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In this week’s issue:
An invitation to take a break with me
A couch day? Not exactly
“To me it’s weird when animals pause because they seem so intelligent, but maybe that’s because I associate pausing with thought.”
― Sally Rooney, Normal People
One Sunday a long time ago, when my husband and I were still new to each other, he did something that helped to cement our relationship forever. My thoughts were circling like they were on a merry-go-round that went faster and faster. On top of that, I was tired, cranky, and trying not to show any of this to a man I was beginning to care about deeply but still didn’t know that well. I missed those Sundays when I could lie around in my pajamas and read or sleep or watch junk on TV and just recharge without making excuses.
Then he asked me what I wanted to do and I must have lost it because the next thing I knew he was simply guiding me to the sofa, handing me the remote that I’d come to think of as part of his hand, and said, “Here. Relax. Take a break and do whatever you want to do.” I ended up watching six hours of Absolutely Fabulous on TV, napping, and snacking on whatever treats he put on the table near me. We dubbed this a “couch day.” A pause to refresh. It’s been part of our lexicon and our relationship toolbox ever since.
This is a long way of saying that this week, I’m taking a little pause in our regularly scheduled programming. I am not stretched out on a sofa eating junk food watching junk TV, though. This week’s pause is all about taking some time to think, stay connected with my novel-in-progress, and recharge my batteries.
Maybe we can all take a pause this weekend and do a little recharging.
To all you new subscribers: hang in there, we’ll be back soon with some good stuff for you to think about, read, and talk about. You can take a look at some past newsletters right here.
That’s it for this week. Let me know how you are and what you’re reading, thinking, doing, the weird thing that happened to you in the grocery store this week. Anything. I love hearing from you. And if you see a Zen moment, pass it on! We could all use it. If you are looking for something new to read, browse the Spark Community Recommendations page over at bookshop.org. Proceeds help independent bookstores and, if we can raise enough money, help support literacy programs.
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Ciao until next week when we will bring you interview #5 in our series, “The Writer’s Dog” and more.
Gratefully yours,
Betsy
P.S. And now, your moment of Zen…Such Fragility, Such Strength
Early Monday morning, I took a pause on my walk to sit on a bench beneath a giant tree overlooking the ocean. I looked up and this is what I saw (click on the photo below to see the video).
Calling for Your Contribution to “Moment of Zen”
What is YOUR moment of Zen? Send me your photos, a video, a drawing, a song, a poem, or anything with a visual that moved you, thrilled you, calmed you. Or just cracked you up. This feature is wide open for your own personal interpretation.
Come on, go through your photos, your memories or just keep your eyes and ears to the ground and then share. Send your photos/links, etc. to me by replying to this email or simply by sending to: elizabethmarro@substack.com. The main guidelines are probably already obvious: don’t hurt anyone -- don’t send anything that violates the privacy of someone you love or even someone you hate, don’t send anything divisive, or aimed at disparaging others. Our Zen moments are to help us connect, to bond, to learn, to wonder, to share -- to escape the world for a little bit and return refreshed.
I can’t wait to see what you send!
(And if you’ve gotten here, liked something, and still haven’t hit the heart below, now’s your chance! )
I LOVE the spider web.
Enjoy your pause and see you when you return refreshed