It’s not what you think — You probably remember the playground song that goes: Beans, beans, the musical fruit, The more you eat, the more you toot, The more you toot, the better you feel, So let’s have beans for every meal! Sometime after the American Heart Association was established in 1924 and began recommending a…

Writing went just fine until … my pandemic meltdown — In early November, I was past the beginning of the novel and had momentum. I was only writing 750–800 words a day, but I was writing consistently every day and that felt great. I’d write in the afternoons, have supper, and then read or watch Netflix. …

But you did vote, right? — Yes, today decides the future of democracy, women’s and BIPOC rights, surviving climate change, and so much more. But leaving all that aside for a moment, mainly because it makes me insane to think about it, I want to celebrate a few other things that happened on November 3rd. In…

Apparently, there are LOTS of excuses to procrastinate — That’s me as a moon calf, staring into space and not writing my novel. I started off fine on October 1st and wrote 750 words, then couldn’t force myself to write another 600 to get to 1,350 words, so I stopped writing on the novel for three weeks! I didn’t…

Essays on crossing Australia, dealing with loss, books, cats, feminism, bread baking, and women in Gaza — We’ll start by joining Harald Juengst as he drives across Australia: Come with me from Carnarvon to Meekatharra An adventure into the Australian Outbackmedium.com Cortney Cino takes stock of her life after loss: The Life & Career Questions I Ask Myself Since My Dad’s Unexpected Passing There is nothing like the self-reflection caused by mortality’s smack in the face.medium.com

Essays on lockdown in Vietnam, kindness, the Void, the Irish Sea, a river, dying & living, and amusing New York snow — We’ll begin with Larisa Andras sitting out the Great Pause in Vietnam: What I’ve Learned from Sipping Cocktails on the Beach While My Family Was Under Lockdown If you got stuck in Vietnam as a foreigner, you could say that life is pretty normal — except it’s notmedium.com Vincent Van Patten faces pain and receives kindness:

Essays on staying indoors, stepping out on Long Island, oysters, Sri Lanka, India, love letter to BIPOC, and a cup of tea — Stories with a sense of place are predominant this week. Nancy Peckenham stays indoors with her Mom and her husband: Self-Isolation and a Snowstorm Collide How to keep Mama happy and the heat onmedium.com Geri Shumer shares a day trip out with her husband and dog: Why It Took A Pandemic To Make Me Appreciate Where I Live Part One: Northport Village, LImedium.com