*Brief* Friday APB

because community is calling all of us (can we hear it?)

Raise your hand if you think I can write this email in twenty minutes or less! It’s mid-day on Friday. I’m sitting next to the living room window, still in my pjs, buried under a fuzzy blanket, staring out at the single best fall tree on my block. Why is it the best? Because long after the leaves have shed from the others, its leaves hang on, ostentatiously gold. I only really see it in November.

I’ve been working all morning, doing my best to clear my foggy mind and ignore the hammer in my heart. The day had a rocky start, from minute one. You know the type. My friends at work a mile up the street are leaving soon to spend two hours volunteering at Cultivate Food Rescue. I warned them I probably couldn’t join them because lately, when I’m not there with them, I’m here, stressing out at my laptop, near the window.

I don’t consider myself a very disciplined person, but I am trying. I always try when it matters most. And here’s what I now, suddenly, know - the most disciplined thing I can do is close this laptop in (checks timer) 13 minutes, and run to where they are. Now more than ever, we need to take every opportunity to embody the things we value, with the people near us.

So! A few quick things, because this is the last time you’ll hear from me before Thanksgiving and wowwwwww we have some complicated feelings about large gatherings at the moment, but a big plate full of carbs might actually be on the healing plan. Maybe! It can’t hurt.

First, a piece I wrote for our regional Edible Michiana magazine (I read every issue cover-to-cover) published this week and they’re letting me share it with you! A local artist painted the cozy illustration based off of a comment I made about enjoying the glow from neighbors’ windows over these dark evenings. Enjoy!