August | 2021 | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

1. Creatures Fly and Swim through Lush Ecosystems in Kinetic Miniatures by Penny Thomson. The seal is amazing.

2. Octavia Butler: Visionary Fiction (2021). (podcast) “Octavia Butler’s alternate realities and ‘speculative fiction’ reveal striking, and often devastating parallels to the world we live in today. She was a deep observer of the human condition, perplexed and inspired by our propensity towards self-destruction. Butler was also fascinated by the cyclical nature of history, and often looked to the past when writing about the future. Along with her warning is her message of hope – a hope conjured by centuries of survival and persistence. For every society that perishes in her books comes a story of rebuilding, of repair.”

3. Finding enlightenment through sitting with discomfort. “Lama Rod Owens [one of my favorite teachers] teaches others the importance of mindfulness and focusing on all of their emotions.”

4. Cutest Koala Compilation of all time. (video) The cutest!

5. Could an afternoon nap really be better than sleeping more at night?

6. Raspberry Crumble Tart Bars, recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

7. The ‘Hedonistic Altruism’ of Plant-Based Meat on The New York Times. “Ethan Brown, the founder and C.E.O. of Beyond Meat, on his moral and environmental priorities.”

8. Creating a Culture of Slow: 8 Ways to Transform the Pace of your Home.

9. Wisdom from Rob Hopkins, “If we wait for governments, it will be too late. If we act as individuals it will be too little. But if we act as communities, it might be enough and it might be just in time.”

10. Peace from Anxiety: Hala Khouri, CTZN Podcast. “Hala Khouri, a brilliant yoga teacher and somatic counselor specializing in trauma joins us this week on CTZN podcast. She just wrote a book called Peace from Anxiety: Get Grounded, Build Resilient, Stay Connected Amidst the Chaos [I just ordered my copy] — which I would imagine is most people’s desire these days. This podcast about trauma and anxiety, but it is also about how we take care of ourselves and one another, how we navigate the chaos of this moment with creativity, and how we practice change in small and big ways.”

11. Solving for stress from Seth Godin. “Along the way, it seems as though we got confused about the best way to deal with the stress that comes from work and from the projects we work on.”

12. Everything I’ve Learned about Being a “Professional” Writer in One Post.

13. 20 Journaling Prompts to Get You Out of Your Head.

14. 7 Anxiety-Reducing Habits to Follow For Better Sleep, According to Psychologists.

15. Pandemic Prayers from Austin Kleon.

16. Vibrant Mushroom Arrangements Photographed by Jill Bliss.

17. Wisdom from Robin Wall Kimmerer, “Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the Earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”

1. Morning walks. These are happening later in the morning and shorter because it’s getting light so much later and Ringo is still on restriction. We’ve been waiting until it starts to get light, driving to our favorite spots, and getting there for the sunrise. It makes me so happy that we live close to lots of spots with water and trails, and that there are so many to choose from and so much beauty to see. I seem to take pictures of some of the same spots over and over again, but each time, the light and color is different and I notice something new.

2. The shift to fall. As much as I love certain things about each season, fall is my favorite — the weather, the light, the color, the slowing down and quieting of the world.

3. Good friends. Reminding each other we are human (and that’s hard but also beautiful), that we are here, that it’s worth it to keep going, and making each other laugh.

4. Family. This week I was craving my aunt Monica’s taco salad, so I put out the call and got three different copies from aunts and cousins. It was just as good as I remembered, and it made me smile that if I were to follow the recipe exactly, I’d have enough to feed the whole block, (my mom comes from a BIG family).

5. My tiny family, my tiny home, my tiny life. Eric made it through his first week of classes. I miss him, but I also get more love notes and I certainly am not one to mind spending time alone. I’m happy to have Ringo here at home with me while Eric works, and to have a partner on my walks — whenever I see someone walking alone, I think “where’s your dog?” Some friends are really struggling with training their dog, and another one experienced a tragedy with hers, so I’m making sure Ringo knows that even though he can be a jerk, he’s a good boy and I appreciate him.

Bonus joy: a massage with Dana, getting in the pool and the sauna, peaches, bread and butter pickles, rain, bird song in the morning and crickets at night, writing and hanging out with Calyx, coffee with Carrie, Pickle the cat came home after being missing for a bit, tomatoes from our garden, grocery pickup, the drive through pharmacy, good books, listening to podcasts, watching TV, naps, cute pictures of babies I know and love, koala videos, birthdays, yellow, gummy vitamins, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.