1. Snow. Same day, three years ago, we got about 16 inches, and about ten years ago at the very end of Spring Break, we had close to three feet, so it’s absolutely normal to get some bigger snows this time of year, and they usually are just like this: wet and heavy. I was in bed recovering and Eric was a able to do a remote version of his big presentation at a meeting happening in Denver, where they got about double the amount of snow we had here. Of course, later in the week, it’s supposed to be back up into the low 60s.
2. Recovery from surgery. I am grateful it is going so well, but it’s also been rough. The first day, I developed a reaction to either meds I was giving with anesthesia or the mega doses of acetaminophen and ibuprofen I was taking to avoid having to take the more powerful pain meds (flushed, hot, itchy face and chest), so I had to stop those, which made the pain harder to manage. Then the few doses of opioids I needed to take backed me up and I was miserable for another 24 hours, and so dependent on ice packs to help with the pain that I got ice burns on my belly and had to back off on that relief. THEN, because I had to stop my HRT for a few days because where my estrogen patch has to attach is right where my incision and stiches sit, I started something called a “withdrawal bleed.” But today, I’m feeling better and am going to remove some of the bandages, take a shower, and restart my HRT — fingers crossed it all goes much easier from here on out. I have had good company while I rest and recover. The best company, my favorite.
3. Good books. Many people I know on social media brag about how they no longer read self-help books, like they’ve somehow evolved past them. There are a lot of bad ones, and it can be problematic to read a bunch but not manifest any sort of change, or conversely to always be bullying yourself into being a “better version” of you, whatever that means, but when you find a good one at the right moment, just when you need and are ready for it, it can actually really help. I just finished Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, Or Self-Involved Parents, and wow… I feel like all of us from a certain generation raised in a culture of people from another particular generation (or just about any that came before ours, I suppose) should read this book. It seems like a pretty universal experience. I’ve also been reading everything Brianna Wiest has ever written. I also just finished The Book of Longings (a novel, not self-help) and wow, I did not expect that.
4. Our body’s capacity to heal, to keep going. It’s pretty amazing.
5. My tiny family, small house, little life. This is the only place I can truly rest and recover. They take such good care of me here.
Bonus joy: texting with Chloe’ and Chris, sharing reels and memes with Kari and Shellie and Carrie, being able to take time off when I need it, bird song in the mornings, ice packs, flannel sheets, all five pillows, streaming content I can access on my phone, all the naps, blackout curtains and white noise machines, mashed potatoes, baby carrots, a hot mug of green tea, my care team at Harmony Surgery Center and my surgeon, health insurance, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.
1. The Unyielding Flame of Aaron Bushnellfrom Frederick Joseph. “The measure of our bravery lies not in our ability to endure suffering in silence, but in our willingness to confront it, to speak against it, and to labor for a society in which such suffering is no longer necessary.”
16. Insights at the Edge podcast | Nate Klemp: Open, Expansive, and Free. “It’s not just you. Millions upon millions of people today are feeling more stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed than ever before. As a result, explains philosopher and writer Dr. Nate Klemp, a lot of us are contracting ourselves—closing our minds in an effort to shield ourselves from the constant noise of the 21st century. With his new book, Open, Nate explores possible solutions to help us shift into a life of expansiveness, creativity, and wonder.”
17. Of work and healingfrom Rita Ott Ramstad on Rootsie. “Let’s keep reading, writing, remembering, and leaving tracks.” She followed up this post with this one: A creative hangover cure in which she says, “I think if I’m going to write honestly about what a small creative life is or might be, it’s good to acknowledge that sometimes it’s not very creative at all.”
23. How To Write Through the Tough Stufffrom Jami Attenberg. In related news, Jami Attenberg’s Advice for Writers on the All of It podcast. “Novelist Jami Attenberg joins us to dispense her valuable advice to writers and aspiring writers everywhere on how to stay motivated, perfect your craft, and actually get published. We talk about her new book, 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round and take calls from listeners.”
28. Why We Can’t Stop Rushingon The New York Times. (gift link) “We know that happiness is to be found in taking our time and being present. How can we slow down?”
33. From breakdancing to powwow dancing. “James Jones is a fancy dancer, chicken dancer and hoop dancer who has amassed millions of followers and views on social media.”
40. Craft Advice with Andrea Gibson. “On the movement of writing, the sound of a poem, editing, the inner critic, and Andrea’s memoir. Plus, a fantastic writing prompt!”
46. “Please I Will Give Anything for You to Come Back.”“Why did a mother with no backcountry experience take her sister and 13-year-old son to live off the grid on a 10,000-foot mountain during a Colorado winter?”
50. Christian Nationalism is un-American, an Instagram reel. “Trump and his allies are now openly boasting they want to replace American democracy with a far-right, Christian Nationalist theocracy, turning their specific religious beliefs into law, at the expense of everyone else’s freedom.”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 