Happy Friday! I wanted to thank you all so much for your kind and understanding words about my post on Wednesday. When I wrote it, I never expected so many people to reach out with empathy and their own experiences, but it was refreshing and totally affirming to learn that we are not alone in our anxiety. So thank you, very much.

Rob and I are off to Roanoke for the weekend! I have a shoot with my friend Sarah for a couple of upcoming La Crema collaborations, and then we'll just be hanging out and trying to see some friends. We have a busy few weeks ahead--next weekend we're actually headed to Asheville for the first time to see Jimmy Eat World in concert! Fall feels like it's finally in full swing around here and I'm really looking forward to making the most of it.

But for now, here are some links I've collected over the past couple of weeks. Hope you enjoy!

Life and Love:

• I really loved this: Why I Hire English Majors. For so long it felt like English was a worthless degree to pursue, so it's always nice to see the increasing value of humanities scholars in the work force. 
• Such a lovely piece: Aboard Amtrack.
• 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose
• I feel like it wouldn't be Friday Favorites without a link about David Sedaris. His AMA on Reddit was awesome.
• A beautiful and sweet story from Minnesota: WWII vet forms unlikely friendship with preeschooler. This follow-up video is wonderful, too.

Food:

• I love photo pieces like this one--What Kids Around the World Eat for Breakfast.
• I created an Instagram account for Cave Girl Consulting! I'd love it if you followed me here.
• Brunch Is for Jerks. Not sure if I agree completely, but he made some interesting points. What do you think?
• I love finding common ground with people who follow different dietary lifestyles. The Florkens are vegetarians and I'm Paleo, but I nodded my head the entire time I read this post: The Health Food Fake-Out. Watch your sugar, people!

Wish List:

• Wouldn't say no to this cute little thing from The Merriweather Council.
• Swooning over these little boots and so excited that I scored a way cheaper pair that look almost exactly the same from ShoeMint.
• These earrings are so pretty.
• I'm always on the hunt for a great hat like this one. Makes dirty hair days way more socially acceptable.
• Do you guys do boyfriend jeans? I want to try a pair but I'm afraid they might look silly on me. These ones are so cute!

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Did you read/see/eat anything good this week? And what are you guys up to this weekend? Hope you have a great one!

Photo from my August La Crema post.

I have tried again with so many things in my life--wakeboarding, meal prep on Sundays, certain books I started but never picked up again, not killing another succulent, kombucha--but the most important one has been my consistent attempt at a life with less anxiety.

I am afraid of so many things. Swimming in open water, the possibility that my jaw is moving out of place and a surgeon is going to have to break and reset it. But I used to be afraid of so many more. The apartment I lived in right after college. Flying. Darkness. That my high school boyfriend would cheat on me again. That my second college boyfriend would cheat on me for the first time. The basement of my parents' old office. Living alone.

Over the summer, I lived in Minnesota by myself while Rob worked in Charlotte all week. It was the first time in several years that I had slept anywhere without him or a roommate or even a parent in a room down the hall, and it was not nearly as easy as I hoped it would be. But, even halfway across the country from my friends and family, I found a way to make it work.

There was a time, two or three years ago, when I would call my parents from my apartment in the middle of the night and proceed to completely freak them out--sobbing and unable to move from my bed, unable to put into words what was wrong with me. One of them would offer to come pick me up, and I would only get more upset, embarrassed about being a woman in her 20s who couldn't seem to get her shit together enough to go to bed.

Sometimes I still get overwhelmed at a random moment one afternoon. Sometimes I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, struggling to catch my breath and calm down enough to fall back asleep. Now I know to pop a Valium and give myself fifteen minutes. And when I wake up the next day after a panic attack or having given in to the urge to bolt in some crowded bar or concert venue, I know to be kind to myself--to not beat myself up over the way I felt when I was being irrational.

Every day that I decide to treat my anxiety with patience, love, and understanding is a day where it leaves me alone a bit more. We all struggle with something, don't we? But we're all in this together, and we're going to be okay.

This post is in response to the following prompt: "What did you start over again?" (From Old Friend from Far Away, page 246.) If you write a response of your own, please share a link below in the comments! For a list of some previous prompts, you can check out this post (or just search the Old Friend from Far Away category below).

Now that the weather is finally getting cooler in Charlotte, I'm finding myself wanting that always-comforting afternoon cup of coffee more and more. You know the one--it's usually paired with another chapter of whatever book you're reading or, if you're me right now, an embarrassing number of episodes of Gilmore Girls on Netflix.

Yesterday, Rob was able to work from home so we sat on the couch in the afternoon and drank coffee together. It was so nice, with the window to the deck open; just spending time together on a Monday. Those little moments tend to be my favorite.

Recently Lavazza sent me some more coffee, as well as a bottle of caramel syrup and a milk frother! I would love to be able to tell you that I resisted the caramel, but let's face it--does anyone not like caramel? I rarely ever sweeten my coffee, so it was a nice treat yesterday. I do regularly heat up some almond milk and froth it to make luxurious, homemade cafe au laits, which I totally love.

What's your favorite way to have coffee?

This post is brought to you in partnership with Lavazza.