February | 2018 | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

Image by Eric, Lory State Park

1. Eric running with Ringo when it’s too cold to walk (pretty much anything below about 15 degrees, which has been most mornings this week), and Sam can’t go because he’s hurt, which means I miss the walk too but that’s okay for now.

2. Sweet Sam, who has had to put up with a lot of poking and prodding lately, and has managed to stay sweet. He went in yesterday, was sedated so they could do a thorough exam and take xrays. The good news: his knee is okay, won’t need surgery. The potentially bad news: it’s his back that’s actually hurt, making him limp. We are waiting for a second opinion to know if we can go to physical therapy and heal him up, or if it’s something worse.

3. Ringo Blue, who has been as nice as you can expect to Sam through it all. He gets to go hiking and running all by himself with the dad, so he doesn’t really mind all that much.

4. A flexible work schedule. Let’s be honest, I work my ASS off for CSU (was just awarded a Superior ranking for the 7th year in a row, in an evaluation that described my “high level of professionalism, competence, patience, and good humor”) and I very much appreciate that when I need to be doing other things, like take Sam to the vet or wait around until he can come home or hang out with him to make sure he’s okay, I can without too much fuss.

5. The weekend. I’ve been working and worried so much that I really need the weekend to rest. It sucks that I don’t get to do too much of anything else right now, but rest is the most important thing.

Bonus joy: Wild writing, aqua aerobics, money to pay the vet, Ringo being old enough now that I don’t have to watch him every second, good neighbors, snow, my moon nightlight, my Kindle, good books and TV and films and music, texting, being able to work from home, teaching yoga, a cold glass of clean water, wool sweaters, a warm hat, snow tires, a clean desk, avocado, birds singing.

Mcmurry Pond, image by Eric

1. ‘Resist White Supremacy’: A sign. A farm. And the fury that followed. “We are white people using our privilege and power to say something that should be obvious but clearly still needs to be said,” she wrote, “and there’s nothing brave about that.”

2. The White Fragility Script: The Five Act Experience [INFOGRAPHIC] from Lessa Renee Hall.

3. David Sedaris on Keeping a Diary in the Age of Over-Sharing (video). “David Sedaris offers advice to young writers. His biggest tip? Keep a diary. Here’s why.”

4. 13 Incredible Black Artists, Past And Present, Everybody Should Know.

5. on practices and setting intentions from Karen Walrond on Chookooloonks.

6. Weight Watchers New Teen Marketing Plan.

7. Zen of Knitting. (video)

8. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman | Obama talks about how progress is made. (video) If you have access to Netflix streaming, do yourself a favor and watch the full episode of the new David Letterman show where he interviews Barack Obama, and spends some time with John Lewis.

9. Black Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors You Need to Read.

10. A cat pets a bird. (video) Sometimes it’s just that simple.

11. Girl pets dog. (video) #same

12. Poet Andrea Gibson on Health, Queer Healing, and Learned Behavior.

13. Have your representatives in Congress received donations from the NRA? Click this link and find out.

14. ‘Black Panther’: All The Box Office Records It Broke (And Almost Broke) In Its $235M Debut. If Hollywood really does only make movies “people want to see,” there better be so much more of this.

15. Blue heeler doesn’t so much want to heard the sheep as play with them. (video)

16. Audre Lorde’s ABC’s of Fighting Facism.

17. Students Who Lived Through Florida Shooting Turn Rage Into Activism.