Welcome to this weeks Friday Recliner friends – a little something to get your weekend started on a relaxed note and a quiet place to rest a while.

Hoping this finds you taking yourself a nice long breath and maybe with your feet up as well.   This week I’ve prioritised making pretty cushion covers out of thrifted fabric over unpacking two bags of groceries that have sat on my kitchen floor all week. They’re those pretty reusable bags though and I must say very handy having everything  within such easy reach so I think I’ll continue the weeks easy-osy theme into the weekend. 

First things first though  – – – –

A Good Word

from K J Ramsey 

A Good Look

 

Hope its a comfy faded denim and pretty flowers kind of weekend

A Good Idea

from Shauna Niequist

Gratitude and Disco Balls

Sometimes joy & gratitude & hope bubble up easily, unbidden. And then sometimes you have to put yourself in the path of those good things, open-hearted, flailing a little, hoping to catch the edge of something you can hold onto, just enough to sustain you for a little while.

In those flailing seasons, keeping a gratitude list really helps me—when you decide to gather up all the tiny bits of goodness you can find & hold them together in your hand, you begin—slowly, slowly—to see that goodness prevails, even in the darkness.

My current list:
1. an old friend who brings eggs from her chickens
2. books, especially poetry
3. a soft-serve ice cream date with an eight year old on a hot afternoon
4. saying something difficult & true & realizing the world didn’t fall apart
5. when someone else makes the coffee in the morning
6. that feeling of noticing how far you’ve come, instead of only seeing how far you still have to go

This too

I have always, always wanted a disco ball in the living room—not like as long as we’ve been in this apartment, but like in every house we’ve ever lived in, and I’ve never done it. And so here we are: 2020.

Life is weird & hard & exhausting & disorienting for all of us right now, & I thoroughly recommend doing whatever it takes to create a little joy/life/play/light/silliness/heart-lifting/smile-making/rock & roll/sparkle in your world today. Like maybe a rose gold disco ball…

What big or little things are you doing to create life & joy & light in your corner of the world these days?

A Good Read

Lately people have been sending me what I would call “rants.” These are often writings found on social media. They are usually written by angry folks who are upset about random hot-button topics, which I won’t mention here because I don’t want anyone throwing a brick through my window.

The writers of internet rants always end things by stating something corny like: “Just my two cents.” But when you consider that they’ve just written at least six pages of text, it comes to more like $12.50.

The thing is, people read these things. Then, they get mad enough to sit down and write their own social-media rants. Once these rants have traveled to the outer reaches of cyber universe, my aunt Eulah sends them to me.

I don’t know why I read these things, but I do. Ever since the coronavirus epidemic started, I have been sucked into well-written tirades penned by people who probably mean well, but who are too mad to do well.

I just finished reading one rant that was about surgical masks. The author was furious about the issue. The thing must have been one hundred paragraphs long. And the scary thing is: I actually took the time to read it.

So I’ve decided to write one, too.

Hey, why not? Everyone deserves to express their own disgust. Besides, complaining has become fashionable. Some people are so incredibly good at griping that they have become famous for it.

So the first thing I would like to complain about is children.

That’s right. I’m not holding back. It’s every man for himself. I’m complaining that childhood doesn’t last long enough. And this really frosts my shorts – – – Keep reading

And one more

Finalists of the 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

We could all use a good laugh and, as usual, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is a great way to see how funny animals truly are. A look at the 2020 finalists is an incredible cross-section of wildlife from around the world and a dive into the light and humor these animals possess.

From a clumsy elephant calf to a greedy Atlantic puffin, each animal displays its own unique brand of funny. Though this lighter aspect of wildlife isn’t often highlighted, the awards use this levity to bring much-needed attention to conservation issues.  Take a look  here

Read my contribution to the Hopewriters  “Better Together” Writing Challenge on Instagram  here

Till next week friends, have a beautiful weekend – rest up, do something you love xx

Remember you can browse through the  previous articles and posts linked to in The Friday Recliner right  HERE.