Going Dandelion Hunting - looking for little, persistent pieces of joy

"IMG_8372" by miro.jw is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Hi there,

As we are in the midst of business not as usual, I'm checking in.

I know you and yours are likely facing a lot of changes as a result of COVID-19.  This is such a fluid situation, and I know you likely have or will have unusual demands on your time and energy - I've taken time for mental health and to work with my dad so he can work from home.

While I try to avoid overwhelming feeds and inboxes as a general, I wondered about something.

Would you like to hear about something funny, or kind?  Find a new favorite song or author?  Escape into a story read aloud, or spend two minutes sitting with your eyes closed and listening to birds?

We need to be careful, for ourselves and our families, our next door neighbors and the people we might not have thought of as neighbors before this, before we needed to think about how our actions could affect them. 

There's a lot going on, and it can be overwhelming (if you are overwhelmed, that doesn't mean you've screwed up - this really is a lot to process).

But finding little, persistent pieces of joy (mental dandelions!) can help.  Bright spots of color can help.  Kind words can help.  Doing something, even something small, can help.

This blog series shares some of the mental dandelions I've found, and I'd love to hear any ideas you have for things to share or things you've been looking for.

Photos by: Moments by Mama Bear Photography, Chasity H. Photography, Gleaful Photography, and Artfully You Photography

Ten Thousand Dandelions is open online if you or someone you love could use an infusion of color.  Shipping times are extended to accommodate increased safety practices here and at the post office, and made to order items might take a little longer if I run out of materials; my suppliers are also running business not as usual.  First class domestic shipping is free, and you can now purchase e-gift cards.

I'm also adding a component to the existing  one for one tree donation.  As it stood, each product also purchased a tree through a partnership with One Tree Planted. 

In addition to that donation (reforestation work is considered essential in many places, so that work is ongoing), a matching donation will go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.  GCFD is part of the Feeding America Network, and provides help to people across Chicago and the surrounding area.

I hope you and yours are safe and healthy.  If you're looking for a colorful treat, I'd love to help.

Warmly,

Clare

P.S. xkcd is one of my favorite sources of smart + ridiculous (we do have a lot of pasta in my house, that's true).

Missed the beginning of the series?  See the other posts here: Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3