Tiny Tuesday!

Tiny leaf dish, with tiny stone hearts: carnelian for empowerment and amazonite for authenticity, plus a tiny cone of nag champa incense. All of these are from my favorite Houston store, Body Mind and Soul. Crystals and stones, incense, aromatherapy and candles, the right music–these are helping keep me focused on writing and positive things.

I’ve found that I can’t read right now. It’s frustrating, and yesterday for an Instagram post, I counted 31(derful) books in my to-be-read pile. Since I’m not routinely a TV viewer, I do that in only limited doses. As much as I love other people’s creativity, for some reason during this time, reading and viewing has become harder. Music is still fantastic, especially some of the musicians I’ve met via social media.

I’ll talk a bit more about stress at the end of this post.

I’m not much of a shopper. I usually go to stores only with a specific purpose, and I’m in and out quickly. But the stores I love most take more time: record stores, bookstores, antique stores, and especially Body Mind and Soul. We are able now to book in-store shopping appointments there in thirty-minute increments. I’ll be glad to shop that way if it helps keep this Houston treasure open.

So many businesses have closed, especially restaurants. Even franchises of chain restaurants. I think so far our favorite locally-owned eateries are hanging in there, and we do get takeout a couple of times a week to be supportive. We have to budget that wisely since I’ve been laid off.

I try to imagine when I can travel again. I didn’t go many places for so long because of work. This past weekend, we Zoomed with the Tom side of the family for his mother’s birthday. It was my first Zoom meeting and was a lot of fun. We got to see people and kids (shit, they’re all almost grown now) and dogs.

One day when the pandemic is under control, I won’t have the income for travel. I try not to think about the future a lot. It makes the present situation seem bleak. I can say that staying home for seven months during a pandemic while the worst administration I’ve experienced in my lifetime is so dishonest and dangerously inept is not something I ever anticipated or want to repeat.

So… stress. There are topics I.don’t.want.to.talk.about. Ever. Has nothing to do with the current situation we’re in. One time someone who knows me well called me a finely-tuned instrument who strongly reacts to the vibrations put off by the planet, events, and humans. She taught me many ways to protect myself, and I still use those. I caution people that when I say, “Stop,” it’s a good idea to stop. It’s not personal. It’s the topic + me. When I get frustrated or reactive, it’s no longer the topic. It’s personal. This is one of my least favorite ways to be. Why would anyone want to provoke it?

So…crystals and stones. Aromatherapy. Candles. Music. Social media avoidance. Coloring. Writing scenes in my head and then into my manuscript. Everybody has their ways to cope and minimize stress. I hope. If not, there’s an entire Internet filled with ideas. Find what works, and know I wish you peace.