⧉ Quiet miracles
Welcome to the thirty-sixth issue of OVERLAP ⧉
Quiet miracles
The air is vibrating with anxious energy, and nothing feels certain. When I’m trying to cope and carry on, I look for quiet miracles. Thinking of the past 10 days — the crazy upside-down time since the last issue of this newsletter — I quickly recounted dozens of small moments and good feelings. An abridged list:
- The full moon rising over the East River.
- A loaf of bread, fresh from the oven.
- Magnolias blooming in Murray Hill.
- The first few pages of Joanne McNeil’s new book, “Lurking.”
- An olive oil subscription, delivered at the perfect time.
- Texts from faraway friends and family.
- Fresh spices from a friend’s small business.
- Virtual happy hours and writing groups.
- A magical market that always has beans and rice and cashiers who say “take care, dear.”
- A new co-worker — he’s not very productive, but he purrs.
Documenting this evidence focuses my energy on something other than the news cycle and makes it easier to imagine more good things to come in the next 10 days.
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I’m working from home now, and except for a daily walk and occasional errand, I’m spending most of my time in my apartment. In addition to the small things, I’m feeling grateful for the big things, like a job I can do remotely and all the privileges that come along with that.
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Auntie Jess recommends:
Staying home. Cook all that food you panic-purchased before it goes bad.
Checking on your neighbors. Make sure nobody’s running out of toilet paper.
Taking a break from breaking news. Maybe a good podcast instead? I loved the Splendid Table episode featuring Persian cooks and a recent This American Life hosted by Bim Adewunmi.
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Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear from you — hit reply or send a message through my website to tell me about your favorite social distancing activities or anything else that’s on your mind. You can also forward this to a friend or two and invite them to subscribe. If you missed a previous issue, all the archives are online.
Until next time,
Jessica
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