1. Morning walks. We had lots of company this week: a single deer, two mama deer with two babies each (twins!), an owl, a bald eagle, and two very friendly pigs. Getting up so early in the morning we can really see the turn towards fall, have had to dig out our headlamps. The good news is that means we never miss a sunrise.
2. Good friends. I am especially grateful for them as a highly sensitive introvert who prefers being at home alone. With my friends, I’m seen, heard, accepted, loved, and cheered up — so so so lucky.
3. Good food. Eric made another peach gallate, and I made pasta slaw, broccoli slaw, potato salad, taco beans, bran muffins with dried raspberries, and chocolate zucchini bread. The best thing is that we have close friends nearby who we can share with, so I can make a lot of various things without having to worry about how we are going to eat all this food.
4. Reading. It really is my first love.
5. My tiny family, tiny life, tiny home. I was sitting in the backyard this morning thinking for the thousandth time how much I love where we live, that we are here together.
Bonus joy: cooking and baking, chopping and mixing, clean laundry, clean sheets on the bed, a warm shower, how soft the fur on Ringo’s shoulders is, bird song, bees, peaches, grapes, soft bread, pickles, sitting on the back step with Eric just after the sunset watching the bats fly around our yard, that even though our preferences can be so different there are certain shows Eric and I both like and enjoy watching together (right now it’s Homicide Hunter), clearing up a pile of clutter, naps, that corner of the couch, afternoon rainstorms on a hot day, hanging out with Chloe’ and Hendrix and Carrie and Calyx, texting with my mom and brother, listening to podcasts, the hydromassage chair and pool and sauna at the gym (in that order), vaccines and masks, refrigeration and a/c, our neighbor’s four dogs with their reflective collars, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.
2. Homosassa Springs Underwater Manatees Live Cam. This site has a ton of live cams worth watching, as well as other content worth checking out: “explore is a multimedia organization that documents leaders around the world who have devoted their lives to extraordinary causes. Both educational and inspirational, explore creates a portal into the soul of humanity by championing the selfless acts of others. explore’s growing library consists of more than 250 original films and 30,000 photographs from around the world.”
4. Not Too Late, in particular their F.A.Q. is just what I needed. “#NotT00Late is a project to invite newcomers to the climate movement, as well as provide climate facts and encouragement for people who are already engaged but weary. We believe that the truths about the science, the justice-centered solutions, the growing strength of the climate movement and its achievements can help. They can assuage the sorrow and despair, and they can help people see why it’s worth doing the work the climate crisis demands of us.”
6. Found in a Library Book: Have You Ever Wondered About the Things You Left Behind? “Well, if you leave them in an OPL library book, or around the library, you might find them featured right here, on our website. See some of our found treasures below.” This reminded me of my love of Found Magazine, “We collect found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids’ homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, doodles– anything that gives a glimpse into someone else’s life. Anything goes.”
13. Wisdom from Elizabeth Gilbert: “We live in a hard world, my friends. Sometimes it is extra difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts for several years. You struggle and fail. You lose jobs, money, friends, faith, and love. You witness horrible events unfolding in the news, and you become fearful and withdrawn. There are times when everything seems cloaked in darkness. You long for the light but don’t know where to find it. But what if you are the light? What if you are the very agent of illumination that a dark situation begs for?”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 