Peace (Taylor Swift)

[see first Feel Good Friday note below for attribution]

To quote the beginning of the song Satisfied in Hamilton:  "rewind... rewind... rewind".  I know today is Saturday but, for all practical purposes, this is my Feel Good Friday post... because I was with my grandbaby all day and most of the evening yesterday and didn't have the opportunity to post.

Wow, did I need that day with my sweet Colin, just the two of us, to re-bond.  Most of our time together is with Sarah as well, always lovely, but he obviously defers to her, so this one-on-one time was much appreciated and cherished.  Dance, Lala! Come, Lala! (upon handing me my shoes so we could go to the park), Can I please have a cookie, Lala? Tickle back, Lala! His wish is my command... 💞  He looked up at me, at least 10 times, to say, "Hi, Lala!" and "I love you, Lala!". We hugged and snuggled and talked.  He understands the concept of *both*, which I think is pretty amazing for not-yet-three.  

Colin is obsessed with the zoo and has an assortment of of molded plastic animals,  so we played with them most of the day, him doling out to me which *one* I could be... sometimes the zebra, sometimes the cheetah, sometimes the giraffe (but never the lion; he *always* gets to be the lion(s)... 😄 )

As is tradition, our Word(s) of the Day:  Adventure (because we visited a new-to-us park, with lots of trees, some winding paths, and a giant playground, some of which is too advanced for him, but gives him something to grow into)... and Asparagus (because there were lots of chopped-up raw pieces in the salad I brought for lunch, which I shared with Colin, who pronounced them yuck!).

A heart- and spirit-refilling day that was important for us both.  See what I did there?... 👵👶

After he went to bed (since I don't get Disney+ at home), I finished watching the Taylor Swift documentary that we started New Year's Eve.  Well-done (and now I want to view it all over again).

As promised, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor to brighten your day/weekend/week.  Enjoy! 

~ Dad Creates Honest Comics About The World And Kindness:  For years, Christopher Grady has been drawing his experiences as a dad-of-two and sharing them through a project called Lunarbaboon. He started this endeavor to combat anxiety and depression, focusing on life-affirming aspects of everyday life. So it doesn't matter if a particular strip revolves around a not-so-pesky spider or teaching your son to respect women, Grady tries his best to infuse it with love and empathy. And it works.

~ Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen team up for new Renegades: Born in the USA podcast:  Former President Barack Obama and legendary singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen are known for their power on the mic. And today, the two have released their very own podcast: Renegades: Born in the USA. The eight-episode series (of which the first two episodes are out now) features the duo in dialogue about everything from their similar childhoods as "outsiders" to being role models to how to approach the divided state of America today.

~ Michelle Obama Befriends Foodie Puppets in ‘Waffles + Mochi’ Trailer:  The former First Lady stars as a supermarket owner who hires Waffles and Mochi, two puppets who dream of being chefs. Obama helps the duo embark on a global adventure, using a flying shopping cart as their guide. They visit restaurants, kitchens, and farms around the world — riding in gondolas in Italy and llamas in Peru, out March 16 on Netflix.

~ The Soothing, Digital Rooms of YouTube:  Welcome to the world of so-called ambience videos, a genre of YouTube video that pairs relaxing soundscapes with animated scenery in order to make viewers feel immersed in specific spaces, like a jazz bar in Paris or a swamp populated with trilling wildlife.

~ Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co.:  Rediscover... The Tea from Here.  American Roots, A Different Leaf, A Better Tea. (thanks to my dear friend LO for the variety pack that arrived on my doorstep yesterday... 💖)

NR:  No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood (Part One had me befuddled, Part Two completely engaged as well as ugly-crying.  Her memoir Priestdaddy is next in my queue.)

SONG:  Peace by Taylor Swift

BOOK:  365 Days of Peace: Benedictions to End Your Day in Gentleness and Hope by Jessica Kantrowitz

POEM:  Acceptance Speech for Winning the Nobel Peace Prize by Peter Davis

First off, most importantly, I’d like to thank war

for making peace so valuable. We should be willing to thank

the bad for making the good possible. I say, “I would never

know the moon without night.”

However, we all know the black tar of violence

sticks to the machines and they don’t work right.

We’ve all seen an arrow through a bloody heart.

We all know whose heart it is.

I’d like to praise doctors and nurses for caring for wounds.

It is a dirty business.

I prefer to not have wounds, and yet I know this award

is like a metal-plated wound on my heart.

… The sacrifice of waterfalls, the terrific flight of a seagull,

the hanging of vines and leaves from trees, the insects,

the crayfish and miniscule snails, the small canyons

and the man-made tunnels under roads …

I cannot swallow these things out of my chest.

I cannot digest butterflies or sharp knives.

There is no part of me that smells a soup from our

broth of intolerance and one-sidedness.

Thank you for giving me something

to remember the sadness of my life by. My life is a religion

of sadness and I only wish that others would join me

and reach out because they are sad too.

I would love to wake up one morning and find hands,

some up to the elbow, coming out of my lawn.

[Peter Davis: “I’m a guy who lives with my wife and son in Muncie, Indiana. I have doubts about myself as a poet and teacher. I do the best I can. That’s why I write poems: because I try. I mean, essentially, I’m hopeful. It’s not very cynical and heartless at its core. It’s not very punk.”]

QUOTE:  “I don't write because I think I have something to say. I write because if I don't, everything feels even worse.” ~ Lily King, Writers & Lovers