Updated Store Hours
I’m going to try a little experiment that a friend suggested to me, and adjust the store hours to open an hour later Tuesday through Saturday. It feels a bit counter-intuitive to be open less, but it’s a little tweak to help bring more balance to my life, so we’ll see how it goes.
Sun & Mon: 11 am to 6 pm
Tues to Sat: 12 pm to 6 pm
COVID Related Stuff
There isn’t too much going on in the store vis-a-vis COVID protocols that are new. We don’t have any capacity limit right now (not that it’s ever been an issue), but I think we will be masking for a while. I also don’t have any plans for offering classes in the spring. I don’t know where the virus is going to be at by the time this wave starts settling down in April & May (especially if things open up in March), so I’m just letting things be for now and playing it by ear. When it’s safe, we’ll do it. Am an impressive percentage of people in the hospital with the Omicron variant are vaccinated (the province has some lovely, up to date pie-charts and graphs on the subject), so I think the right path is to do our best to keep everyone safe.
Living with COVID
People have been talking about starting to “Live with COVID”, but I feel like that’s a vague statement since it seems to mean different things to different people. I kind of thought we were already living with COVID, (except for the 13.8 million people globally who have passed away from COVID and related causes …. when I see that I can’t help but think “there but for the grace of God go I”).
For me, living with COVID means living in the present. I’m living for today, and trying to live with flexibility and without expectation. Viruses are living things, they are part of nature, and like the wind or the ocean, nature will do what it wants. I’m learning to accept that the only control I have in life is over my own choices. When the weather gets warm and I can meet with my friends and family outside, I’m going to do my best to take full advantage of those opportunities.
I’m grateful for all I have (including you, I always include you when I do my gratitudes), and for the growth I’ve received during this pandemic. I’m trying to tune in to the beauty in life, which isn’t actually all that hard because it’s in the tiniest things, the most insignificant moments. I try to be compassionate and forgiving, because there are a lot of people who have suffered far, far more than I during this pandemic, and they’re just treading, trying to keep their heads above water. I’m also learning to accept that the only constant in life is change, and I’m finding life has a lot more grace and flow when I lean into change, rather than resist it. I’m also letting the experience change and shape a new me … remember where we were at before the pandemic? If we don’t change, and fast, this planet *will* die.
Hopefully, at some point, the virus will mutate into something innocuous, but the future doesn’t exist yet, so I’m learning to live now, in the present, in this moment. I feel like living in the present is kind of the Green Eggs & Ham of our time. Why was I so resistant to living in the now? The more I try it, the more I like it and the more sense it makes.
Sit & Knit Pics
I recently found a good Podcast, a joint venture between Oprah and Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings. Oprah has a knack for making things accessible, and Tolle (the master of the present moment) is more fun when she’s sharing the mic.
Brene Brown’s new book Atlas of the Heart comes out in audiobook on February 14th! Like her other books, it’s narrated by her, which is great because she’s a natural storyteller. If you aren’t already acquainted with Brene check out her TED talks on youtube, and definitely her 2019 film “Call to Courage” on Netflix. She also has her own podcast on Spotify, “Unlocking Us“.
My absolute favourite is Tara Brach – when I need to learn something or release something, I just head over to youtube or my podcast app and browse until I find a topic that catches my attention. Her talks are always free and accessible. She’s a great storyteller and always has a few good jokes too.