1. Morning walks. Taking it slow, even though if Ringo had his way I think we’d be back up to 2-2.5 miles. We’ve been leaving a bit later so that we can still see the sunrise, but we’ll only have to make that adjustment for another week or so before things “even out.”
2. New bed. Our new futon mattress got delivered this week, and we already had the wool topper and “bunkie board” so after some wrangling we got things all set up. So far, we are loving it. And seeing our old mattress leaned up against the house, the way it looks like it’s melting and has to be braced by our grill to keep it semi-upright, it’s clear that it was past time to replace it.
3. Anti-anxiety support. In particular, my Friday morning writing group (and their suggestion I stop waiting to watch “Come See Me In The Good Light“), Marth Beck’s new book Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose, poetry, listening to music and podcasts, watching movies 20 minutes at a time, therapy, naps, crying, yoga with Red Sage, texting with Chloe’ and Chris, letting myself eat what I want, drinking lots of water, talking to Eric, sitting in the backyard with him and Ringo, making each other laugh, and working with my anxiety like it’s my new full-time job (because it sort of is).
4. Lowering the bar. I’d initially added this to the above list, but the more I think about it, it deserves its own spot. I typically push myself really hard to do all the things and do them “right” and it’s a standard I can’t possibly live up to so it doesn’t lead to any sort of satisfaction but more than likely adds to my anxiety, so whenever I can consider my “to-do” list and ask myself “does this really need done right now, or at all?” and give an honest and loving answer and follow that with wise and compassionate action, it’s a good thing.
5. My tiny family, small house, little life. Eric is on spring break next week, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with him. He’s been helping me so much lately to cope with the shift in my energy and I am so grateful for that. I’m also so happy that Ringo is feeling himself again and we have a solid plan going forward.
Bonus joy: oranges (although, I wish they were more predictable, because some look SO good from the outside and seem like they are going to be tasty when you cut them open but end up being not at all what you were hoping for), gummy vitamins, that Ringo is so good about taking supplements and meds (just put the pills in with his food and he eats them without even noticing), that after teaching yoga for almost 15 years I can put together a class plan that is as simple as thinking the morning of “start on our bellies and do lots of shoulder stretching as in ‘thread the needle'” and it totally turns out and magically is just what someone in class needed, anticipating the pool and sauna tile work being done and being able to use them again, grapefruit Bubly, grocery shopping, indoor plumbing, white noise machine, pizza for dinner — and being able to order online and having a coupon code, my mom’s scratch paper pads, pens with ink refills, stickers, reading, libraries and librarians, poetry and poets, comedy and comedians, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 