Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

1. I’m still here, one year later. A big snow storm is heading our way, possibly feet of snow, so yesterday when the sun came out, I sat in the backyard for a bit. It felt really good.

2. Morning walks. Towards the end of the week we got rain, and it would have been too muddy to go by the river, so Ringo and I zigzagged around our neighborhood instead. With the time change coming this weekend, and the big snow, it’s hard to tell what next week’s walks will be like. We’ll leave a bit later so we still get to see the sun come up and may have to alter our route a bit, but I bet I’ll get some pretty pictures.

3. Practice. Keep showing up. Stay tender. Keep your heart open. Don’t give up.

4. Comfort. Chocolate cake, chicken pot pie, long naps, books, podcasts, warm clean laundry, clean sheets, a warm shower, music playing in the background, sunshine, kitchen counter love notes.

5. My tiny family, tiny house, tiny life. May we remain safe and well, no matter what arises.

Bonus joy: more people getting vaccinated, my writing sangha, birds at the feeder, true crime TV, heat, electricity, doors that lock, that corner of the couch, napping with Ringo, Spotify, Zoom, movies, podcasts, getting a refund on our taxes for the 2nd year in a row, wool socks and sweaters, down blankets and pillows, fresh soft chewy bread, clean water, a washer and dryer in my house so I don’t have to drag all my dirty clothes somewhere else and wait, bird song, windows, seeing Lindsey and blowing each other kisses through our masks, the woman who loaded my grocery order remembering me and saying “Hi Jill! Long time, no see!” which made me feel seen which I didn’t even realize I needed, hanging out and writing with Mikalina, texting my mom and brother and niece, knowing that even if it does snow a lot we can just stay home and we’ll be safe, watching Antiques Roadshow with Eric and guessing what things will be worth and if we’d keep it or sell it, Eric taking some time off from work next week, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. Yard-Sale Bowl Revealed To Be Rare Chinese Artifact Worth Up To $500,000.

2. Photographer Creates His Own 78-Card Tarot Deck Inspired by His Sleep Paralysis.

3. Anne Lamott on Writing a Book for Those Feeling Hopeless.

4. Kazuo Ishiguro: A Dystopian Book in Dystopian Times.

5. In COVID news: Covid-19 vaccines are great — here’s why you also still need to wear a mask for now, and CDC Says It’s Safe For Vaccinated People To Do These Activities, and Posting less, posting more, and tired of it all: How the pandemic has changed social media.

6. If paul revere was gay. This made me laugh. (video)

7. A natural water park you’ve never seen before. Very cool. (video)

8. The Life Altering Practice of Making Cuts by Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

9. Wisdom from Pema Chödrön: “We can become the world’s greatest experts on anger, jealousy, and self-deprecation, as well as on joyfulness, clarity, and insight. Everything that human beings feel, we feel. We can become extremely wise and sensitive to all of humanity and the whole universe simply by knowing ourselves, just as we are.”

10. How to Practice Mindfulness.

11. Creative Resilience from Jamie Ridler.

12. No I’m Not Ready. Because this: “We can start clearing trail for our paths away from this pandemic year. We just have to make them meandering, with ample stops for rest. We will be collectively discombobulated and bewildered, working through layers of bittersweetness, anxious and angry and thrilled. Our post-pandemic selves will contain multitudes, and I cannot wait to get reacquainted with myself, with all of you. But it’s okay that I’m not there, not quite yet.”

13. The Radical Act of Letting Things Hurt: How (Not) to Help a Friend in Sorrow. “Why our instinctive efforts to salve another’s sadness tend to only deepen their helpless anguish and broaden the abyss between us and them — and what to do instead.”