More Beautiful Than Necessary

Contentment, Felicity, and Tiny Vacations

Finding a "fuller harvest of satisfactions"

Mar 20 • Tresta Payne

8

5

6

Temporary Fixes and Partial Solutions

and things that won't look good on Zillow

Mar 14 • Tresta Payne

22

8

1

February 2026

Is it balance we want?

A Five Things essay written while struggling with a cold.

Feb 27 • Tresta Payne

21

2

1

Truth is too much to bear without goodness and beauty.

A book update and a word about trying to control life

Feb 20 • Tresta Payne

30

10

4

Rest, attention, and other disciplines that teach us to receive the presence of God

Whenever I begin to pay a little attention, a vortex opens up and draws everything in, all things seeming related, relevant; all conversations tying…

Feb 6 • Tresta Payne

20

3

January 2026

Proportional Anxiety

It’s not that I don’t know what to do. I just get tired of making myself do it, you know?

Jan 9 • Tresta Payne

22

15

4

December 2025

'Tis the season to get rid of stuff

But we can't all move to Walden Pond

Dec 13, 2025 • Tresta Payne

16

1

2

After School

Reflections from a midlife, post-homeschool grandmother

Dec 6, 2025 • Tresta Payne

27

9

2

November 2025

My Kingdom

A new essay at The Way Back To Ourselves

Nov 23, 2025 • Tresta Payne

9

1

The Dangers of Being a Lifelong Learner

And why a little friction is necessary

Nov 15, 2025 • Tresta Payne

23

14

9

What I'm reading

And how

Nov 1, 2025 • Tresta Payne

25

20

4

October 2025

People like nothing more than to make their own decisions

Short leashes, parenting tips and tricks, and tethering myself

Oct 25, 2025 • Tresta Payne

14

7

5