3 on thursday | 4.16.20…

I’m joining Carole and friends and sharing three random thoughts:

IMG_0337

  1. This watercolor is based on the colors of a recent morning sky & sunrise (I neglected to date the painting made with watercolor pencils and a watercolor brush pen. Just a little bit of experimenting and play.

IMG_0336

2. I’ve had these two LLBean 100% cotton work shirts for easily 10 years; I love them for knocking around and wear them year round -except when the temp and humidity are terrible – for they are both lightweight and warm. I tend to be cool rather than hot –except when the temp and humidity are terrible. Alas, as you can see, the collars are worn and I s’pose I could turn them … someday, maybe. The shirts remind me of a story my mother shared: when she was in her 20s, she saved her money and bought a fur coat …which she said she wore – over the years- down to the collar. I’m not sure what the fur was and why it didn’t last but I often smile when I think of her industriousness.

IMG_0339

3. I read this article from MapMyWalk about walking/ways to get in 4K+ steps daily when one can’t always go out walking in the nature – as my niece Dolly would say when she was little and wanted to go outside.

And that’s all for today.

Cheers~

3 on thursday|4.9.20 …

2020-03-19 Things I can and Cannot Control

As mentioned previously several times, every (most) morning/s, I read the day’s Simple Abundance essay. I have done this off/on since the publication of the first edition in 1995. Each reread has brought forth a new perspective, tempered by the times and places I’m in at that particular juncture in my life. In 2019, Simple Abundance marked its 25th anniversary with a new and updated edition… and as I read, little nuances, references have substantiated the claim. Yesterday’s entry Affordable Luxury encourages us to experience more affluence in our daily lives through pampering…

What an invitation! I thought about how I’d like to pamper me but cannot due to the corona virus and social distancing. Here’s my list :

  1. Spend the entire day pampering me! First, I’d go to the hairdresser! I need a hair cut and the luxury of having my hair shampooed and styled. My many grey strands are wiry – each has a mind of its own and needs a bit o’ taming… I also need a manicure/pedicure … maybe even a body massage…
  2. Go to several bookstores! There are two Indie stores in DC -new to me -that I’d particularly like to visit, spend the day and browse, have a caramel latte, sit with my journal, people watch, dip in/out of the pile of books before me…
  3. Go to the Smithsonian’s National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden /Restaurant, have lunch out on the restaurant’s terrace. Just sit, with my journal, people watch and be grateful… always, grateful.

As I’ve sat here, drafting this post, the rain has stopped and there’s a hint that the sun is coming out… an omen? What’s on your pampering list?

Joining Carol for Three on Thursday.

Cheers~

PS. For more information on the above graphic, do visit  The Counseling Teacher.com where you’ll also find an editable version of the graphic.

sometimes mondays | 3.30.20 …

IMG_0216

(just days ago, this tree was white flowers)

My DayONE journal prompt for today asks: What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?  My answer: My brain! At least, most times, tho’ some days I wonder.

I also have, being more practical, several pair of flannel PJs that I’d like to nominate. However, they are pretty much worn to a frizzle frazzle. I hate to part with them, despite that they are thread-bare, mainly ‘cause they’re decorated with Scotty dogs… but, I will have to succumb and use the flannel pieces in a scrappy quilt perhaps or better yet: add to my memory keeping album. Yeah! That’s a great idea!

Interesting, yesterday’s Simple Abundance read focused on “Comfort Clothes and What They Mean.” Sarah shares that she has “a beloved pair of paisley cotton knit PJs that she would wear 24/7 if I could only figure out how to get away with it…”  I can relate tho’ I hasten to add that one would also need to shed periodically for a bit o’ washing, I imagine …

Also in my closet of well-worn, cherished items of clothing: 4 plaid, flannel night shirts. They are light-weight yet warm for cool mornings. I’ve had easily 15 years – several were my mom’s so they hold added value. I can just see her mornings, at her desk in a shirt, coffee cup in one hand, a pencil in the other with both the New York Times and Washington Post Sunday crossword puzzles in front of her…and as she tackled the NYT, she’d occasionally say “This is wicked, Honoré, just plain wicked.

As I write this post, the washing machine is going through the spin cycle, the first of several loads. There is comfort in this activity for it is familiar and well worn in my life too. I am grateful that during these social distancing times we do indeed have comfort memories, items, chores and evidence of Spring: green trees, bushes, and grasses.

What’s on your list of everyday comfort items? 

Cheers~

P.S. And a reminder: Tomorrow, 31 March, is our One Little Word share update on this blog.