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

Profile poetry, created in a workshop with my friend Chloe’

How to take care of myself:
Get enough sleep
Drink lots of water
Eat fruit and vegetables
Stretch
Use the roller to work out what can’t be stretched
Get massaged regularly to work out what can’t be stretched or rolled
Listen to music
Read
Make art (easy stuff, like art journaling and collage, things I can do without much skill or prep or clean up)
Take walks
Do yoga
Have sex
Shower or soak in a tub of hot water, or both
Clean sheets and clean pjs
At least once a day, pay close attention to each dog — pet them, talk to them, give them all my attention
Do the same with Eric
Spend time with smart, creative, kind, funny people
Sit still without doing anything at all
Mediate (which isn’t the same as that last thing)
Wear good shoes
Put on a sweater and/or socks if I’m too cold
Go to bed early so I can stay up and read
Pack a lunch, preferably leftovers from last night’s dinner
Trust my first thought, my instinct, my gut, because I’m almost always right
When I’m hurt or angry or confused, say so instead of swallowing it
Say thank you
Admit when I’m wrong and say I’m sorry as soon as possible
Lower the bar, because my tendency is to do too much
Give myself credit
Celebrate the good things I do, and the good things that happen to me
Say “no thank you” when they want to weigh me
Follow all the smart, wise people on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter, the more color the better
Unfollow the people who aren’t helping, aren’t even listening, don’t even care
Make bran muffins, use the dried raspberries from Trader Joe’s
Brush my teeth
Breathe
Feel what I’m feeling
Let all of it break my heart
Keep my heart open
Don’t give up

morningriverwalk

1. Morning walks with the dogs. Oh how I’ve missed this. Finally mostly healed from a bum knee, a fall on the ice, and surgery, yesterday morning I was able to go on my first solo morning walk with the dogs. It did not disappoint.

2. Teachers, writers, and friends that say and write the most amazing, helpful things — things that on some days are the only thing that will keep me from giving up. Tenderhearted, smart, kind, funny humans like Jeff Oaks and Jena Schwartz and Laurie Wagner and Susan Piver.

purplepracticeshrine

3. Practice. Meditation, yoga, writing, and dog. And, as I was telling my friend Justine, even marriage. With the right intention and an open heart, it can all be practice.

4. Sweet things, salty things. Ice cream and chocolate and potatoes and cheese, in particular but in no particular order.

5. My tiny family. Cuddling with Sam (which he doesn’t do very often, so it’s special), laughing or taking a walk with Eric, and just waiting around for the next thing Ringo is going to do, because it’s guaranteed to make me crazy and happy, simultaneously.

stinkeronatable

Bonus joy: being able to walk 3.62 miles without pain, a good week at work, good TV, good books, good food, clean water, soaking in a tub of hot water, clean sheets, finishing the laundry, being able to pay bills and give, being seen, taking a nap, sunshine, Wild Writing, spending time with good people.