Meg Evans

I live in a mostly quiet urban-sprawl neighborhood where deer and rabbits wander around, looking cute except when they eat the landscaping. We are close enough to restaurants and taverns with outdoor dining areas that sometimes, on Friday or Saturday evenings, music drifts through our bedroom walls. That generally doesn’t bother me because the music is not nearly as loud as our noisy old air conditioner before we replaced it two years ago.

And considering what has happened this year, I can’t complain at all. It’s good to hear something that is more like normal life.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

After my husband and I got finished with our work this afternoon, we started talking about companies not being in a rush to reopen offices. Instead, managers are reassuring employees that they won’t have to go back to the office before they feel comfortable with it, and that returning to the office will start with those who want to go back right away.

We both found ourselves wondering how companies will find enough volunteers to make reopening offices worthwhile. Not only are many people anxious about going out, they’re also getting very comfortable with the unhurried pace of working at home. No commute, no business clothes, and a more relaxed workday in general. Just being here in the moment comes easily.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

As with many families, my husband and I have been sharing our home office space for the past three months. So far, it has been going well, except for the occasional minor inconvenience of having online meetings scheduled at the same time.

My husband enjoys being able to take breaks from work and easily get exercise on the rowing machine in the basement (it’s a Hydrow, which has online workouts with video of instructors in real sculling boats). I also worked out over my midday break today. It feels more peaceful and relaxed around the house, even with everything that’s going on in the world. The lesson here, I would say, is that setting aside just a little more space in the day for doing happy little things can go a long way.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

After my husband and I got finished with our work today, we had a pleasant walk around the neighborhood. It was very good to see people getting outdoors and enjoying the summer weather. Then our daughter came to visit this evening. She is a nurse in Cleveland, and we hadn’t seen her since March, what with everything that has been going on.

Even when it seems like we are just doing ordinary things, there is always much in life for which to be grateful and joyful.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

This year it feels like we’re all looking for a sense of direction and wondering what to do. There is so much that needs to be done in the world, it has gotten overwhelming. The disruption to ordinary routines has been draining our energy even more. I haven’t felt like doing much beyond uploading peaceful nature scenes to the online library for my digital art display and writing a few blog posts and stories.

Even these small efforts, though, can help to bring comfort to a world much in need of it.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

I didn’t start writing my Nurturing Thursday entry until late in the evening because I was not quite sure what I wanted to post. I didn’t feel struck by inspiration. Then I decided that I was overthinking it and that instead of trying to force inspired feelings, I would do better simply to let them unfold their wings and fly as they saw fit.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

There is a wild-looking hedge to the west of my yard. A former neighbor, who was clueless about landscaping, planted a random jumble of trees and shrubs along the property line many years ago. Once or twice a year, I have to cut off branches that get too far over the line.

This year’s invaders mainly consist of flowering honeysuckle and some kind of climbing rose. They’re pretty, but they hang down far enough to interfere with my husband mowing the grass, so they have to go. Sometime in the near future I’ll get around to doing that chore. For now, though, I can enjoy the flowers and get a sense of belonging in wild nature.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

As life has settled into a quieter pace in recent weeks, I’ve found—somewhat to my surprise—that old anxieties don’t seem to trouble me as much. While they haven’t entirely gone away, it does feel as if they’ve gone mostly dormant for now, or perhaps they’re hibernating.

I’m reminded of pebbles in a river, tumbled all about by high water that scours away the mud and debris. As the river slows and the water level falls, the rocks and pebbles settle into a new, solid shape.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

This morning I had two meetings scheduled right next to each other, with a presentation to attend soon afterward. Ordinarily I don’t have that much going on at work, and it was a bit of a distraction for my husband, who is sharing our home office space with me.

Somewhat to my surprise, however, I didn’t feel overly distracted myself. This week I’ve been feeling calmer than usual, and changes to my daily routine don’t seem as bothersome. Maybe everything that has happened this year has given me a shift in perspective. If so, I hope it will turn out to be something that can be carried forward into a more peaceful future.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

When life becomes unsettled, it can be hard to imagine what the future will look like. Everything feels unpredictable and uncertain. We’re used to making detailed plans and keeping to our routines. Without that familiar structure, we’re left not knowing what way to go.

In such times, rather than burdening ourselves further by struggling to be in control no matter what happens, we might do better to simply follow the wisdom of the soul and put aside those expectations.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.