It seems, lately, that I just don’t have it in me to blog regularly. In the early years (more than 15) since I started this blog, I often posted daily, then weekly. In more recent years, I mostly write about my travels.

Maybe it’s because we’ve been living through trying times that I don’t write as much. Often, I just am grateful to get through the day and reward myself at night vegging out on yet another Netflix, Hulu, Paramount, Prime, PBS series. It’s so damn hard to read all the news and make sense of any of it. But at 7 pm, I am free to lose myself in drama sof another sort.

Yes, I do try to find some gratitude daily. We live somewhere lovely by the sea and we walk its ways almost daily. We have beloved family and dear friends to share our lives with. We can eat tacos on Tuesday (or even Thursday) or Sushi on Saturday. And I start every day with delicious strong coffee plus a bagel or baguette smeared with almond butter and jelly. These are all good things.

We read books, see plays, listen to music, do our various arts and work on our biceps (and everthing else attached to them). I do Wordle and other New York Times teasers. I practice Spanish daily with an owl (Duolingo) with an unbroken streak of over 1000 days. I eat ice cream almost every day (but now it’s mostly the lactose free kind.) These are all good things.

This morning, as I started down the highway to hell of daily news, I was actually stopped in my tracks. In the New York Times, I read the most lovely, reflective and true article. I wanted to share it so hard. And then it occurred to me, that I could share it with you– my faithful readers in hopes you will also be moved and your mental burdens be lightened.

So, I am starting something new: A weekly list of 3-5things that moved me. It will force me to write and make me notice more the simple things we oft ignore. It’s also perfect that I’m starting this on the Sabbath, a day for reflection and rest.

Five Things for Sharing:

1. The New York Times article on time spent with a near adult child.

2. The book: Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton

I’m not one for reading animal stories but this came highly recommended by my friend Dean who is a voracious reader and was an esteemed honors English teacher for decades. An English woman finds herself caring for–and learning about– a wild hare during Covid. This book is a meditation on life, nature, science and the miracle of survival of the smallest among us. The book is gentle, the writer’s rhythm is tender and we feel a part of the journey of both her life and the hare’s. https://a.co/d/06AFWb2X

3. Turn- A Netflix Series

How we missed this series during its original AMC run, I don’t know. Probably because we aren’t much for war stories. However, this based on history tale brings the Revolutionary War to life in a way that history books don’t.

The fictional series is about the early days of the war and the locals who became spies for General Washington as well as those who spied for England. The characters and story arc are compelling. I found myself checking with Professor Google to be sure each character was real. We watched the indecisive Washington, the arrogant Benedict Arnold, the horrifying xx, the peaceful Quaker turned spy Robert Townsend and the hero farmer Thomas Woodhull turned double and triple agent.

This wasn’t a war fought long distance with drones and bombs, it was bayonets and canons and muddy fields of decimation, We were gripped for weeks watching our forfathers’ fight for freedom. There’s many a metaphor here.https://a.co/d/06AFWb2X

4. Aquafor.

After a second basal cell carcinoma was removed from my nose, I decided that this time I would have a plastic surgeon sew me up. All went well, I am happy to report. What I am not happy to report, is that after removing the bandage, I followed the Drs. instruction to apply bacitracin to the wound daily.

Within two hours my face and nose grew red and swollen and blisters formed. I am, apparently, allergic to antibiotic creams and had a violent reaction. I stopped the ointment, called the dr and then when things got worse, I went to urgent care for a steroid to help shut down the fire on my face. From that point on, I only used aquafor.

One week later, my stitches were removed and all looked good. The dr said keep using Aquafor. Yes, this is the Aquafor we all have at home for super dry skin. It is also the perfect, benign cream for covering all manner of injuries. It keeps the germs out, keeps the wound moist so heavy crusting and scarring don’t occur. Maybe vaseline works as well but the name is too close to gasoline and i can’t bring myself to smear gas on my face!

5. My mini vac

Living near the beach, my house and my car often end up with scattered grains of sand. I’ve been sweeping and vacuuming with a large vac for years. I finally broke down and bought a small, superlightweight vac. It sits in the shoe box by the front door always at the ready to catch and capture sand that escapes my shoes, leaves that blow in the door, bagel or baguette crumbs that escape the journey between kitchen and studio.

Every time I use this rechargeable little marvel, I also marvel at the pleasure of a little thing. It is these micro moments that remind us that all is not bleak in the world. There is joy to be found in a grain of sand…in hand. https://a.co/d/040NgpKB

I invite you, my treasured fellow travelers to share what moves or moved you as we move through these times together.