Comfort Everything

Apropos of nothing at all, I’m going to share some of the things that have gotten me through this year so far, the things I turn to when I really need a pick-me-up.

Virtual concerts. Since touring isn’t an option for musicians right now, a lot of them are doing virtual concerts…which means I get to enjoy tons of live music that I’d never hear otherwise. It doesn’t make up for not having contra dance (which almost always has live music), but it helps. My favourite has been a weekly series of old-time/trad/folk music concerts (fiddle, mandolin, guitar, piano, sometimes banjo, sometimes singing) by dynamic duo Jay Ungar and Molly Mason on Facebook. The two of them have a calming presence and a rapport that’s a joy to watch. Here’s their Halloween special. Another new discovery is an a capella group called Windborne.

Online chats. I generally prefer text chat over video chat, maybe because I’ve been doing it so long (since the 90s on Yahoo!). There’s been an ongoing chat with some of my dance friends, where we dip in and out to share our struggles (and boy have there been struggles) and our joys. I have an extrovert friend who (bless her) will periodically poke me on chat to see how I’m doing, and she keeps doing it even though I rarely initiate. And I’ve mentioned before how our regular Turtleduck Press chats are keeping me grounded.

Comfort reading. One doesn’t become an author without madly loving books, after all… I’ve been alternating two types of books that I’m finding comforting: (1) rereads or new-to-me books in series with characters I love, and (2) apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic books, because they remind me that people can thrive and build community in any conditions. (I will say, though, that I’m staying far far away from any apocalyptic scenarios that feel too close to home right now. *coughHandmaid’sTalecough*)

Food. I talk a lot about gardening and cooking, but chocolate must also be mentioned. 😉 My favourites right now are either 70% dark or sweeter fruit-flavoured dark chocolates…and chocolate-covered almonds are my writing fuel of choice. At least the 70% slows me down a bit! As for other food, we’ve been on a pie-making kick since (Canadian) Thanksgiving early last month, and now I’m on a mission to roast all the vegetables.

Nature & movement. I’ve talked about this before too, but my body is grateful that I’m also still walking regularly.

What’s been getting you through?