Dear Beautiful Friends,

Last week I turned my attention to the UK election results and France’s surprise outcome. What a breath of fresh air to expand the mind beyond the heart-numbing election spectacle in the U.S., and brush up (again) on the parliamentary system, political parties, and catch up on what I’ve missed.

The act of learning can be so grounding.

Reeling from a recent presidential debate and its aftermath has shocked the hell out of so many Americans, you could hear the collective gasp, and the atmosphere hollow out. And—

The next morning there was LAKE SWIMMING

Lake Washington, Luther Burbank Park, Mercer Island, WA

I love summer, and increasingly fear it (wildfires, droughts, future fears).

And still, I relish the air temperatures rising, taking the water temp with it, tossing aside my wetsuit and going on long swims through glassy, buttery water as the sun rises. With pals, old and new, our buoys floating behind us like a toss of gumballs scattered over the lake top. The stream of friendships that pool and lake swimming provides is endless.

---

Now, this way to the backyard.

I come out here to read, feel grass on my feet and contemplate how to be a citizen. It makes me feel grand and purposeful, as if I will be making a difference any day now, but, well, I’m on to myself. Sometimes a move from the literal and metaphorical backyard to the front yard is the best first step.

From the backyard—

I praise the summer blooms, my husband’s loving caretaking of his blooming creatures, how he visits them before going to bed, bidding them goodnight. In the above photo we have this year’s star couple: a butterfly bush (purple, smells like honey), and the montbretia, or sword lily. We call them the Orange Things.

If you’re a color-lover like me, you know why looking at those two plants together feels so good?

Because purple and orange are complementary colors. Also known as contrasting colors, opposite from each other on a color wheel.

Let’s have another look up close:

Complimentary, contrasting, opposing colors. They just work.

I’m no color theorist, and I don’t know the origin story of the color wheel—although Isaac Newton has something to do with it.

If you’re scared of color (apparently it’s a thing, chromophobia), this might not be your cup of tea. If you’re unsure about wearing or designing with color, but want to give it a go, consult the color wheel. Pick contrasting colors and trust the rule that opposites align. You might even be doing it on instinct.

I married a gardener, who is playful and experimental and lets me consult. “More hastas, move the ferns, take that mound off hellebores out, more Orange Things! Fewer soldiers, more waving grasses.” That kind of thing. He brings the yard art. Do you see the goat?

Are people like colors?

Shall we make a human color wheel?

BLUE

I’m going through a massive blue craze. At the end of the day, after I’ve written and revised, had a few conversations about life and living, and pondered the fate of a country and its citizens, I’m lucky enough to have a lakeside beach where I sit and stare down this aisle of blue monochrome. My friend Elisabeth comes and joins me. We sit together, in silence, and stare. We worship together. We don’t look away.

That’s it for now, Beauty Hunters.

XO Tatyana