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

1. The Lifegiving Benefits of Befriending Our Mortality, a new poem from Andrea Gibson.

2. These Are the Most Gorgeous Botanical Gardens in the U.S. Eric and I are planning a road trip to visit botanical gardens, state parks, museums, and all the good restaurants, so this list might come in handy.

3. Could You Transform Your Yard into a Flourishing Wildlife Haven? “Through Backyard Habitat Certification, individuals strive to make even the smallest outdoor spaces more biodiverse. Those changes add up.”

4. We Quit Our Jobs to Build a Cabin—Everything Went Wrong on Outside, “And it was also the most awesome experience.”

5. The soft life: why millennials are quitting the rat race. “Ambition once came with a promise: a home, a salary, progress and fulfilment. What happens when that promise is broken? Meet the women who are turning their backs on consumerism, materialism and burnout.”

6. Maybe You Just Need To Take a Nap Right Now. “We work (almost) more than ever before. It’s time to take it easy.” In related news, this piece from CBS Sunday Morning, Take it easy – The importance of being lazy. (video) “Social pressures to be productive – not to mention a culture that prizes multitasking – make doing nothing hard to do, for fear of being accused of the dreaded sin of laziness. However, experts say there are rewards for not pushing yourself to the edge all the time. Correspondent Susan Spencer looks at how some of the most productive and innovative people in history allowed themselves to take time out, just to be.”

7. How to Break Dependence on the Phone on Zen Habits. In related news, A leading mindfulness teacher shares insights to counter tech addiction and isolation.

8. Dan Rather, at 92, on a life in news. “It’s been almost 20 years since Dan Rather signed off as anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” at the network where he spent 44 years covering wars, politics, and the assassination of JFK – and where he mentored a young correspondent named Lee Cowan. Rather, now 92, talks with Cowan about his illustrious career; about the story that gave him (and CBS) a black eye; and his post-CBS years, writing books and finding a new, younger audience on social media.”

9. Restorative in every way: a rewilding retreat in Somerset. “A Wild Weekend on the 42 Acres estate near Frome offers fresh air, cosy rooms, sumptuous food and a chance to get hands dirty with some land regeneration work.”

10. Why Your Vet Bill Is So High. “Corporations and private-equity funds have been rolling up smaller chains and previously independent practices.” In related news, Pets may need to wait weeks, months for care amid US veterinarian shortage.

11. They turned cattle ranches into tropical forest — then climate change hit.

12. Embracing intimacy and uncertainty: At work with Oregon’s poet laureate.

13. The big idea: what if dreaming is the whole point of sleep? “Rather than being an optional extra, dreams might be vital to our functioning.”

14. Recipes I want to try: Apple Kuchen Bars, and Jumbo Brownie Cookies (Facebook reel), and Cinnamon Sugar Butter Swim Biscuits, and Cheese Biscuits (Facebook reel), and Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad.

15. The ‘real-life’ Martha from Baby Reindeer says she’s planning to sue Netflix.

16. Heart and Soul Podcast | Religion in the 21st Century: Buddhism. “What does it mean to be a Buddhist today?”

17. Why a Dog’s Death Hits So Hard.

18. If I Must Break from Nightbirde. “If I must break, I thought, Maybe I can break like the waves. And if I am shattering, maybe it’s into ten billion gleaming pieces, only for a second. And soon I’ll fall back into one whole. Maybe the breaking means I’m finally reaching home.”

19. 50 Ways to End a Poem on LitHub. “Emily Skaja Has Some Recommendations for Making a Strong Exit.”

20. Three gardeners remember their first gardens. “First gardens, like first homes, can have a dramatic impact on what comes later. Here three gardeners, Arne Maynard, Clare Foster, and Daisy Garnett remember the first gardens they made themselves.”

21. 33 loft conversion and attic room ideas. These are so dreamy.

22. The Enchanting Chichi-sugi: An 800-Year-Old “Breast Tree” in Japan.

23. A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.

1. Morning walks. Ringo and I are both taking it slow right now, but we are there as the world starts to turn green and bloom. I am also dreaming of walks on the beach. Speaking of dreams, yesterday I was having one in which I was petting Ringo and I woke up to find that I was “petting” my pillow! 🙂

2. Good books. I’m still working my way through everything Brianna Wiest has written. I’m also reading a novel that would make an excellent book club read, The Measure. It brings up so many questions about mortality and choice. As the description says, “As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?” There are at least six other books I’m in the midst of, as always — a bad habit I developed in graduate school.

3. Practice. I had a super anxious day on Friday, and it was another reminder of how much having a set of regular practices helps me to stay sane.

4. Having a reset, a retreat. I’m looking forward to our trip to Oregon, our time at the beach in particular. Now that Ringo is 10.5, I’ll be savoring that time with him, because we never know when “the last trip” will be, (we didn’t know with the other three dogs either). Eric and I are going to take a break from social media while gone, and I may not blog at all. Instead, I’ll be meditating in front of the glorious wall of windows looking out over the ocean, reading all the books, taking long walks on the beach, eating so much good food, napping, and enjoying the time with my two favorites. We rented the house we know has the best view because there will be a bit more rain than usual because we are going so early in the season and we won’t necessarily be outside as much. Fingers crossed the fog doesn’t block our view on those days.

The wall of windows also has a massive window seat that Ringo loves

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. What “home” means to me.

Bonus joy: cooking, fresh eggs, making art with Janice, sending reels and memes to Shelly and Carrie and Kari, texting with Chloe’, Ringo getting to “play” with Teri, the lunch buffet at Mount Everest Café, breakfast for dinner, clean laundry, a warm shower, a clean cold glass of water, cheese, baby carrots, making Ringo’s food, all the cherry trees bursting at once, writing with Nicki, getting in the pool, sitting in the sauna, doing yoga again after so long, sleeping in, watching good TV and movies, listening to podcasts, being able to “check out” library books on my Kindle and keep them past their due date by turning on airplane mode, that Instagram reel I saw of the litter of puppies being sung a lullaby and how fast they settle down, finding out there’s another video of the same puppies with a different song, blue sky, one day of rain perfect for napping, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.