Something Good

1. Poems in a Time of Crisis on The New York Times.

2. The power of the dog and how pets are helping Ukrainians cope with war. In related news, Ukraine-Russia crisis: ‘I left my husband behind at the border. My heart is broken.’ “Alisa, 35, who fled to Poland with her family and dogs, describes their dangerous and emotional journey.”

3. This New Book Says We Should All Be Trying Less Hard. “Burnout is real, and it’s brutal. But maybe it can be stopped. Greg McKeown speaks to VICE about how his new book, ‘Effortless,’ can help.”

4. Americans are besieged by stress, poll finds. “Concerns over nuclear war and inflation — following two years of a pandemic — have Americans more stressed than ever.”

5. 5 Signs You’re Dealing With A Toxic Parent As An Adult (And How To Cope). “Even as adults, we crave our mom and dad’s love and approval. A toxic parent will exploit that.”

6. Black business ownership is higher than pre-pandemic. Women are driving that growth.

7. Some people aren’t ready to stop masking, but it can be tough to go against the grain.

8. Emilio Delgado, Luis on ‘Sesame Street’ for 45 years, dies.

9. Jane ‘Nightbirde’ Marczewski funeral: Friends, family honor ‘America’s Got Talent’ singer.

10. Recipe I want to try: charred cauliflower quesadillas.

11. Movements, Missing Stairs and Lindo Bacon. This is so incredibly disappointing, and I’m so glad people like Lindley are willing to take the time to talk about it.

12. Body neutrality is one way to reject diet culture. Here’s what that means. “Body neutrality offers an alternative way of thinking that de-emphasizes appearance in favor of what your body can do.”

13. Accessing Joy and Finding Connection in the Midst of Struggle. Karen Walrond on Brene’ Brown’s podcast, “If you’re struggling with how to be fully connected in your life and feel joy and acknowledge beauty and also fight for the things that we need to fight for right now, this will be a great podcast for you. It was a game changer for me.”

14. Making Decisions When You Can’t Decide.

15. Elizabeth Gilbert on what dogs teach us, “& an essay and prompt by Nadia Bolz-Weber on creatures great and small.”

16. Becoming news-resilient. “[T]here’s one prediction I feel confident in making: even if the pandemic and Putinism were to fade to nothing within weeks, the news cycle isn’t about to become less panic-inducing, less filled with existential threat. Which means that figuring out how to consume news sanely – how to keep your head, when everyone on social media is losing theirs – is only going to become an even more critical skill for living a composed and purposeful life.”

17. I Don’t Know How to Write About War from Laurie Wagner.

18. Vibrant Embroideries by Hillary Waters Fayle Enhance the Natural Beauty of Preserved Leaves.

19. Superficial Self-Care? Stressed-Out Teachers Say No Thanks.

20. Vibrant Tiled Mosaics by Ememem Repair Gouged Pavement and Fractured Sidewalks.

21. Why Your Essay Got Rejected. “So why were they getting rejected? For that matter, why are you? And what can you do about it?”

22. If You Love to Write Just Wait Until You Try Not Writing.

23. Zero, an essay on Creative Nonfiction. “She could only take what fit in a suitcase and a duffel.”

24. We Need This Wisdom More Than Ever on Lion’s Roar. “Trudy Goodman reflects on the crisis in Ukraine and increasing conflict throughout the world, and shares the Buddhist teachings we must take to heart at this time.”

25. Why Art Is Not Frivolous, But Necessary. “The many reasons creativity leads to a better world.”

26. Say yes and never do it from Austin Kleon.

Gratitude

1. Morning walks. I only have pictures from the first one of the week, when it first started snowing. For all the rest we had to wait until later in the day because it was anywhere from -1 up to about 6 degrees every morning, and that’s just too cold. So we waited until later and walked around our neighborhood instead of by the river. Ringo is feeling much better but we are still being careful, taking short slower walks.

2. Wild Writing with Laurie. It’s been at least 10 years now I’ve been writing with Laurie Wagner, and the Friday morning session I take part in has women in it I’ve also been writing with for a long time, including two of my best friends. Practicing long term with these women is magic, medicine. Doing this practice with the same small group of people over time is a sort of intimacy that’s hard to cultivate, but so easy with these gorgeous writers I love so much.

3. Flowers in the bathroom. It won’t be long now before things start to green up, warm up, bud and bloom. I am one of those weirdos that loves a mild winter like we have in Fort Collins, and fall is actually my favorite season, but the return of the green and my garden is something I look forward to every year, and these flowers Eric got me are reminding me that even though there’s still snow on the ground, spring is coming.

4. Trying new recipes. I am looking for new recipes that use lots of vegetables but are also super yummy, so various salads and such. Our fridge is stuffed full right now of all kinds of good things and I’ve got close to ten recipes I’ve yet to try and a few we already did. (And p.s., I sure wish companies like Driscoll’s and Kroger treated their employees better).

5. My tiny family, tiny house, tiny life. Eric is on Spring Break this week. Other than hanging out with him and him getting some much needed ease and rest, my favorite thing about him being on break is when he gets bored, he cleans. Ringo makes it easier to have just one dog right now by being so happy as an only, and as an older dog he’s also so much less work than when he was younger. He’s also becoming a super good nap buddy.

Bonus joy: swimming laps, sitting in the sauna, the hydromassage chair, aqua aerobics, small group training with Shelby, comedy shows, snow tires, ice scrapers, snow shovels, down and wool, gummies, strawberries, bread, a big glass of clean cold water, a warm shower, clean sheets, blankets, making art with Calyx, my therapist, reading, writing, meditating, texting with Mom and Chris and Chloe’, neighbors who recognize you and wave as you drive by, other people’s dogs, heat, electricity, the internet, healthcare professionals and facilities workers, masks and vaccines, being able to help, listening to music and podcasts, watching TV and movies, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.