How are you all holding up? We’re good over here. We had our first epic blowout, precipitated by well-practiced sibling dynamics and ending in quiet bedroom time for all. I feel happy that it took a pandemic for our kids to get their first “grounding.” I didn’t call it that, our son did. He also dropped this dime, “For the record, I do not enjoy living in captivity.”
This whole thing has been, for me, a great exercise in letting go. And by that, I mean I dropped my external hard drive onto the tile floor on April 1st. (No joke.) And then my hard drive crashed. So I’ve had to let go of some things, on top of the letting go we are all collectively doing. It’s been really good for me, though there have been some tears, and that’s ok.
April 3rd, my Dad would have been 70. I have discovered that I hold my breath when I’m trying not to cry and I don’t even notice when it is happening. During this forced shut in, I’ve started to notice it. And when I notice it and take a breath, my torso softens and a handful of tears come loose and I feel better. It’s odd how we’re wired, you know?
Here are a few fun things to sift through if you’re getting bored. Today’s ideas include a few contributions from a friend (you’ll know who you are when you see the bullet item) and our Grammy and Bompa. Thanks, guys.
Oregon Humanities Dear Strangers Letters: This is an incredibly cool program that is even more interesting right now. Participants send a letter to Oregon Humanities and get a letter back from another writer. There are prompts, but the writer can also write without using the prompt. This project ends at the end of May, so if you’re interested now is the time. Details at http://oregonhumanities.org/programs/collaborative-projects/dear-stranger/
Youtube story times for kids are a nice way to get a quick break in our new 24/7 parenting vortex:
- Dolly Parton is reading to our kids at Imagination Library: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0MpwxxTbrBOz1g1X-BynUA
- Many more options here at https://www.readtogetherbetogether.com/
Art fix: Wendy Mac has moved all her super fun drawing lessons onto youtube. They have been so so fun for our kiddos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMVzRQ6hIb2YdSBUIUjSVKg
This! is a great time to learn Cups and up your cool factor PLUS give your brain a fun workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bqjTVGnlBg
And here is something we can all look forward to: “Imagine a version of the NBC hit comedy The Office where everyone’s working from home. Irritating boss Michael can’t stop sending vaguely inappropriate gifs, lumpish Kevin can’t quite master the mute button and workplace wiseguy Jim is always looking directly at the camera, because, well, he has no other choice. He’s stuck in meetings on Zoom. The comic potential of such a show recently became clear to Ben Silverman and Paul Lieberstein, two executive producers of The Office.”
Use Baby Schema. This is a nice little trick to use right now for feel good benefit. Pictures of kittens, puppies and other baby animals are ALL OVER our social media and we love them for neurobiological reasons.
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- Read more here: https://www.howitworksdaily.com/the-science-of-cute-why-do-we-find-baby-animals-so-adorable/
- If you read it, you’ll see they mention “cuteness aggression,” to learn more about that odd little bit of human mammal-ing, you can listen here: https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/697087405/so-cute-you-cant-even-the-science-of-cute-aggression
- Search any social media platform for a little oxytocin and dopamine bump if you’re feeling blue, and then reach out to a friend for connection to increase the impact. We’ll get through this together.
- Instagram users, check out:
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- iamthecatphotographer (https://www.instagram.com/iamthecatphotographer)
- thedogist (https://www.instagram.com/thedogist)
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