Oct. 6, 2026 | Cupboard Monthly
“An object in motion stays in motion,” said Newton, probably feverishly picking a louse from his wig at 2 a.m.
Let’s discuss staying in motion.
While Trailer Park Boys reruns and a lap full of Cheetos is an essential component to Estérre’s Hierarchy of Needs, so is getting my steps in. It's an ebb and flow. One doesn't need to make the dean’s list to live a fulfilled life (in fact, considerable evidence suggests the opposite), but a regular roster of ClassPass signups, S.M.A.R.T. goals, creative challenges and a bustling social schedule is par for the course to maintain mental health.
For us "gifted" children who grew up striving for accolades around every turn, striking the balance can feel like a housefire in itself. How are we supposed to unlearn how to push ourselves, discover how to lift ourselves, and reliably identify the difference? It can feel much easier to just continue with self-deprecation. Do, do, do. Oh, and you will never be worthy, no matter how much you achieve.
I cannot stress this enough: We must remember the costs of punishing ourselves – that hitting yourself over the head for "not doing enough" makes you the lucky winner of an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular illness, autoimmune dysfunction, certain cancers and other epigenetic conditions. While it’s true that mental and physical inactivity shows “use it or lose it” results, overexertion burns the candle at both ends.
In the right amounts, staying in motion should feel refreshing. My Toyota loves the feeling of air rushing through its engine at 60 miles per hour. The tide goes out twice a day. Muscles hypertrophy after half-marathon training sessions (and congrats to my girl ♡ you know who you are).
But unquestionably, avoiding burnout means making space for significant, noteworthy nothingness in your life. You must pinpoint which unproductive activities actually help get your wiggles out.
These might not be what you think.
As the farms and fields fall asleep this season, let’s practice our motion and our hunkering down. So, how about you? How do you "play" as an adult? I’m talking about goalless, purposeless activities that lead to nothing at all. Maybe it’s doing somersaults on the bed after work and giggling to yourself, or folding origami, just to throw it into the fireplace. Maybe it’s braiding your hair. Maybe it’s cooking a picture-perfect hamburger that no one will see. Maybe it's bingo night.
An object in motion stays in motion. Just don't move so fast that you burn up like a supernova.
Making Stuff
I Frankenstein-ed a vanity mirror using all up-cycled materials! Cheap, funky and gets ‘er done. Happy Halloween.
I also listed several new pieces on my Etsy shop:
Sunfolk, diptyque, acrylic on canvas.
Left to right: Cinnamon Sticks, Like a Dream and Under the Moon, mixed media collages on watercolor paper.
If you read this far, you get to see a 🌀sneak peak🌀 of a very special project I will unveil in next month's Cupboard Monthly... Be there or be square.
Wishing you a playful October!
Passage of the Month
The only artists I have ever known who are personally delightful are bad artists. Good artists exist simply in what they make, and consequently are perfectly uninteresting in what they are. A great poet, a really great poet, is the most unpoetical of all creatures. But inferior poets are absolutely fascinating. The worse their rhymes are, the more picturesque they look. The mere fact of having published a book of second-rate sonnets makes a man quite irresistible. He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realize.
— Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
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