Weekending

March 23, 2020 By Carole

Life is weird these days, right? It’s Monday and I’m not at the library. It’s not a holiday, I’m not on vacation and I’m working. At home. It’s funny, I always thought working from home sounded so awesome but now that I have the opportunity it just feels . . . sad. Or maybe it’s juts me that feels sad.

There were bright spots this weekend, though.

Friday Night Snacks on the deck. We weren’t out there for long because literally as soon as we sat down the wind started picking up and it was chilly.

Homemade sourdough bread. And a Zoom session with Sean, Jo-Ann and Kim.

Daily treat deliveries from Sean. We’ve had chocolate tarts and biscotti and brown sugar shortbread and these biscuits arrived early Sunday morning. They were delicious with butter and local honey.

A finished puzzle. This one was a struggle but we persevered and victory was ours Sunday morning.

I’ve been knitting and reading. I am journaling about what these days feel like because I know when this is over (and it will be over some day) I won’t remember all the little details. And I joined the wonderful Zoom knitting group that Mary set up for Sunday afternoon. It did my heart good to see the faces and hear the voices of my dear friends.

Despite all of that good stuff, though, Sunday night I was sad. I miss my kids. I miss Jackie. I miss my friends and coworkers. I miss the routine of daily life as it was. It all backed up on me a bit and I had a good cry and went to bed.

Today I will start fresh. Today I will remember that I’m privileged and have an abundance of things that I’m grateful for. Today I will lean in to my feelings and release them. Today is Monday.

Eye Candy Friday

March 20, 2020 By Carole

Just in time for spring, it’s my first amaryllis blossom of 2020, Bright Nymph! Remind me next year that these always take longer to bloom than I think they will and if I want flowers in January/February I need to plant the bulbs in November. Honestly, though, this beauty was totally worth waiting for . . . just look at the ruffles along the edge of those petals . . . and the colors are gorgeous, too.

So here we are at the weekend which doesn’t really feel like the weekend at all. Hang on to your hope, friends.

Three On Thursday

March 19, 2020 By Carole

The Happier Podcast with Gretchen Rubin had a special episode that dropped last Saturday and it was focused on advice and ideas for getting us through the coronavirus pandemic. I took Gretchen’s idea of having a plan of things to do and adapted it for my own situation and, knowing that Thursday was coming, I broke it down into 3 areas I want to address.

Home. I’m obviously home a lot more than usual and think it presents an opportunity to tackle some projects I’ve been meaning to get to but putting off. In an extra Three on Thursday bonus there are three things I want to get to: our bedroom closet (the floor is a mess), my selectmen’s paperwork (I need a system for organizing that isn’t just throwing all that stuff on a shelf in our den) and the corner of our kitchen where the washer/dryer live (I want to find new places to store the stuff that winds up on top of those appliances.)
Hobbies. Obviously knitting. I really hope to get going on my NightShift shawl later today. And I have a pair of jeans that used to have a smallish rip that made them cool but now that rip has gotten way too extended so I thought this would be a good time to explore some visible mending. Also reading. Obviously. And puzzles with Dale because they are good for our brains.
Happiness. This one is trickier but probably the most important of all. Listen, I don’t even like going out most of the time and I’m feeling hemmed in so I know that self care is really important right now. I’d say at least once every day I feel overwhelmed and anxious and I cry. I’m lucky that I have Dale here to talk me off the ledge and I have wonderful support from friends who get it but I’d like to preempt those feelings if possible. So I’m upping the amount of time I spend meditating. And I’m committing to journaling, both about this unique time for our world but also just in general. And yoga. I got totally sidelined with my yoga routine when we went on our family vacation last month. Now is the perfect time to start that up again, I know it will help.

How are you handling the change in your routine these days? I’d love to hear your ideas and I bet others would, too.

Don’t forget to add your link below and share you Three On Thursday posts.

Wednesday Update

March 18, 2020 By Carole

I did something yesterday I never expected to do in my career as a Library Director. I changed the greeting on the library’s phone and it now says the library is closed until further notice.

Woah.

Such simple words but such big impact on a community. I felt like I slammed the door shut on knowledge and freedom. I realize that sounds dramatic but when you believe in the importance of the library as strongly as I have for my entire life then closing that building is a really big deal.

In the meantime, I scheduled a staff meeting on Zoom today where we will discuss scheduling and offering some sort of curbside pick up for library users as well as ways to encourage our users to take advantage of our online resources such as Libby and Hoopla and Tumblebooks. It felt good to actually go to work and make a plan for how to deliver services even when we can’t open our doors to them.

It also felt good to get emails of your comments. I think it might actually be fixed!

What’s good in your world right now? Focusing on that can help us all, of that I’m certain.

Knit On

March 17, 2020 By Carole

Today I’m grateful for the many hobbies I have. Reading. Knitting. Journaling. They are excellent distractions and good for my soul.

And so, yesterday as I was swatching for my NightShift Shawl, I couldn’t help but think of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s quote. Today I’m sharing it with you, hoping that it will bring you comfort and confidence as we maneuver through uncharted territory.