Lately

“I get in my car, and I make my way back to Brooklyn.  And I'm thinking about the fact that we imagine that we live in the light.  We imagine we can foresee what's gonna happen.  We imagine we can control everything:  I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do that.

But the reality is, almost all of us are just stumbling along in the dark, searching, trying to reach some kind of home, while we're juggling all these balls and hopefully on most days keeping them afloat”   ~ John Turturro |  The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown

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Friends, hello!  I hope your summer is going as well as can be expected and that you're finding some rest amidst all of the chaos

I was looking through my texts last night.  They're filled with daily updates of friend's gardens, the frequent mention of recipes we miss eating together, pictures of our pets, and funny YouTube videos to brighten our spirits.  Then there are the occasional COVID articles, which, as you might imagine, are my least favorite.

But through it all, every night before I close my eyes, I say the same little prayer,  “Thank you for helping me get through another day.  It's so hard to muddle through but I'm really trying to do my best.  I hope you'll let me do it again tomorrow.”

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Today, a few snippets of things from our world

We can't get enough of fresh Iowa sweet corn.  Oh my goodness, what a treat

Leave it to David Sedaris to make you smile, especially when it comes to his FitBit obsession.  Everything from walking miles and miles around NYC during the pandemic to his record of 91,000 steps (43 miles!) in just one day.    [New York Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune]

This week I re-introduced myself to my favorite granola recipe for the sole purpose of putting it on frozen yogurt   [The Veggies and 101 Cookbooks]

Always a good reminder – Life First Speaks to You in a Whisper    [Oprah via Apple Podcasts]

I’ve reverted to many of my early quarantine activities – working from random places throughout the house, watering and talking to the plants, watering and talking to the kitties

I can't think of a better summer cupcake moment (or two) – Double Chocolate Sunflower Cupcakes    [Joy the Baker]

My two most gifted books of the year – If you've had a mysterious Amazon package appear on your doorstep with either The Dalai Lama's Cat, The Moth Presents: All These Wonders, (or both) ..  the book fairy sends lots of love(!)

Summer diversion – Principal Park has been hosting high school baseball games this summer.  No ten-dollar beers or salty peanuts, but it's been fun to see the kids play     [Principle Park and Yahoo Sports]

Have you tried Audible Sleep?  They have free downloads and they're great     [Audible]

If you're like me, looking at the world and wondering, “What can I do?”  Try this.  Extend both arms as far out as they'll go and turn in a circle.  Pay attention to what you feel, see, and hear.  That's it.  This little circle is pretty much all we've got, but it holds a lot of power.

We can be kind to the people in our days.

We can treat friends and colleagues with love lacking in judgment.

We can wear a mask because we care about our health and the health of others.

We can smile at or offer a small wave to a stranger.

While they might seem like little things, I'm convinced they matter more than we know.

Wishing for you, a happy and peaceful rest of your week.  As always, sending big hugs and lots of love.  Thanks so much for being here.

xoxo