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

Image credit: @womenwhotech

Note: I was sick all week, so didn’t spend much time online and it’s another short list.

1. 31 Morning Journaling Prompts that Will Change the Way You Think.

2. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? – Official Trailer [HD] (video)

3. Why I Write: An Introvert’s Perspective.

4. The White Allies’ Guide to Collecting Aunt Linda, “10 rules for speaking up on the Internet.”

5. Andrea Gibson – “Good Light” Live from the Boulder Theater (video)

6. How to turn your flaws into your gold, a simple but powerful practice from Andrea Scher.

7. Family Brings Baby Cow Into Their House During A Hurricane. (video) “This tiny baby cow was spotted in a flooded field after Hurricane Harvey. She was very sick, but she fought so hard get better. Today on Comeback Kids: Animal Edition, watch how Harveigh bounced back and grew up to be a happy, sassy cow who has the run of the house — all thanks to her rescuers, and her friendship with a very special pit bull.”

8. Naomi Wadler Speaks to Crowd at D.C. March For Our Lives. (video) “11-year-old Naomi Wadler has more poise and power than most adults you’ve ever met.” In related news, Emma Gonzalez Is Responsible for the Loudest Silence in the History of US Social Protest, and Photos From the March for Our Lives.

9. Julie Yip-Williams, Writer of Candid Blog on Cancer, Dies at 42 on The New York Times.

10. Austin Victims Remembered For Resilience, Radiating Positivity.

11. This tiny home village in Austin is giving homeless people a purpose.

12. AFSHeeN, Rebecca Ferguson – Uncrazy (video). My current favorite song.

13. Fox News Analyst Quits, Calls Network a ‘Propaganda Machine.’ Well, duh.

14. Final Male Northern White Rhino Dies. (video) “The last male northern white rhino has died, leaving only 2 northern white rhinos left on Earth.”

15. This special village plants 111 trees whenever a girl is born. (video)

16. 50 mums and 50 kids. (video)

17. 19 Confessions of an INFJ, the Rarest Personality Type.

18. They Push. They Protest. And Many Activists, Privately, Suffer as a Result.

19. Why the Stormy Daniels story matters, in one paragraph. “Her 60 Minutes interview shows it’s not about sex. It’s about the abuse of power.”

20. White privilege and the gun debate. (video)

1. Morning walks. This was pretty much the only time I was off the couch or out of bed and wearing something other than pajamas last week. I was sick with strep throat and Eric was gone at a conference and Sam is still on restriction, so Ringo and I were on our own.

2. Paid sick leave. There was no way I could have worked this week, although I did a few things from home. My brain and body just couldn’t function beyond taking care of the bare necessities for me and the dogs.

3. The essentials for being sick. This time around they were plenty of clean pjs, clean sheets, Kleenex with lotion (because after a few days of blowing and wiping my nose with toilet paper it felt like my nostrils were ringed with a thousand tiny paper cuts), orange juice and oranges and orange sherbert, antibiotics, cough syrup with codeine, ibuprofen, Butternut Squash soup, onion rolls, House Hunters Renovation, lots of tea, health insurance, and my infrared heating pad.

4. Sam and Ringo. They were so good for me while Eric was away and I was sick, so patient and sweet. They got me out of bed every morning, but also let me sleep most of the day and kept me from feeling too lonely or sorry for myself.

5. Eric. He almost got stuck because a storm moved in his last day in DC, but he did everything he could, even drove to another airport, to get a flight out and get home to me.

Bonus joy: getting some real clarity about changes I want to make in my life even when I was feeling so crappy I couldn’t get off the couch, flowers blooming, being able to take time off and rest without beating myself up about it, getting enough sleep, a kind and available and smart primary doctor, good friends who check on me and are on standby ready to help, feeling better bit by bit.