ocean tide
the quarters/seasons of life
This writing was originally published using the title “from the river to the sea”, taken from an artwork I saw in Portugal. I didn’t realized that this refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It was not my intention to appropriate or misuse this phrase, so I have since removed it.
After running a retail business for 6+ years, I now find myself measuring time in my personal life by quarters. For those not familiar, Q1 is January, February & March; Q2 is April, May & June; Q3 is July, August & September; and Q4 is October, November & December. Quarters in business are helpful for setting goals and tracking financial health, and they do correlate to taxes.
My personal quarters similarly help me navigate space (physical and time), track goals, and create a framework for phases of motherhood. A more poetic way to articulate this would sound similar to tracking the “seasons” of life, but I’ve found that ambiguity flippant (this entire season (living) is a dumpster fire (existential thoughts! all the time!) and may never end). Here’s how 2026 has gone so far —
Q1: snow, sickness, little sleep, more snow, more sickness, unpacking the studio, organizing, sorting, purging clutter, even more sickness, a trip to Portugal, a re-grounding, a big hug to self.
Q2: thank fucking god Q1 is over, a weaving workshop, time alone, studio days, weaving, a bit of sickness, new language (my own, my daughter’s), some routine, buying a new house, burnout of house chores, burnout of cooking, petting sheep, packing, building a framework, an artist residency, another weaving workshop, a long drive, more packing, letting June unfold.
And here’s how I hope Q3 & Q4 will go —
Q3: unpacking, nesting, long stretches down the shore, daycare, more routine, reading, writing, napping (preferably near the ocean), a two-year-old’s birthday, teaching in New Orleans, long walks in the Wissahickon, toddler giggles, time at the loom as fall begins to show.
Q4: more writing — Substack, a book, a weave draft club?, a new CSA, cooking, nesting, trick-or-treating, family movies, a bit of sickness (but not too much), layers at the playground, Thanksgiving, evenings at the fireplace, reading, weaving, ice skating on the family pond, Christmas, a restful week before the new year.
When Evan and I were in Portugal, we stopped in a bookshop bar on our way home one night. We sat in the window seat and when I looked up to my left, there was a print with two birds on the wall. Something blossomed deep within me. As one does after a few Aperol Spritzes, I wrote in my notes app, "forever connected, heart and hand, woven tide — the infinite grid."
Thank you for removing that phrase.
Portugal, new backyard, toddler, weaving - all look wonderful.
Thank you, Rachel.