November | 2017 | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

1. Morning walks. With the time change, we have a bit more light, but we also had snow this week.

2. New fence. It snowed this week, and it was the first time since we got the new fence. The old one was in such bad shape that every time it snowed I was afraid part of it was going to fall down.

3. Flowers in the bathroom. I’m back to ones from the grocery store, bouquets that are weird collections of things, some of which don’t even seem real and for sure not natural, but I still love having them.

4. Kitchen counter love notes. He always seems to come up with something new, and I keep all of them.

5. My tiny family. Again, it’s Friday and I’m so looking forward to being alone with them all weekend.

Not a dog bed, silly puppy.

6. My new hat. I was very sad when I lost my favorite hat last winter. I’d bought it almost 10 years ago at REI. It was fleece lined wool with earflaps, made in Peru, and a great color. It was the perfect hat for me, just right. Then, during a freak storm with freezing rain, I slipped on the ice in a parking lot, fell hard flat on my back. I landed on my elbows, back and head, and was really worried I’d broken something or given myself a concussion, but had to get to my car and drive myself home. It wasn’t until a few days later I realized I’d dropped my hat. I even went back to look for it, but it was gone. I still need one that is a bit warmer but I found this one last weekend — made in Oregon, super soft and floppy, and some of my favorite colors. I love it so much.

Bonus joy: getting in the pool, aqua aerobics, Wild Writing, teaching yoga (even on a morning when I’m so tired I just want to sleep in), walking with the dogs in the afternoon (even when I’m so tired I just want to take a nap), working from home, tangerines, breakfast for dinner, texting, video chatting, cuddling with Ringo on the couch, the way Sam’s clock won’t adjust to the time change and he begs for breakfast at 4:30 am, down blankets and pillows and coats, writing, meditating, my interns (how can they be my favorite ones every single semester?), my Smartwool sweater that I’ve worn about 1000 times and have on for some part of every day just about all winter long, Pilates (especially leg circles with the straps, feels so good).

All the gold is gone here, but I want to linger with it just a bit longer

1. Savor is coming! Daily Practices for a more nourishing holiday from Rachel Cole, one of my favorite traditions.

2. Good stuff from Austin Kleon: September notebooks (excerpts) and 30-day challenge.

3. 7 Ways for Introverts and HSPs to Beat the Winter Blues.

4. God doesn’t hate people. You hate gay people. (video) “Reza Aslan breaks down a particular tendency humans have when talking about the divine, and how it affects all of us.”

5. 52 Mondays: The Backstory, shared by A Design So Vast.

6. No-waste grocery store. (video)

7. Recipes I want to try: 6 High-Fiber Recipes and roasted yams and chickpeas with yogurt and graham crackers. Let’s just get real and admit I want to try every recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

8. Wisdom from Jena Schwartz’s recent newsletter, (sign up for it here), “We cannot change the world if we’re not also making room to look inward. And I believe with all my heart that looking inward and writing freely are radical acts, acts that become the foundation for resisting and undoing inner and outer oppression. Writing is a mighty force.”

9. Wisdom from Susannah Conway’s recent Love Letter, (sign up for it here), “I’m currently 50% less productive but 98% more content.”

10. This man was paralyzed by an act of police brutality – now, his son is inspiring him to walk again. (video)

11. Her family hired me as a maid for 12 years but then she stole my life and made it a Disney movie. This is the worst.

12. Three Athletes Who Risked Everything to Protest. (video) “Long before Colin Kaepernick took a knee, these pro athletes took a stand.”

13. Mary J Blige: ‘I lost my gut and my gift. But I got it back.’ “The R&B singer turned actor tells Rebecca Nicholson about her heartache, reborn hope, and why she sometimes needs to get away from herself.” I’ve mentioned before how much I love Solange’s “A Seat at The Table” and SZA’s “Ctrl.” Mary J. Blige’s “What’s the 411?” was that album for me in 1992. She’s amazing.

14. Forever Flourishing, something good coming from Toi Smith in 2018. “Forever Flourishing is all about honoring, celebrating, and championing women. We believe women are the shit. We also believe that all women – no matter their age, race, or ideology – should be vocal about their greatness and work towards self-actualization, even while fighting to smash the various systems that bind us. Always…in all ways.”

15. The Moth. “Arts organization The Moth was founded in 1997, and has surfaced thousands of people’s stories through hundreds of live shows. Each show has its own theme, and each story is unique.” We went to a live event last night, and the story Dylan Park told BROKE me.