Okay, raise your hand if you're tired of me saying: "It's been one month... six weeks... three months... [fill in unit of time measurement here] since my last confession... um... blog post". I've been busy but I've also been cocooning, if that makes a bit of sense. RHG and I were talking the other night, reminiscing about the years I suffered from Full Plate Syndrome, and I worked hard to eventually scrape many things off my dish. I laughed that now, when I add something, it's not a heaping helping of mashed potatoes, but more along the lines of one... pea... at... a... time. And I'm good with that... 😍
I recently attended a livestream with Anna Quindlen, moderated by Kelly Corrigan (more about her in an upcoming Mother's Day post). I have been following AQ's writing since first reading her Life in the 30's column when we lived in Puerto Rico (1985-1989), followed by her novels as well as non-fiction works. There's just something about her "voice" that is simple yet beautiful; her new book (non-fiction) is called Write for Your Life (see link below), and is geared to those who love to write but don't do it professionally. I related to so many things she said, especially: "I don't send you a letter to *tell* you something; I send you a letter to *give* you something." Whoa. Wow. Goosebumps.
If you are a friend, or a follower of my blog, or both... you are long familiar with my can't-do-anything-in-25-words-or-less philosophy. I mean... I can, but I don't want to... not when there's a whole language and vocabulary out there just waiting to be used and highlighted. This is where I shine; I have missed writing... and her livestream fueled my desire to get back to blogging too, even if only once a week.
So, here I am. Rather than recap from where I left off (mid-February... really?!?), I will Begin Again... in the Now... possibly sharing tidbits of that Bermuda Triangle of lost time... or maybe not. Life is pretty d*mn lovely. I still read, walk, garden, hug my Colin, sip my hot tea, count my blessings. Hope there is joy in your days as well, whether bestowed-by-The-Universe magical or earned-tooth-and-nail (equally valued).
It is indeed Feel Good Friday and, as is tradition, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor to brighten/enlighten your day/weekend/week. Enjoy!
~ MacKenzie Scott Has Pledged to Donate Half Her Net Worth to Charity: It's a pledge her ex-husband, Jeff Bezos, has yet to make.
~ Love the Hit Game Wordle? Try BRDL, a Bird-Inspired Spinoff: The daily word quiz that has taken the internet by storm now has a version for birders. Just make sure you know your banding codes.
~ Break a Leg but Never Whistle: How Stage Superstitions Live On: The return of the Scottish play (that’s “Macbeth” to the rest of you) is a reminder of the idiosyncratic rituals and routines that bring actors comfort.
~ The Best Teas, According to Wirecutter’s Obsessive Staff: A great cup of tea can make everything better. Even though tea is not as popular as coffee in the US, we think it deserves its place as the second-most widely consumed beverage in the world (water being the first).
~ 70+ Perennial Vegetables to Plant Once and Harvest for Years: Edible perennial gardening is a way to grow delicious crops while saving time, money, and effort.
POEM: What You Missed That Day You Were Absent From Fourth Grade by Brad Aaron Modlin
QUOTE(S): "When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life." ~ Jean Shinoda Bolen
Mrs. Nelson explained how to stand still and listen
to the wind, how to find meaning in pumping gas,
how peeling potatoes can be a form of prayer. She took
questions on how not to feel lost in the dark
After lunch she distributed worksheets
that covered ways to remember your grandfather’s
voice. Then the class discussed falling asleep
without feeling you had forgotten to do something else—
something important—and how to believe
the house you wake in is your home. This prompted
Mrs. Nelson to draw a chalkboard diagram detailing
how to chant the Psalms during cigarette breaks,
and how not to squirm for sound when your own thoughts
are all you hear; also, that you have enough.
The English lesson was that I am
is a complete sentence.
And just before the afternoon bell, she made the math equation
look easy. The one that proves that hundreds of questions,
and feeling cold, and all those nights spent looking
for whatever it was you lost, and one person
add up to something.
“We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. But that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to be. To be what? To be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And that is what the world needs most.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“Doing those deeply unfashionable things—slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act now, but it is essential. This is a crossroads we all know, a moment when you need to shed a skin. If you do, you’ll expose all those painful nerve endings and feel so raw that you’ll need to take care of yourself for a while. If you don’t, then that skin will harden around you.” ~ Katherine May
