Yes, that is our Christmas tree in our front yard. Why, what do you do with yours?
1. SNOW!!! Finally… I could absolutely do without the below zero temps we are going to have for the next three days, and Ringo hasn’t had a walk yet today, but we really need the snow, especially since last week I noticed my irises were already trying to come up.
10 pm last night6 am this morningSunrise6 am this morning
2. Morning walks. They were a bit weird this week because before the storm and super cold, we had a lot of big wind.
Image by EricImage by Eric
3. My bed. Flannel sheets, down pillows and blankets, blackout curtains, a sound machine, my moon nightlight, my weighted blanket. I am not even embarrassed to say that my bed is one of my favorite places, and during the cold and dark season, it’s just so comfy and cozy. I went into my bedroom the other day when it was super windy, and Ringo decided my bed was the best place to be as well, (he doesn’t like the wind).
4. Good humans. As much as I enjoy being by myself and as many days as I have when I just can’t people, there are lots of humans in my life and the world that make it worth engaging and even leaving my house sometimes. And lucky me, my favorite human just so happens to live in my house.
5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I don’t ever want to leave.
Bonus joy: dark chocolate covered almonds, sweet potatoes, so many good books, texting and sharing pictures with Carrie and Chloe’ and Chris, being sad, my infrared heating pad, sitting in the sauna, getting in the pool, training with Shelby and the gang, breakfast burritos, pancakes, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, good TV, listening to podcasts, that video of Leslee I found on my phone, naps, gummies, being able to start over, letting go, crying, the way Ringo’s head smells, birds in the feeder, our neighborhood murder of crows, how chunky the squirrels are, all forms of bread, citrus, reading in bed at night while Ringo and Eric sleep.
9. zazen travel, YouTube channel. “‘Where to go, where to sit.’ In this channel, zazen (Japanese ZEN meditation) is recorded in binaural sound. We want to give our viewers an ASMR experience as if they were actually sitting there, and to give them a break.”
10. Starting Art After 40: How Drawing Helps Your Brain and Health, a video from Danny Gregory. “Curious about the unexpected ways art can enrich your life, especially as you grow older? Let’s dive into the often-overlooked benefits of art, backed by intriguing medical research. How creating art can boost your cognitive abilities, enhance your physical well-being, and even strengthen social connections.”
11. Visitations, “cooking with ghosts” on Short Reads.
21. Ada Limón | Faces of Change. (video) “Poet laureate Ada Limón uses words to preserve some of our national parks. She tells us how #art and #conservation go hand in hand in this edition of #FacesofChange.”
40. Determinants of Health Visualized. “89% of health occurs outside of the clinical space through our genetics, behavior, environment and social circumstances. These factors are known as the social determinants of health. Despite their importance, attempts to integrate the determinants into a single visualization have been limited…Relying on their experience of mapping complex systems within healthcare, GoInvo created a comprehensive open source visualization of the social determinants of health.”
41. The Sacredness of Beginningsfrom Gretchen Schmelzer. “Growth requires these moments of stillness and anticipation. Of simply not-knowing. Growth requires that you can be lost between these two states of yourself—the old and new, your inner hound and the young deer, and just be still for a moment. This state of in-between is so necessary, and so unsupported by our culture. Even for the healthiest, happiest among us, this is not an easy place to find or to stay. Our culture wants to fill that place with things, with achievement, with judgments and busy-ness. If you take the time to do nothing in order to sort out what your next move or idea is, you will likely find yourself feeling badly for ‘not getting anything done.’ Our dayplanners and calendars have slots for every hour which imply that every hour must be equally productive. But it just doesn’t work that way. Especially with beginnings.”
42. screw it, i’m eating tater tots – episode 58on A Grace Full Life. Kari’s dad got test results this week that no one wants, but she’s facing it with an open heart. If you have some to spare, could you send her & her family some love, kind and gentle reader? ❤
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 