RHYS BOWEN: In case you haven't noticed, there is an election on Tuesday. I've been trying to stay away from watching the news because I find it too stressful. Too much hate and division being spewed in what should be a civilized process of letting the American people have their say. On Tuesday, we hope, they will have their say and get the country they deserve.
But until then I'm trying to stay calm. I’m no good at meditating. Tried it. Doesn’t work. I have the CALM app. I sit in a comfortable position, eyes closed, palms turned upward and let my mind empty of all thoughts. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in... wait. Did I send off that blog piece I promised today? Beathe out... insurance. Insurance on the Phoenix house is due.... Breathe in... picture yourself floating on a cloud... floating... wait, do clouds feel wet when you lie on them?
You get the message. I cannot switch off my thoughts.
So... I’m going to send you pictures of places of calm. One of the great things about having all my photos on my phone is that I can escape to a place so easily. I’m waiting in the dentist’s office and suddenly I am hiking toward the Matterhorn. I am standing on a bridge in Venice or I am back at our last vacation in Cassis. Other things that make me feel happy are revisiting family gatherings.
What do you use to invoke calm?
And Karen in Ohio, Diana Chambers chose you for a giveaway of her book on Julia Child. Please email me with your home address.
Thank you for sharing! For years my screensaver was a canal in Wales with a narrowboat and lots of greenery. My happy place.
ReplyDeleteI’ve always wanted to do a canal boat.
DeleteCalmness comes easily with lovely music and a good book . . . .
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, Rhys. I'm also staying mostly away from the news (except my girl Heather every morning). Right now I have my favorite baby in the house, as well as her parents, and later today my other son and his wife. Not calm, exactly, but a perfect and heart-warming distraction to the news and the stress of waiting for Tuesday and days following.
ReplyDeleteThe best distraction ever!
DeleteI too stay away from the news & am basically holding my breath. I write, I read, I quilt, I watch tv without turning on news but it’s hard to get away from constant requests for financial support
ReplyDeleteBasically, I read a good book or I paint.
ReplyDeleteSame strategy here. No news, only PBS shows, live music events on the weekends, and reading. I love your photo gazing idea too. I have an upcoming trip to Provence scheduled and one of my other favorite activities is planning the itinerary and activities for upcoming trips (do I like the planning part as much as the actual trip?). Also, going for drives in the country soothes my soul. While I do see the conflicting campaign signs, I see that life is going on around the circus and will (hopedully) continue on beyond it… I see the horses and cows grazing, completely unaware of the chaos the human around the have created. 🐎🐄. I also have a plethora of birds who visit our backyard every day-preparing for winter. I added large cotton-gathering balls to the trees out back and watch them pluck the material for their winter nests. If I stay mindful watching them, I also feel more grounded and content. These are temporary distractions though. I am working hard to not let my imagination run circles around me.
ReplyDeleteA trip to Provence! Enjoy. We had such a good time in Cassis
DeleteI'm reading more romances. I'm staying away from the tube (tv). Yesterday a dear friend made us a delicious birthday lunch and invited her family which was lovely. But...
ReplyDeleteIt is very difficult to turn off all my thoughts, especially the "I shoulds," the "I coulds," the "what if's," and the general dismay. For me, I see the 1930's on repeat and I am terrified.
I’m worried too and amazed how many think this will be a good idea
DeleteJudy, I agree. Even though my husband and I are in Portugal, we are quite concerned about the election outcome. We already voted and donated, so there's not much more we can do from here except avoid getting stressed about things. That really is when a good book or movie helps, or, in my case, painting. I also used to garden, but we don't have a yard here. But I agree, the 30s could return. Let's hope not.
ReplyDeletePortugal sounds like a good idea right now!
DeleteI am also vegging out pretty much this election. It is too much stress otherwise. But the last election (Biden v Trump) I and so many others were actively involved in letter writing, phone bank, discussions with friends, etc. And the outcome was Biden. I just think I'm too old for this stress anymore and pray the outcome will be sanity over destruction.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to set your clock back an hour today!!
ReplyDeleteSpring Ahead, Fall Back!
It's stressful. I'm still watching news, but not reading any articles about the polls. I'm cheering on my union activist friends who are currently knocking on doors in Michigan and Georgia. One is flying home on election day, not sure about the other. To promote calm, I do my usual--exercise, meditate, read. Last night we went to see Portland Center Stage's production of Sweeney Todd for a few delightful hours away from anything political.
ReplyDeleteI love Sweeny Todd. I saw my son in it recently
DeleteNot being able to post a video of the sun rising, the waves breaking, the palms in the breeze, the ospreys soaring…keeps my source of calm from being shared here. May we have strength and grace for our days. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI have sworn off news for the next few days. I'll peek at it through my fingers on Wednesday morning. Until then, nope.
ReplyDeleteI do meditate and use an app called Waking Up that asks you to acknowledge and observe your thoughts without becoming attached to their drama. I find it an interesting and useful practice. Also yoga which got me through the pandemic and is helping me get through this, too.
My favorite calm "retreat" is watching the wildlife outside my windows. We have deer and a fat groundhog. And there's a red-tailed hawk that perches on a utility pole outside my kitchen window. I can gaze endless at him (her?) and envy his overview of the world and his stillness even in the stiffest winds.
We also have a view of nature outside my windows and I like to drive to a beach on the Bay and watch the water
DeleteWater soothes my soul, too, Rhys. Unfortunately, the nearest beach is 3-4 hours away and the drive totally negates the benefits.
DeleteEven in Canada all we get is the American election news – over and over. All I can say is that I hope people vote, because no one has the right to complain if they did not exercise their franchise.
ReplyDeleteAs for calming – a book – always on in my ears as I potter about – from war to cozy to just a nice murder – all keep my life in check.. Geriatric Row – sunshine, and flowers and usually a growing list of things to do outside that will be put off – probably until next year… oh look there goes a butterfly.
BBC, PBS or Acorn – or of course Coronation St. Nothing like a good cozy murder to calm you down and take your mind off things. Morse, anyone?
Of course, the best of all is cuddle a cat, or just look at a cat. We have marveled at the joy of the new wee-small white (deaf) kitten as she explores the world, and wonder how she does it with one sense missing – or not. She has never had hearing. She does however, have the best naps – as it is not interrupted by noise. It does make her very difficult to call, but she can catch mice like no man’s business. How does she know where they are?
A pet is the best. My granddog is coming today
DeleteI take long solo walks along the river trails. Or listen to my favourite music.
ReplyDeleteI am mostly reading thrillers. These are distracting but not calming.
Heather's up first thing every morning here, too, Edith, and on Saturdays I look forward to Jay Kuo's Xeets & Giggles--because heaven knows, laughing at the absurdities makes them less frightening. I have a sick boy who needs my full attention right now and a sense of calmness and strength. And although I want to sit someplace private and cry, I have to at least pretend that everything will be fine. No, everything WILL be fine. So, cats for cat antics and cuddles, sunshine on fall leaves for an instant pick-me-up. And Rhys, thanks for sharing your photos. A dear friend just took a trip from Barcelona across northern Spain--she's an artist and everyday posted wonderful photos and/or drawings from her trip. It was lovely to find these bright spots of marvel and wonder injected into my days.
ReplyDeleteMy very best to your sick son
DeleteThanks, Rhys!
DeleteGorgeous. Thank you for this, Rhys. You have such an artistic eye! Xxxxx And I am typing with fingers crossed. Gah.
ReplyDeleteOh, Rhys, how beautiful. Thank you for the moment of bliss.
ReplyDeleteI used to run to calm down, but since moving to Maine I've have had to have a plan B to accommodate winter. No room for a my dream treadmill in the house, so I've taken up crocheting instead. Not physical, but there's something very calming in rote work.
I wish I was better at crochet. I can knit but never got into the swing of crochet
DeleteFrom Celia: beautiful photos Rhys, thank you for that moment of escape. I joined late but Heather is among the first I read each morning. I kicked cable out of our life about ten years ago - cost cutting. Now we stream and have a news ban. I read my news- the Guardian, NYT, Washington Post, NPR, Press Herald, all send me a news précis each day. That allows me to be selective.
ReplyDeleteMeditation has never been easy, all those thoughts fighting for attention while I’m trying to ignore them. But then I found Ross Rayburn’s meditations and his style and philosophy suits me. So ten or fifteen minutes as my final act of the day, I lie down in bed, lights out, eyes closed and breathe to Ross and other leaders on my Peloton app. It’s not perfect but I do sleep.
I can do the sleep stories on Calm. But I usually fall asleep quickly anyway
DeleteRhys, I love the sleep stories on Calm, even though I haven't done them in a while. I have favorite narrators and themes. The train trips are at the top of my list. The Cornish Riviera Express narrated by Andrew Martin and Crossing Ireland by Train narrated by Cillian Murphy. I just found a new music one I think I'm going to love, too, called Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar.
DeleteIt is said their are 84000 portals to meditation. As such, looking at peaceful scenes is ALSO a form of meditation. For me? I breathe, I sit, and ground me by listening to 5 things in the room, finding 4 things to see, 3 things to scent, two things to taste, one thing to touch. and breathe. I still look at the statistics and wait After grounding I keep on truckin' /food to prepare/ books to review/ people to cherish/ and so it goes.
ReplyDeleteI wrote the above.
DeleteGorgeous, Rhys! Thank you for sharing glimpses of bliss. I have been looking at pictures from a recent wedding. We attended a family wedding in the Pacific Northwest. The bride and the groom "knit together" (I am not sure what the right word is) traditions from both families - Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Spanish, Irish, French, and WASP.
ReplyDeleteNovember is National Novel Writing Month so this may be a good time to focus on writing my novel instead of looking at social media. If I go on social media at all, then I want to post only cute pictures of kittens and puppies.
I let the ocean work its magic for me. The sound of the waves and the smell of the salt air is so calming. I love June when the beach roses are in full bloom and their intoxicating fragrance on the Cliff Walk in Newport is so soothing. Where I now live also invites me to stroll the walking trails among the pines when on foggy days often bring the scent of that salt air further inland.
ReplyDeleteOcean walks are the best!
DeleteThank you so much! I'm looking forward to reading Diane's book!
ReplyDeleteJay Kuo's Status Kuo keeps me sane. He's so knowledgeable, and adds another layer of information to Heather Cox Richardson's historical perspective. And he is equally reliable and trustworthy. Jay actually worked in Kamala Harris's office when she was Attorney General of California, although he didn't stay there long. He also writes for George Takei's political newsletter, and his sense of humor helps immensely.
Other than that, I kept really busy planning the Halloween party, and now cleaning up the aftermath, which will probably take another week. And supporting our so dear neighbors as the wife is transitioning out of this plane. It puts a lot of everything else into perspective when you see how illness (especially dementia and physical therapy) and old age are so poorly managed in the US right now. The last thing we need is for it to get even worse.
We have also had beautiful, albeit dry as a bone, weather here in Cincinnati. That helps a lot.
Rhys, I sent you a FB private message.
DeleteGreat
DeleteTo relax, I meditate. I used to have a regular meditation practice, but I fell away from it. I’m trying to re-establish that practice, but I’m struggling to put it back into my life. I use the Windy app to help me fall asleep, and I use the Brain.fm app when I’m trying to focus on crocheting or anything else that needs my attention.
ReplyDeleteOn Friday I started slowly weaning myself off of the news. Starting today I’m avoiding the news completely. Being a news junkie, this is difficult, but it IS helping my mind to calm down. I’m staying away from anything except local news. I voted the second day that Early Voting was available. I pray for the outcome of the election. I also pray for a peaceful transition of power. I’m planning to go to bed early on Election Day.
DebRo
DebRo
Thanks so much for sharing the beautiful pictures. They are quite soothing. Of late, I have found that once I vote, I am at peace. I have done my part. I live in GA, an open carry state, that is also a purple state with questionable voting oversight rules that were voted in with the latest assembly. I suspect whichever way the election goes, the country will be conflicted for years. When I need to soothe my overwrought brain, I tend to binge on music videos. I am a huge fan of Pentatonix and I will go down the Pentatonix rabbit hole for hours. Their music centers me and gives me hope. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteVictoria, I agree--Pentatonix is a great group!
DeleteWe were in Europe on a cruise in the middle of October. The lead up to leaving when my husband was working like crazy to finish all his clients’ tax returns and I was cleaning the house (for the dog/house sitter) and packing and then the actual, wonderful trip kept me busy and distracted from election news for three weeks. (Having lousy Wi-Fi on the ship also meant I couldn’t get a lot of the news if I had really wanted to. In this case that was a blessing.) We’ve been home for a week and have voted. I came home with a really bad cold-which-turned-out-to-be-Covid so all I was doing was sleeping and, when I could focus, reading. I had to stick to light fare so that left out any political commentary. I am now feeling better, but still not looking at the news. None of my circumstances are suggested ways of coping, but it’s what I had to work with! — Pat S
ReplyDeleteSo many people I know came home with Covid. That’s another worry! I just missed it, seeing a friend in London the day before her symptoms came out
DeleteI had had my booster on October 1st and was gone from 10/11-10/25. I suppose I didn’t get a bad case of Covid but it was still not what I wanted. :-)
DeleteHey, Pat. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise and so sorry to hear you came home with Covid. Glad you're better now.
DeleteIn the last two weeks, I noticed a lot of tension in the air. I have been punched, pushed and shoved by strangers in public places. That never happened all within a short range of time before. Though that happened once in a blue moon, the fact that this happened many times in the last two weeks made it clear that there is quite a lot of tension out there! I REFUSE to live in fear, though be careful out there!
ReplyDeleteRhys, you asked a great question about staying calm despite anger and negativity out there. I have been reading all of your comments and getting great ideas about how to stay calm.
Thank you, everyone!
I am constantly deleting requests to sell my property in Florida. I don't won anything in Florida so you can imagine my delight when I started receiving reminders to vote in Florida, request to donate to whatever and wherever. I'm doing a lot as a deleting of unnecessary, repetitive texts and emails. Hopefully a great deal of it ends on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteI'm avoiding the news, reading and working on a huge needlepoint project instead. Your pictures are lovely, Rhys. Giving me ideas of places to maybe visit when I retire, or just dream about visiting in the future.
always proof read, Deana. I don't own ant thing in Florida.....
DeleteI don’t watch or listen to any political news.
ReplyDeleteDo a lot of music listening, I haven’t done it for a while, but there is a radio station here that plays only show music 24 hrs a day without interruptions including ads. They only identify the shows on the screen. For anyone interested it is Standing Room Only.org and is affiliated with Emerson College, a local school focusing on the arts, music, broadcasting, writing, etc.
Also doing a lot of reading.
I am focused on humorous books, particularly Donna Andrews and one I recently discovered, the
Miss Fortune series by Jana Deleon. There are 28 books currently and I am about three quarters through the series which should get me past Tuesday although I am a fast reader.
Knowing there are other like-minded, rational people here makes me feel better.
Lovely photos, Rhys! We have a soft, gray day here, something which always makes me inordinately happy. I'm avoiding the news, following socials only about London, etc., listening to your Georgie books, watching Tucci's Searching for Italy, overbuying at the farmer's market (produce is my stress reliever--at least until I have to figure out what to do with it all...), walking the dog, which is always the very best stress remedy. I've discovered I can paint with fountain pen inks, so going to treat myself to a little project today.
ReplyDeleteI'm avoiding the news and anyone who wants to talk politics. Verboten! I can't meditate. My brain won't cooperate. But I can always escape to a good book. Or just go to sleep.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I do to invoke calm? I am such a mess, it's a real challenge to invoke calm. I know some of you might question my use of medication, but I'm still on what I started when Kevin was killed, and it helps, and I need that help. Sometimes I wonder if you all think all I do is connect everything to Kevin's passing, but when you lose a child (and at 35, he was still my baby boy), it's hard to stay away from that focus, and with this topic the calm I seek is always from the thoughts of not having my best friend here anymore. I hope none of you can identify with this, but I know at least one who can. So, the following my sound strange to some. There are those who find cemeteries invoke only sadness, but one of my calm and peace inducing activities is going to the cemetery, sitting in my fold-out chair, and talking and reading to Kevin. It helps that the cemetery is a pretty place, and I consider Kevin's grave a sacred place. So, I read books to him that I think he would like or some of his favorites (or mine). He loved the science fiction books of Douglas Adams, and we read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe, which Rhys knows because of her work with the BBC that it was first a radio show on the BBC. I'm now reading the autobiography of Douglas Adams by Neil Gaiman to him, and it's so interesting. Douglas Adams was quite a character, and another interesting fact is that while he was working on The Hitchhiker's Guide for the BBC, he was also writing Doctor Who episodes.
ReplyDeleteOh, and one more thing. I have not been watching the television news or political programs. I just can't and keep my sanity right now. I did vote early, last Friday, and I had to stand in line an hour and eight minutes. However, the line moved continuously, so it didn't seem long. I know others who have waited closer to two hours. We have had a major turnout here. Ok, that's all I'll say about politics.
I wanted to reiterate my use of Calm that I mentioned in a reply to Rhys above. I think that there is something for everyone on that app. Here's what I said above. Rhys, I love the sleep stories on Calm, even though I haven't done them in a while. I have favorite narrators and themes. The train trips are at the top of my list. The Cornish Riviera Express narrated by Andrew Martin and Crossing Ireland by Train narrated by Cillian Murphy. I just found a new music one I think I'm going to love, too, called Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar (listening to it now and enjoying it).
ReplyDeleteI never finish one of the railway journeys. I’m always asleep
DeleteIf I'm feeling stressed living here in Switzerland, I can only imagine how bad it is for you all. I've been taking extra-long walks while listening to audiobooks AND, at home, playing cheerful classical music, like Händel's Water Music! But I'm very worried. At least I've voted, which makes me feel I've done the main thing I can do to help.
ReplyDeleteMy copy of The Secret War of Julia Child arrived today. I shared information about this book with my friend Ron Savenor whose market (recently sold) Julia used to frequent. WBZ Boston's radio has a segment on the threes with traffic and weather. That is the only media that I can handle. I have not even read my local newspaper in months as it is owned by USA Today and all of that extra "information" is too much for me. Round and round we go! A dark, quiet room with a nice blanket with a pouch for my feet and I can regulate my breathing and just start at my toes and work upward with a stretch and release. My gratitude list helps me to slow down also which is similar to your photos Rhys!
ReplyDelete