New skills

Besides practicing out of Annie Finch's book, I've learned how to do some new stuff due to working from home.

Little stuff: how to run a meeting using Google hangout. Rearranging my Google apps tab, so that all the stupid stuff I never use and hate to be reminded exists falls to the bottom. Other config tweaks that just make my life and work that little bit easier. Nothing I couldn't have figured out at work-- but the extra constraints of working at home have forced me to focus on optimizing the things I can tweak.

Distraction, consolation: these are essential features of resilience. But so are concentration and realism. The trick is to maintain the balance, to be aware and engaged with the crisis, yet not be overwhelmed. Also, it's a dynamic balance: we can't, and should not try, to be unmoved by events, but we need to stay within what they call "productive disequilibrium." Where the emotional tension moves us toward action, rather than paralysis.

I don't mean to make it sound so easy.

This is one of the reasons I'm determined to go on with Wider Window. As people are more shut in, it becomes ever more important to allow our thoughts and imagination to range freely. Such is my service.

Available! High-Voltage Lines, Knocking from Inside