Solace came this morning, listening to a death-themed “This American Life” and making the rounds with Finn — enlivened by the chill quiet of morning hours.

Solace came last night in the stretch of light in the evening as we approach summer.

Perspective came when I came across two quotes jotted down at some point (from podcast On Being):

“Your level of true belonging can never be greater than your willingness to stand alone… I kind of hate that it’s true, but it’s just what I found”.

And a working definition of ‘civility’:

“Civility is claiming and caring for one’s identity, needs, and beliefs without degrading someone else’s in the process.”

Thinking about mortality offers perspective too: how I am approaching the age-year of my mother’s passing (she was 62; I’m almost 61 and a half; I’ve already outlived my father by seven years); thinking about the heart as a pulsing muscle with a finite number of beats to beat (beat beat). What do I want my beating heart to fuel?

Lastly, a pearl of wisdom from the Tarot, where The Devil showed up in two back to back readings: “The main thing holding you back is your belief that something is holding you back”.

*this is a stripped down version of this morning’s post. I made the other one private.