Nov 1, 2020
My Grandmother’s Mug
My grandmother drank her (insanely hot) morning coffee out of this cup, every single day for the last several years of her life. It was always, always sitting out on her counter, either half full of lukewarm coffee she was planning to microwave and drink later that afternoon (ew), or freshly rinsed out and sitting on the dish towel she kept next to the sink. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I can never recall being at her house and not seeing this mug.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When she died (on this day in 2012), my sister and I both wanted it. More than silverware or china. More than the extensive collection of costume jewelry. More than the Oriental rugs, or all those beautiful, tiny clothes. This cup was more quintessentially hers than any of those things.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So, we split custody. We’ve been taking turns wrapping it and putting it under the Christmas tree every year. Every time I get it back, even though I know it’s coming, I’m utterly delighted. And I know my sister feels the same way. New traditions for the win. ❤️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

About Sam
Samantha Pollack is a Copywriter & Creative Director who works with ethically minded, mission driven businesses who are actively trying to reshape our culture (and possibly tear down the patriarchy). She’s also the founder of The Highly Sensitive Business Owner, a 12-week online program that helps HSPs & neurodivergent business owners create healthier, more sustainable systems in their work.
Sam also writes about feminism, privilege, pop culture, entrepreneurship, the creative process, and whatever else is on her mind. She currently lives in Asheville, NC.
Emails for cult thought leaders.
(Personality included.)
Want to learn how to craft emails that inspire action and engagement WITHOUT the “tried and true” (cough: patriarchal) norms we’ve all been taught?
I’m doing it, and I can show you how to do it, too.
(But sometimes, I also like to write about the books I’m reading, or the creative process, or the entrepreneurial experience, or why I hate Steve Jobs, or how I met my BFF. I’ll send you emails like that, too.)
*Just kidding. It’s only an email list.
Books. Cats. Rants. Drawrings.
(and every couple months or so, an unexplained absence 🤷🏻)