Running Into Joy

Hello from day ??? of the pandemic. I hope this post finds you in the best possible state you can be in at this time. I know for many of us, our states or counties or areas are beginning to open up to one extent or another, and there's a lot of uncertainty as we try to figure out what level of re-integration into the outside world is safe. Personally, I'm in a more densely populated county, so we are just starting this week with the "yellow phase" of reopening, in which I will finally be able to go back to the eye doctor to get my (incorrect) prescription adjusted. Contacts, here I come! Since our stay-at-home order began, I have left the house approximately... three times? Once for groceries and a couple of times to curbside pickup coffee grounds from my favorite local shop, Coffee Tree Roasters, because my pandemic panic has largely manifested in a fear that everything I've come to love about this city will inevitably vanish under the coming economic collapse. J...

Hello, friends. Are you tired yet of hearing "what a strange time" or "in these uncertain times"? It still feels odd to write anything without this nod to the shared experience we are all moving through. Though we are all affected to varying degrees, we are many of us (dare I say all of us?) affected. I, for one, have drafted and tweaked and then not posted about a hundred blog posts. On the productive days, when I'm not just sort of... blah. I'm lucky in that I've been able to work from home for nearly two months (!!) now. Like many of the posts I'm seeing online, I have leaned into baking as a sense of comfort and, I think, control. I've always loved baking, though admittedly it's a hobby that has fallen off somewhat since I began working full time. Rarely do I have the luxurious amount of time set aside to spend a day periodically kneading bread, or taking far longer than I expect to ice sugar cookies (I'm looking at you, D20...

Hello, my friends. With the Coronavirus concerns and constant media cycle related to the outbreak and efforts to reduce spread, it is a difficult time to be a person in the world. As much as I've wanted to keep up the streak of posting every Monday, it feels like a weird time to have a blog about self-care. So, I took a week off as I adjusted to working from home and then, as restrictions on movement increased, temporarily relocated to my boyfriend's house. Behold the new plant in my impromptu office/yoga/space at Andy's These past weeks, I've had an unprecedented amount of time to think, and have used the word "unprecedented" a, well, unprecedented number of times. I think we're all being forced--called?-- inward, whether or not we like it, as the physical distancing (aka social isolation) measures have taken effect. Much has already been posted, and emailed, and livestreamed relating to the importance of self-care during this time. And yes, tak...