A Pause to Refresh

Because that's how we turn lemons into lemonade here, right?

Before we begin…

An apology. The newsletter planned for this week has been rescheduled due to a combination of technical difficulties with my computer and a weakness of mind and body in the face of them. I am wilting, my friends. My brain is fried, my eyes are shriveling, and my energy is leaking out of me faster than I can type these words. I admit defeat. When this happens to you, how do you find your way back from it?

Welcome! You’ve reached Spark.  Learn more here or just read on. If you received this from a friend, please join us by subscribing. It’s free! All you have to do is press the button below. If you have already subscribed, welcome back! If you see something you like, please hit that heart so others can find us more easily. 

A Chance to Refresh

This week, there are no words, or links, or requests from me, only a wish that you use this day or, even just this moment when you’d normally be giving your valuable minutes to Spark to step away from your to-do list, stare out the window or just sit where you are to see what happens when the background noise is temporarily muted. 

Photo by Tirza van Dijk on Unsplash

I’ll be back next week in full form and with a fully-functioning laptop. Until then, if you would still like a little Spark in your Saturday, here are links a few issues that folks liked a lot, both old and new:

• ICYMI - Here is last week’s Desperately Seeking Beauty which led to this amazing cascade of images and of ideas penned by Courtney Cook of Survival By Book

• The Beauty of a Well-Used Face weaves memories of people and three books ostensibly for children that teach us everything we need to know about what’s important. 

• We Are All Butterflies considers the role of luck and what-if’s in life’s lottery. Bonus: a chance to listen to a reading of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. 

Our community continues to grow

Welcome to each and every new person who has joined us. It’s thrilling  to find so many new folks on board each day. If you would like to check out past issues, here’s a quick link to the archives. Be sure to check out our Resources for Readers and Writers too. And help us spread the word by sharing Spark with your friends. Oh, you can find most of the books discussed here on the Spark Community Recommendations Page of bookshop.org where each sale supports local bookstores and generates a commission that I receive.

That’s it for this week. Let me know you are and what you’re reading. If there’s an idea, book, or question you’d like to see in an upcoming issue of Spark, let us know! Use the comment button below or just hit reply to this email and send your message directly. 

And remember, If you like what you see or it resonates with you, please take a minute to click the heart ❤️ below - it helps more folks to find us!

I wish you all good things, health, and the adventure of doing nothing for however long you can. 

I’ll be back next week. 

Gratefully yours, 

Betsy

P.S. And now, more than ever, your moment of Zen…to sleep, perchance to dream 

May the peacefulness of this photo by Spark Community member Miki K. wash over you. 

Photo by Miki K.

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!