An illustration detail from Simple Gifts by Chris Raschka
The Kirkus Review is HERE
Do you know the Quaker hymn, Simple Gifts? You can listen to a beautiful rendition here. Some of the gifts I'm holding today:
- Work I love, that fulfills me and helps me feel engaged, connected, purposeful
- Family that loves each other on days of sunshiny adventure and abundance, and on days that are shaky and confusing - when we need to hold on to each other to feel secure
- Technology access that lets us virtual hold on to each other - especially WhatsApp (the past 24 hours, we were in 4 time zones across 10 hours)
- Trader Joe's peanut butter pretzel snacks, which I have carried from Cleveland through this week-long trip to three cities, and which have fueled me through runway delays and rushing gate-to-gate
- A cozy new sweater that makes me feel hugged and creates a cocoon I can retreat to while flying
- TSA pre-check, eliminating travel stress on a rainy departure day
- Spotify, allowing me to download even more Yo Yo Ma, which is perfect music for taking deep breaths
- Taking deep breaths and the post-it on my computer that reminds me to breathe, which I don't always do on my own
Post it notes on my laptop - reminders of breathing and my core values
Your list is one I much admire. Sounds like you have been extremely busy. Breathing is a must, and I must check out Yo Yo Ma!
ReplyDeleteBusy-ness for sure, and that is what makes breathing (and Yo Yo Ma!) so important.
DeleteI love your slice, your values and all these simple gifts that make all the difference to your day. I hope everything works out in your busy day... I also love Yo Yo Ma, very appropriate music so as not to stress out too much!
ReplyDeleteI am going to put Yo Yo Ma on right now, as I Slice today. Definitely music that de-escalates.
DeleteYo-Yo Ma is one of my favorite musicians. I love the versatility of his music. I've listened to a few versions of the Bach Cello Suites in G but none of them compare to his rendition. The amount of times I've watched his Kennedy Center Honors I've lost count.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the heads-up - I've never watched the Kennedy Center Honors, and will add to it my list.
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