February In Review

Tuning the dial

Making these collages has become the highlight of my month!

Dear reader,

“Think this works?” I asked my partner, pointing at the radio in our hotel room. 

We had driven upstate that morning. It was Valentine’s Day. February had arrived on the heels of January, a month that stretched long like gum. Winter was losing its flavor and the city felt especially stale. I was thankful for a change of scenery. A visit to the mountains always helps. The horizon opens up and so does something in me. 

There was time to spare between when we got to the hotel and our dinner reservation, and we filled it with a few glasses of red. The room was charming but pretty bare, probably intentionally so. There was no TV and we hadn’t thought to bring a speaker. If we had, I likely would have just searched “cozy cabin playlist” on Spotify. 

But there was this radio. It was old and collecting dust and it was unclear whether the intention was for it to be used or if it had just been placed there for a touch of old-timey decor. My face felt flushed from the first glass of wine when I attempted to find out.

When I plugged it in, the switch turned fluorescent red, confirming it did in fact work. As I started to fiddle with the dial I immediately unleashed a loud static noise. Volume down. Okay, AM and FM? I flickered between both, clueless to the difference. The now lower hum continued as I turned, first quickly and then slowing down, noticing a faint outline of music in a few spots along the knob. 

It required the most delicate touch to find this one familiar tune I was hearing. Each adjustment either sharpened or muddled the sound. Finally, with the most microscopic of movements, the music came through. The quality wasn’t great, but that added to the effect, especially given the station I had successfully landed on was hits of the 70s. “Love Grows (Where my Rosemary Goes)” played and I twirled, buzzed with pride (and with pinot noir). 

February 14, 2025, 6:08 pm

Last month I wrote about letting this year shape itself slowly, seeing my life as continuously malleable. Now I'm thinking about those tiny adjustments to the radio dial—how the smallest shifts can completely transform shape and quality.

It reminds me of how, for instance, waking up ten minutes earlier and reading changes the day as opposed to snoozing and scrolling. Or the way making a to-do list reorients everything that follows. Or even how just a deep breath can have a meaningful effect. I see these things as like tuning the dial of your life. Being patient, attentive and willing to search for what works for you in a world with a lot of noise.

Our days, especially in the dead of winter I find, can sometimes blur together. The static grows louder, more persistent. And so, yes, February in many ways mirrored January's melancholy. But I found some comfort in this little metaphor. The idea that we can wade through the noise, trusting that somewhere on the dial, music waits for us. 

Reading: 

This month I read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Every time I put this down I found myself still thinking about it. The writing is so beautiful, the characters feel so real and the story is unlike anything I’ve read. 

Favorite underline: 

“Sadie, do you see this? This is a persimmon tree! This is my favorite fruit." Marx picked a fat orange persimmon from the tree, and he sat down on the now termite-free wooden deck, and he ate it, juice running down his chin. "Can you believe our luck?" Max said. "We bought a house with a tree that has my actual favorite fruit!"

Sam used to say that Marx was the most fortunate person he had ever met - he was lucky with lovers, in business, in looks, in life. But the longer Sadie knew Marx, the more she thought Sam hadn't truly understood the nature of Marx's good fortune. Marx was fortunate because he saw everything as if it were a fortuitous bounty. It was impossible to know - were persimmons his favorite fruit, or had hey just now become his favorite fruit because there they were, growing in his own backyard? He had certainly never mentioned persimmons before.”

Eating: 

• Feta eggs (so much better than pesto eggs IMO)

• This NYT One-Pot Chicken and Rice With Caramelized Lemon

• Meat from The Meat Hook, a specialty butcher in new york (specifically the sausage links)

Listening to: 

Music that feels like spring—hopeful, like a 65-degree day, walking past the cherry blossoms and suddenly, everything feels possible again.

That’s all for this month. Here’s to fine-tuning our days and finding the right frequency in March.

Sincerely,

Salena