Hello, Friends:

I didn’t send a newsletter the last two weekends, because frankly, I didn’t know what to say.

On Friday, March 13, the public library where I work opened like any other day. By noon time, I was sitting in a Situation Room-type meeting, discussing the logistics of closing down the library in the midst of a pandemic outbreak. Our checkout desks were swamped in the last hours of our open hours, with folks grabbing books, games, and movies to keep them entertained for the foreseeable future. By 5 p.m., the onslaught of patrons was thinning out, and many staff members stood by the doors, saying goodbye. We were closed.

Admittedly, I felt the thrill of being “in the room where it happens,” knowing that we were living through a moment in history that will be remembered for a long time.

But as realization sank in about our period of self-isolation while COVID-19 swept across the globe, the excitement gave way to sadness. Disappointment. Fear. Anger. In any given 24-hour period, you can bet I’ll cry, feel like I want to punch something, laugh too loud at something not really that funny, then hold more tears back while reaching for the ice cream. 

This is all new to me and I don’t know how to do any of this. I’m mad that my daughter’s play got canceled. I’m grateful I have a job. I’m frustrated with working at home. I’m thankful my family has a good sense of humor. I’m thrilled at being trapped at home with books and Netflix. I’m sad our vacation plans got thwarted. I’m guilty that I’m complaining. I’m thankful that none of my loved ones have symptoms of illness.

I guess I’m just feeling all the feelings. My guess is that you are, too. 

My goals for the next few weeks are to 1.) stay healthy (scrub those hands!) and 2.) allow myself the simple creature comforts I need to keep myself distracted. I'm intentionally limiting the amount of news I'm consuming each day, because it can be a bummer. Here are some of the simple pleasures that keep my stormy smorgasbord of emotions at bay:

• Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist has been making zines on his webpage and Instagram feed (follow #stayhomemakezines). He is so creative!
• Brené Brown's new podcast, Unlocking Us has a great episode called "FFTs." 
• My oldest son, Clark, is a writer, producer, director, comedian … and all-around creative guy. He released a new digital short this week that I found delightfully silly. It's called Future You.
• Here's an essay I wrote, published in Her View From Home: I Want to Remember it All.
• When all else fails, I'm all about stress baking. Try my recipe for No-Knead Baked Artisan Bread. It's comprised of 4 simple ingredients, turns out perfectly each time, and makes you feel like a genius. (Because face it—you are!)