The neighborhood emails are getting more dire.

The air quality is so poor that it’s dangerous to breathe outdoors. And it may get worse. 

More lightning storms are predicted beginning at 5 AM Sunday morning, possibly continuing through Tuesday. This may be accompanied by rain this time, but new fires may ignite anyway. Be prepared. 

The time is right to go through your Go Bag to make sure you can grab it and bail out if a fire starts nearby. 

Be thinking about possible evacuation routes that head away from approaching fire. …We are being encouraged to evacuate even before we are told to do so. This avoids getting caught in a traffic jam and helps keep us alive.

It’s red flag warning time up in the hills.  I keep the studio windows and doors shut to keep the smell of smoke out.  I’m surrounded by heat.  Maybe it’s not the best time to plug in the skillets.

Pandemic + Fire Season = Anxiety

I’m not alone in catastrophe.  From small to major incidences everyone seems to be coping with challenges.  For each conversation I often recommend some of my life hacks, as the saying goes.  I’ll share a few here.

Meditation

I was the child who could stare out the window for a long time and be perfectly happy.  I loved going for a drive and rolling the window all the way down and feeling the hot breeze as I stared out into the blurring world.

If you were not this child, I highly recommend the app Waking Up by Sam Harris.  His easy, no nonsense, do-able approach is worth trying out in his free 28 day course.  I did his intro course when it was 60 days and am ready to do his new course all over again.  Ten minutes a day can make a difference.

You can find Waking Up by Sam Harris HERE.

Journaling

Maybe you too were influenced by the main character in the book Harriet the Spy.  Like Harriet, I started carrying around a small spiral notepad in my back pocket and wrote down everything I saw.  Spying was fun.

I’ve kept up the daily habit partly because I love the feel of pen on paper.  I geek out on pens and paper.  Without breaking the bank you can splurge on luxurious materials and feel like a Queen.  The notebook I’m loving right now is the Go To Notebook by Chronicle Press. 

Resistance

Pandemic + Fire Season + Flu Season = RESISTANCE

Soon flu season will be here and the desire to do could be flagging.  If you haven’t read the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield it is time.

“Creative work is …a gift to the world and every being in it.  Don’t cheat us of your contribution.  Give us what you’ve got.” – Steven Pressfield

Food

Food can heal or damage.  Your choice.  Life Changing Foods: Save Yourself and the Ones You Love with the Hidden Healing Powers of Fruits and Vegetables by Anthony William, is a beautifully written book on the medical properties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices.  Did you know lemons can lift your spirits when you’ve had bad news?  Personally I’m eating more radishes.  They’re in season and they lift you out of the doldrums.  Check out the book HERE. 

I hope these suggestions offer some relief.  Consider gifting some of these items to those you know who might need an extra strategy during this time.  As I write this post more “worry” emails are coming in.  With approaching lightening storms and hot dry winds I’m doing what I can do.  Acknowledging the emotions and letting them pass.  Thank you Sam Harris.

XOXO,

Francesca