1. Morning walks. We made it out a bit earlier this week but were still about 15 minutes too late most days to be on the trail as the sun was rising, so next week — even earlier! I am so grateful to live where we do, so close to so many trails and bodies of water. Ringo needed a break from his harness so we’ve been walking him on a collar, and I can really tell how much more mature he is, how much more he trusts me, because all it takes is a tiny shift in the way I’m walking or holding the leash and he shifts and is right there with me, and most of the time I hardly even have to hold on to stay connected — that may just be a metaphor for our relationship.
2. Raintree Athletic Club. I love the space, the pool, the classes, the sauna, the hydromassage chair, the people.
3. Reading. You know how some people talk about their “TBR pile” (“to be read”)? I have many throughout my house, along with bookshelves and a Kindle full of books I want to read. It has been the love of my life for almost my whole life. It’s never left me and my love has never faded, only grown.
4. Retreat. Calyx and I are starting a retreat together later today. We came up with a schedule, time to practice together and on our own, made a commitment to give ourselves the time and each other the support. We’ll go through Wednesday and I am really looking forward to it. When I was making art with my friend Janice this week, I made this collage in honor of the plan.
5. My tiny family, tiny home, tiny life. I had a moment this week where I allowed myself to think about what my life would be like if something happened to Eric. I do not want to go to there, even though at some point I will (or he will). May we have many, many more good years together and an easy death.
Bonus joy: good music, listening to podcasts, naps, good books, good TV, true crime, writing, strawberries, raspberries, tulips in bloom, lemon yogurt covered almonds, caramel, taco salad, the internet (the way it connects me with people and information and content), dogs, a big glass of cold clean water, a warm shower, my weighted blanket, therapy, massage, other people’s kindness, laughing, hugs, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.
1. Memories of Thay on Lion’s Roar. “A collection of tributes to and memories of Thich Nhat Hanh from Peggy Rowe Ward, Shantum Seth, Hozan Alan Senauke, Larry Ward, Kaira Jewel Lingo, Rebecca Solnit, and Dzung Vo.” Other good stuff from Lion’s Roar: Spring Prayer (“Shozan Jack Haubner presents a prayer for the chaotic awakening of nature that is spring”) and I Vow to Save Everyone? (“Noel Alumit reflects on the daunting commitment of the bodhisattva vows, and how his ordination bolstered his relationship with his mother and culture”).
2. One Heart is Enough from Jena Schwartz. “A dozen years after one of the hardest periods of my life, the one when I stood by my own knowing even as grief and guilt threatened to engulf me, I have come to see just how powerfully the assumption that my job was to make sure everyone else was happy has steered my choices and dictated my responses.” *sigh*
7. A small list of knowable things. “From quietly provocative international best selling author and TV writer Jonny Sun, a weekly illustration and reflection on a personal object close to his heart.”
9. 5 Thoughtful Ways To Help You Underreact on Be More With Less from Courtney Carver. Did you know I wrote a piece that’s posted on this site? It’s part of the Simplicity in Action series, stories that “demonstrate that a life of simplicity comes in many shapes and sizes.” Read mine: Simplicity in Action: Jill.
11. Banned Books Book Club. “A monthly book club, library and fund dedicated to reading and protecting the most important books for our generation.”
12. The Final Pandemic Betrayal. “Millions of people are still mourning loved ones lost to COVID, their grief intensified, prolonged, and even denied by the politics of the pandemic.”
13. Yes, Colonialism Caused Climate Change, IPCC Reports. “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its final report Monday. The Frontline explores the significance of the sixth report finally naming ‘colonialism’ as a historical and ongoing driver of the climate crisis.”
14. To Be Pro-Choice, You Must Have the Privilege of Having Choices on The New York Times. In which Monica Simpson, the executive director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, states, “it’s important to keep in mind that Roe never fully protected Black women — or poor women or so many others in this country. That’s because Roe ensured the right to abortion without ensuring that people could actually get an abortion. People seeking abortions in America must consider: Do I have the money? How far is the nearest clinic, and can I get there? Can I take off work? Will I be safe walking into the clinic? For more privileged people, these questions are rarely a deterrent. But for many women of color and poor people, they are major obstacles. That’s how white supremacy works.”
15. The Expanding Job: Some problems even a wife can’t fix. “And if you are utterly unwilling to hire more people to do the amount of work we do, and utterly unwilling to decrease the amount of work you do, then you should be honest with yourselves: you’re fine with the human wreckage, you’re fine with moral injury, you’re fine with churn, you’re fine with continually unraveling societal bonds, you’re fine with snow-capped organizations, you’re fine with the enduring wage gap, and you’re fine with the toxicity that pervades our company.” I left my job a year before the pandemic and so many others continue to leave, all for these very reasons.
17. How Barnes & Noble Went From Villain to Hero on The New York Times. “To independent booksellers, the enormous chain was once a threat. Now it’s vital to their survival. And it’s doing well.”
22. Turns out Aimee Mann is really good at painting, too. “The famed singer-songwriter thought a nervous system disorder might end her music career. She coped by creating revelatory comics — and portraits of first ladies.”
25. Meet Elyse Myers: What to Know About the Comedian Who Shot to TikTok Fame for Viral ‘Worst Date Ever’ Video. “Elyse Myers opens up to PEOPLE about building a following of millions, finding celebrity fans like Reese Witherspoon and spreading a message of positivity.” I love Elyse. I wouldn’t agree with the way PEOPLE framed what she does as “spreading a message of positivity” — what she actually does is be honest about how hard being human is, all the ways we all screw up and suffer, and reminds us there are good things, lots to laugh about, and we don’t have to give up.
30. The Truth Isn’t Anti-White. The Truth Is The Truth. “I wonder what America could be if it faced itself? What could America be if it taught real history? What could America be if we changed the landscape of our monuments to use them similar to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe to tell the story of enslavement in America? What are we so afraid of? The truth isn’t what should divide us or cause fear. Learning the lessons the truth offers is what will bring us together if we ever want to move towards healing. However, one of the first steps of healing is acknowledging that something has happened. There is no healing without admitting and telling the truth. There is no healing without facing the truth. If America ever wants to be what it can be, we must tell the story accurately.” Amen.
31. As ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ turns 100, its message continues to resonate. “‘It is true that some of the most beautiful stories ever written for children … have been sad stories,’ Williams Bianco wrote in the literary magazine The Bookman in 1925. ‘But it is the sadness which is inseparable from life, which has to do with growth and change and impermanence, and with the very essence of beauty.'”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 