Monthly Archives: March 2021

Something Good

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Image by Eric

1. How to Practice by Ann Patchett. “I wanted to get rid of my possessions, because possessions stood between me and death.”

2. The 5 greatest regrets of the dying and how to avoid them.

3. 6 Ways to Calm Your Overthinking Introvert Mind. I’d add the subtitle, “Not Just for Introverts.”

4. 5 Things I Experience as a Highly Sensitive Introvert That I Didn’t Know Weren’t ‘Normal’. In related news, What It’s Really Like Being a Highly Sensitive Introvert.

5. A Dazzling Series of Photos Captures the Soft Glow of Firefly Mating Season in Japan. I’ve never seen a firefly in real life, and I’m not sure I ever will.

6. 75 Artists On How They Spent a Year in Coronavirus Lockdown on The New York Times.

7. Good stuff from Austin Kleon: My diary of a plague year (week one), and A quote a day, and They bring me tokens of myself.

8. A Story Of Youth, Hope And Loss — And The Mystery Of COVID-19.

9. Who are we now, after a year of this? In related news, March 11, 2020: The Day Everything Changed and Nostalgia, One Year In on The New York Times.

10. ‘I am not who I was’: Michael Rosen on surviving Covid. “In this exclusive extract from his new book Many Different Kinds of Love, the author writes about his urgent diagnosis, days in hospital and returning home.”

11. To Write, Stop Thinking. “The writer Kathryn Harrison believes that words flow best when the opaque, unknowable aspects of the mind take over.”

12. Here’s the best writing advice from Colson Whitehead’s 60 Minutes interview.

13. Recipe I want to try: Focaccia Pepperoni Pizza (this seriously looks SO yummy!).

14. Complete Sleep Walking Compilation from Celina Spooky Boo. (video). One of my most favorite pandemic finds. These videos make me laugh no matter how many times I watch them, (which is A LOT).

15. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Intuitive Fasting Obsession is Dangerous.

16. How to Apologize, a poem from Ellen Bass.

17. My HSP Struggle With Depression — and the Road to Healing.

18. 15 Things Anyone Who Loves A Woman With Anxiety Should Know.

19. We Cannot Transcend Mental Illness In The Context of American Capitalism.

20. Lightweight ‘Traveler’ Camper Has Retro Exterior, Adaptive Interior. It’s clearly been a long year because I totally want this camper.

Gratitude Friday

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1. I’m still here, one year later. A big snow storm is heading our way, possibly feet of snow, so yesterday when the sun came out, I sat in the backyard for a bit. It felt really good.

2. Morning walks. Towards the end of the week we got rain, and it would have been too muddy to go by the river, so Ringo and I zigzagged around our neighborhood instead. With the time change coming this weekend, and the big snow, it’s hard to tell what next week’s walks will be like. We’ll leave a bit later so we still get to see the sun come up and may have to alter our route a bit, but I bet I’ll get some pretty pictures.

  • Hints of green, of spring
  • Owl!

3. Practice. Keep showing up. Stay tender. Keep your heart open. Don’t give up.

4. Comfort. Chocolate cake, chicken pot pie, long naps, books, podcasts, warm clean laundry, clean sheets, a warm shower, music playing in the background, sunshine, kitchen counter love notes.

5. My tiny family, tiny house, tiny life. May we remain safe and well, no matter what arises.

Bonus joy: more people getting vaccinated, my writing sangha, birds at the feeder, true crime TV, heat, electricity, doors that lock, that corner of the couch, napping with Ringo, Spotify, Zoom, movies, podcasts, getting a refund on our taxes for the 2nd year in a row, wool socks and sweaters, down blankets and pillows, fresh soft chewy bread, clean water, a washer and dryer in my house so I don’t have to drag all my dirty clothes somewhere else and wait, bird song, windows, seeing Lindsey and blowing each other kisses through our masks, the woman who loaded my grocery order remembering me and saying “Hi Jill! Long time, no see!” which made me feel seen which I didn’t even realize I needed, hanging out and writing with Mikalina, texting my mom and brother and niece, knowing that even if it does snow a lot we can just stay home and we’ll be safe, watching Antiques Roadshow with Eric and guessing what things will be worth and if we’d keep it or sell it, Eric taking some time off from work next week, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.