May | 2019 | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

1. Lounging in the backyard. Right now is that magic moment in Colorado when everything is green and the sun is out, but it’s not too hot yet and the mosquitoes haven’t arrived. Maybe one day we’ll landscape our backyard a bit more beyond the three raised beds, the Golden Raintree, the clematis that covers one whole wall, and the roses we don’t really take great care of but they bloom anyway, but for now the green carpet is just fine for the dogs, all they really want.

2. Garden time! Eric has been working so hard on it — weeding, putting compost into all the raised beds, and planting. So far we have peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, and tomatoes. We’ll get basil once we can find somewhere with healthy plants, and I’d like to keep trying to find that variety of watermelon we planted that one year that did so well but we forgot to save the tag. I am excited about all the potential blooms on my peonies and for feeling a bit better (I’ve had a cold all week) so I can start planting some more flowers and help with the weeding.

The yummy watermelon in question

Worm bins and all the compost they made this winter

3. Good food. I’ve been obsessed with cucumbers, spinach, hummus, and falafel on naan bread. I also made biscuits the other night that were super yummy.

4. Epic naps. Since I’m trying to get over this cold, and the lingering burn out from work, I’ve been taking 2-3 hour naps almost every afternoon. It’s so obvious how badly I need the rest.

5. My tiny family. The above picture was from the other day, one of the first days it hadn’t rained, the sun was out and it was warm. At some point, all three of the boys got too hot and hunkered down in the shade.

There was a squirrel on the neighbor’s roof he was very interested in

“Can we haz some of your snack, Dad?”

Bonus joy: Wild Writing with Laurie, Chloe’ and Mikalina, Booksmart at the Lyric with Chloe’, not teaching yoga this week because I knew it was what my body needed to recover, good books (I’m almost done with There There by Tommy Orange), good TV (She’s Gotta Have It‘s second season was really good, and I liked Dead to Me), good movies (I just watched Always Be My Maybe on Netflix and really liked it), a warm shower, pay day.

1. 4 Ways INFJs Are Their Own Worst Enemy. Hi, my name is Jill. I’m an INFJ and I’m my own worst enemy. In related news, How To Deal With Negative Emotions As A Highly Sensitive Person.

2. Words of wisdom from Jamie Ridler: “It may be hard but you are strong. It may be scary but you are brave. It may be new but you can learn. You may have no idea what you are doing but you can find your way.”

3. Solitary Voices: Thousands of Immigrants Suffer in Solitary Confinement in ICE Detention.

3. A Mindful Method for When You’re Tired on Zen Habits. This is kind of my life right now.

4. The mob fears the truth from Seth Godin.

5. passion & purpose, a post from Karen Walrond with some really helpful questions at the end. “I encourage you to explore your own motivations, gifts and mission — they could be the clues to how to add more meaning to your life and your current career, or even what to look for in a new career or employer.”

6. “Booksmart” Is The Feminist High School Movie We’ve Been Missing.

7. No one owes you a flat stomach.

8. Washington becomes the first state to legalize composting of humans. Get back soil instead of ashes.

9. People Are Sharing the Kindest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for Them.

10. Meet Lee, he’s homeless and spends his time on the street reading. (video) I’ll be first in line to read Lee’s book.

11. Does being a Buddhist mean you have to be a vegetarian?

12. More than 300 people came together to throw a surprise retirement party for their neighborhood mailman. (video)

13. Summer Reading Recommendations from Favorite Authors on Goodreads. I won’t live long enough to read all the books I want to read but that doesn’t mean I will stop trying.

14. Recipe I want to try: ciambellone, an italian tea cake, from Smitten Kitchen. “A ciambellone is a simple, sunny Italian tea cake with lemon zest and a rich crumb typically baked in a tube pan, which gives it a torus shape, i.e. the appearance of a doughnut, which is, in fact, what Google Translate tells me is the translation of ciambellone.” I love chocolate cakes, but I might like lemon flavored things even more.

15. A Fashion Brand Aiming To Be ‘Inclusive’ Created A Separate Instagram Page For Non-White And Plus-Sized Models. Wait, segregation is inclusive?

16. Students Invent Bacteria That Eat Plastic From The Oceans And Turn It Into Water.

17. This woman saved a nest full of baby birds. (video)

18. Harriet Tubman On The $20 Bill? Not During The Trump Administration.

19. Toni Morrison Awarded Gold Medal for Fiction.

20. The Struggle To Hire And Keep Doctors In Rural Areas Means Patients Go Without Care.

21. Get Your Mind and Body Out of Crisis Mode. “Unchecked stress can wreak havoc on your well-being. These are the warning signs that you’re heading toward burnout plus six steps to manage your stress.” #whyiquitmyjob

22. Milwaukee County Declares Racism a Public Health Crisis. Will More Cities Follow Suit?

23. Not Just For Soldiers: Civilians With PTSD Struggle To Find Effective Therapy.

24. How Superstore got so good. One of my favorite shows, because it’s good and because I worked retail for ten years and this reminds me of that wonderfully awful time.

25. Teenager Is Latest Migrant Child To Die In U.S. Custody.