Apart from limiting exposure to, or abstaining from altogether, the news and social media, what are you doing to support your mental health these days? There’s prayer and focusing on those things which are unseen but are just as real and far more reliable than what we experience with our senses, and I’m not discounting those things. But I wonder what tangible things you’re doing to get you through these tumultuous days.
I’m home alone this day—with my sidekick, Molly, of course—and I’ve infused the space with peace by listening to Gregorian chant.
The sun is shining, and it’s relatively warm outside. Molly and I stepped out onto the back deck to soak up a few rays. My garden beds are visible again as the promise of a new growing season seems in reach after a long and brutal winter.
I spent some time in my art studio downstairs slapping paint around on a few projects. Here are two that I’m liking the look of. One might even be finished except for applying a final coat of glazing medium. They might find a home on the wall in my woman cave.
I also got my fingers into the air dry clay I ordered a few days ago. That felt really good; I’ve set aside my project to dry.
I took a break from listening to the chants and switched things up with a spa playlist that was the perfect accompaniment to working on a page of neurographic art. I find this to be a calming practice.
Next, as soon as I’m finished here, I’m going to continue working on a little piece of writing for the Story Circle Journal that I started yesterday.
So, music and art are saving my life. Oh, and Substack—or, more accurately, the creatives who share pieces of themselves on the platform. There’s something rich and fuelling about reading longer form pieces written by (mostly) women who are cultivating peace in their corner of the world. Thanks to the Substacks I’ve curated, it’s a gentle and inspirational place and much quieter than social media. (So, thank you, fellow Substack-ers.)
(By the way, I’m there. You can follow me here or there, the posts are the same. My Story Circle Network tribe is there too, with Her Stories where you can read day-in-the life stories from members, writing wisdom from authors and teachers, and book reviews.)
With that, I’m off to wrangle words and enjoy the rest of my Sunday. I hope you’re finding rest in your day too.
Hi Linda, I am surviving the storm of politics by researching the history of the elementary school where I taught for 19 years. It was and is a land-site school from the 1895 land-run in Oklahoma. It was built in 1893 and opened in 1894 which may be one reason it was wobbly in the windstorms of the plains. It somehow mysteriously burned to the ground in 1914 and a new building open on the spot in 1916 as a 1-grade 8 building. By then we were state. History is so fascinating but I still find so much resentment between sides of town, or some think the rich and the poor, or the haves and have nots! People don’t change.
Glad the weather is improving for you because that means it improves for us, too.