Just Life

And | April 2020.

Around here, the magnolia trees are full of buds … the sky is a brilliant blue, with just a scattering of pure white clouds, and the sun is warm. Around here, the number of confirmed cases in our county is edging closer to 3,000 and the number of deaths just passed 100.

Around here there is the beautiful renewal of spring and the promise of summer, and the ever-present shadow of a virus that threatens lives and livelihoods, and kills.

We are living in a state of paradox.

A few weeks back, I saw this graphic on Instagram and it resonated with me

(credit)

Who knew that AND would become a life skill?! I cannot begin to credit the late 2019 self who chose this word for being prescient … still I am grateful to her.

Thanks to previous OLWs I list things for which I am grateful and things that give me hope. I am now listing things that are (yes)And. well, starting tomorrow. stay tuned. (I do have a lot of paradoxes in this month’s journal pages, but BUT they aren’t meant for public display.)

If there’s a paradox showing up in your own life – that you are willing to share! – please do. I have been lax about replying to comments and I am committed to doing better. (and)

Linking back to Honoré, with gratitude for gathering us together. apart 🙂

9 thoughts on “And | April 2020.”

  1. I have been hearing YES and a lot lately and I always think of you. And I loved what Kate Bowler has to say this week about gratitude.

  2. Beautiful post, Mary! I am working very hard on not dwelling in “what if’s” or perhaps “what might have been” or “what won’t happen this year” – for me that is very painful. But I love that you inspire me (and fill me with hope) that I will get there!

  3. That IG post really does an excellent job of capturing the paradoxes of this time! I find I am frequently depressed by the numbers and cheered by the stories of people helping others or innovating ways to care for those who are ill. Lately there’s also been thankfulness for still having a job and resources competing for guilt for some of that privilege. It’s not an easy time for anyone, but I think it’s also a great time to remind ourselves that we contain multitudes, that we are not a sum of absolutes.

  4. I saw that graphic (or one very much like it) on Instagram a while back and immediately thought of you, Mary. It is such a perfect representation of the paradox of right now! XO

  5. I have been loving all of my creative time and getting so much done and I miss my time at the gym and running around as well as seeing the kids. I cannot wait for the easement of the restrictions.

    1. Spot on graphic Mary. Focusing on the positive yet acknowledging the disappointments. Not always easy to keep the focus positive. Practice, practice, practice.

  7. “Yes” was my OLW in 2019 and from the very beginning it was clear that NO also had to be a part of saying YES. I, too, try to mark my gratitudes. I liked Sarah Bessey’s take (this week, I think) of recording what I’m “loving right now”—little things and big things. Just a different slant on it.

Comments are closed.