Let’s be honest, enduring the past 10 months of COVID and all the fear and restrictions it has added to our lives has been a challenge. Lately, as it has gotten colder in the northeast, it has become even more difficult to see people outside our “bubbles.” The holidays were tricky, having to make countless decisions regarding if and how to include family members who don’t live in our homes. Testing has been logistically exhausting and waiting for results has been stressful. The political chaos that has been going on since before the election, and has reached historical levels in the past days, has been horrific. We are all stretched pretty thin.

When I work in the studio, my hands are often busy cutting and grinding glass, foiling, soldering, puttying, painting, cleaning, etc. Because of this, I love listening to podcast and audiobooks. Recently I started The Book of Joy by 14th Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams and it is the antidote I needed to all the fear, loneliness, anxiety, and stress of the past 10 months. I have been inspired by the wisdom and moral clarity of both men and my heart has been warmed by their joyful spirits. I haven’t yet finished it but can’t wait to get to the practical advice that is shared at the end. I borrowed the audio version of The Book of Joy from our local library but am so inspired by it that I’m planning to buy a paper copy so I can refer back to it in the future.

I would love to hear what has given you hope and encouragement recently— any particular books, movies, podcasts, music, or art? If you want to leave a comment, I would be grateful to know! If you choose to read or listen to The Book of Joy, please let me know what you think of it.