10 Comments

I'm glad you're feeling well enough to write. As for the eels, that's amore. I figured I'd get that in before someone else did! What elver you do, don't swim into the Sargasso of eel puns.

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I guess I’m ‘eelin’ that you’re the master of eel puns and I could never compete? Thanks so much for your kindness during this process.

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I have been doing the 'space between' as part of my noticing, meditation walks for some time now and it has started to bleed into other parts of my day. I'm so here for it. The space between the minutes on a ticking clock. The space between the pads of my fingers and the keyboard. The space between his lips as they pucker to kiss me good night. Thanks for sharing the details of the class/book as I hadn't heard of these before. Hope you are well. I'm so shocked and sorry to read what happened to you on your walk and hope you are recovering.

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Thanks so much. These are wonderful examples of the space between -- I especially like the space between his puckered lips. 💋 The process of recovery is a long one, but with many opportunities for observation. Thanks again. 💗

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Hannah, getting outdoors is about the only balm I consistently turn to for stress. I'm happy to know you are hanging in there, and that the workshop was beneficial. It is indeed happening again in January!

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Looking forward to it doesn’t even cover it. Oh, and even though this isn’t the right venue for it -- I also loved your talk on the history of the Métis at the Minnesota Public Library.

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Stress can produce frequent episodes of panic for me. Breathing in through the nose, holding for 5 seconds, then exhaling through the mouth for longer than 5 seconds helps. I’m sure folks have heard of this or some similar practice.

As a trained and practiced artist I’ve been noticing negative space for a long time - it really helps when one is trying draw trees or anything really. The act of drawing itself reduces stress for me, or at least it moves my mind along while I’m in the activity.

What I appreciate about how you handle stress is that it feels measured, without panic, and your curiosity is your friend in stressful times.

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My curiosity gets me into a lot of trouble ... but it’s true, it also gets me out of a lot of trouble too. I’ve been jealous of you since you could stay out later, taking to sketchier people in Waffle Houses, and I guess it was bound to catch up with me sometime. At least I have the possibility of seeing a roadrunner in Joshua Tree National Park to keep me focused on the future.

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Wooly bear prognostication is very much a thing in the Smoky Mountains, too. There was a teacher at my high school— home ec or typing maybe— Mrs Leatherwood— who was famous for her winter predictions.

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Was she accurate though? Or, I guess, were her wooly bears accurate?

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