1. Morning walks. I am so lucky to have so many beautiful places to walk and Ringo to walk with. We are having a stormy spring which means everything is super green and there are lots of wildflowers. This week we saw a bunch of deer, lots of rabbits, a few heron, a kind of duck I’d never seen before and her babies, and so many birds. A mystery we have yet to solve is a lone deer both Eric and I saw at different times this week that has a big tracking color around her neck and a red tag in her ear.
2. Practice. Keeping me sane, bringing me joy.
3. Mom. She’s trying to wander even though she can no longer walk (but she forgets that and she was never very good at sitting still), and she managed to end up on the floor of her room this week (thank goodness she didn’t hurt herself), so they now have an alarm that will alert them if she tries to get up when she’s by herself in her room. My brother and niece went to visit her the next day and she was hanging out in the main living room. It might be the biggest benefit for her about being at Tokarski House because she’s always been a very social person and being there, she gets lots of visitors and loves all her nurses.
4. Ringo. Repeat bloodwork we were waiting anxiously for came back okay.
5. My tiny family, small house, little life. Even though he’s not entirely on summer break, is finishing up a few last things at work, it’s been so good to have Eric home more often. After 11 years, Ringo is finally learning to be the dog of a writer, and is content to hang out in my office with me when I’m working. I really didn’t think that would ever happen.
Bonus joy: visiting with Chloe’, birds at my window feeder, pizza, pay day, therapy, grocery shopping, comedy and comedians, poetry and poets, music and musicians, libraries and librarians, starting a new book club, how pretty the honey locusts are this year, how many buds my peonies have, all the Rocky Mountain bee plants at the North Shields Ponds, yoga at Red Sage, other people’s dogs and kids and gardens, clean sheets, #1000wordsofsummer, rain storms, how green and soft the grass is, listening to podcasts, watching TV, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.
2. A Hall Pass from the Universefrom Laurie Wagner. Laurie is also offering a free four day session of wild writing, Writing As Medicine, June 2nd – June 5th. It is such a beautiful, meaningful practice, and has been for me ever since I first wrote with Laurie twelve years ago.
7. Unsilenced Bodies with Abigail Rose Clarke and Catherine Simone Gray. (video) “Why we need the subversive practices of listening to the body and listening to nature with Abigail Rose Clarke and Catherine Simone Gray. What does it mean to be in an intimate relationship with our bodies? How do we ‘follow our heart’? How do we ‘listen to our gut feeling’? How do we disentangle trauma responses from the deep, true voice of our intuition?”
14. I stopped feeling guilty about wanting a simpler life – Slow living reflections. (video) “Twelve years ago, I moved to the countryside in search of a simpler life. At first, I felt guilty — for slowing down, for not chasing the ‘normal’ path, for wanting something quieter. In this video, I reflect on what I’ve let go of since choosing slow living: the guilt around resting, the pressure to be productive 24/7, the inability to set boundaries, the notion that being an introvert was somehow wrong or the myth that I should be living a different live, chasing success like everyone else. I’ve learned to embrace intentional living and find beauty in life’s imperfections, accepting myself as I am. If you’re drawn to mindful living, life in the countryside, or just craving more stillness, I hope this resonates. This is a gentle reflection for anyone feeling out of place in a fast-paced world. Whether you’re exploring slow living, learning to embrace your introverted nature, or just dreaming of a slower life close to nature — this is for you.”
15. Navigating by aliveness from The Imperfectionist. “In a world where tech commentators confidently declare that we poor ignoramuses haven’t even begun to get our heads around what’s barreling down the tracks towards us, I think it’s good to stay fully, even slightly foolishly, committed to the idea that humans doing human things, with other humans, is and will remain at the vital heart of human existence. Because otherwise what on earth’s the point?”
17. I’ve been counting cans again: How do we live in these times? by Ijeoma Oluo. “If I can’t guarantee my safety in the world, if I can’t guarantee the safety of my friends and family, I can at least be a safe space for them, and they can be for me. If I can’t build a safe world, I can build moments of freedom and choose to rejoice in them. If I can’t protect our bodies I can protect our joy. If I can’t guarantee that I will be here tomorrow, I can at least ensure these words are here today.”
18. What Was The Summer Vacation? Everything and Nothing, All At Once by Anne Helen Petersen. “Last week, I asked Culture Study subscribers to describe their summer family vacations: where they went, of course, but also how they understood the purpose and meaning of their family’s choices. What did they remember? How has that memory shifted with time? Who did the labor? How did it feel? What mattered — and what didn’t? A few themes emerged — ones that are worth turning over as we approach this summer and the perceived demand for highly orchestrated family leisure.”
19. Heart of the Matter: A Special Series on Narratively. “In this collection, we explore everything from an epic heartbreak, to a life-saving operation with a twist, to a true mystery involving suspicious infant deaths, and more.”
22. #1000WordsofSummer 2025 FAQ, a really great writing “summer/boot camp” led by Jamie Attenberg that starts May 31st. And yes, I’m doing it. Join us?
25. Visit one of Brooklyn’s greenest blocks in the heart of Flatbush. (Facebook reel) “On a rainy day in the middle of spring, East 25th Street between Clarendon Road and Avenue D is already bursting with life. The block has been crowned victorious in BBG’s Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest five times; many of the block’s gardeners now also mentor budding gardeners elsewhere in the borough. Neighbors Vera, Dian, Trevor, Luke, Trang, and Max were kind enough to show us around the block to talk community building and urban greening strategies.”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 