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How To Be Here: “Winterize” Your Life During Uncertainty

Posted on November 16, 2020November 16, 2020 by Shonnie Scott

I don’t know how many people I’ve talked to recently have said the same thing: “I’m SO done with Covid!” We’ve hit a wall with the cumulative fatigue of the ongoing vigilance and adaptation, yet the marathon’s nowhere near over.A couple weekends ago I was “winterizing”—preparing the outside of our house and garden for winter. I was enjoying the beautiful fall day as I did so, and I had this thought: What am I doing to “winterize” myself for the winter ahead?... continue reading

How To Be Here: Finding Agency as You Weather Uncertainty

Posted on November 5, 2020November 6, 2020 by Jon DeWaal

About nine years ago I did a hike with two of my closest friends up to Joe Lake. Cradled in the heart of the Cascades Mountains near Snoqualmie Pass lies Joe Lake. It’s a gem of an alpine lake, but you’ve got to work for it. This was my first hike after falling off a roof and crushing my ankle almost a year earlier. I was feeling apprehensive as I hadn't pushed my body much since my injury.The first five miles were pleasant, even easy. I remember thinking, this isn't so bad. I can... continue reading

How To Be Here: Adaptability

Posted on September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 by Shonnie Scott

Have you noticed? Nights are getting longer and cooler. Leaves are starting to change color. Summer got off to a slow start in the PNW, but we’ve been outdoors reveling in it the last couple months. And just as soon as we began to really soak in some consistently gorgeous summer weather, well . . . the seasons just keep a changin’ and summer’s already on the way out. What isn’t on the way out is covid-season. When the pandemic began, those of us in the northern hemisphere could console ... continue reading

How To Be Here

Posted on July 31, 2020August 3, 2020 by Jon DeWaal

My wife and I bought our first home in the winter of 2019. Immediately, we began a harrowing journey to remodel our 1960s home. We had no plan and a woefully inadequate budget, but we also had a lot of moxie and sweat to give.At first, it was thrilling to be finally working on our house after dreaming about it for 16 years. Many conversations would start with, “What if over here we did this...” Then one of us might say, “Oh, I like that! And what abou... continue reading

The Gift of Simple Pleasures

Posted on April 13, 2020April 13, 2020 by Shonnie Scott

As I look back on the last month of social distancing and “Stay-at-home”, I realize this COVID-19 pandemic hits in waves—not only the “curve” we’re rightly obsessed with “flattening”—but powerful, unpredictable emotional waves.The first few weeks the waves were coming so fast, there was hardly time to get back on my feet. Directives changed daily. “Functional” meant I still had the ability to react to new information, follow new rules and get through each day in s... continue reading