All photos in this post are by Tiffany Sun Photography, graphic design edits by me. — *All photos in this post are by* *Tiffany Sun Photography,* *graphic design edits by me.*

A monthly recap of what’s up in my life. Considering Covid-19 I feel it’s more important then ever to share what’s really going on in all of our lives. Separately, we’re all in this together. Would love to hear your highs & lows in the comments.

The Lows

We’re starting with LOWS this month for obvious reasons. Logan and I are doing as well as we can be considering the major shift around the Pandemic. He’s newly working from home. I’ve been working from home since 2015, so all those years of being a shut-in creative hermit are … paying off?

Anyway I always thought of blogging as an unstable career since my bread and butter are sponsorships and freelance photography. I’ve been bracing for impact regarding loss of clients. Bomb hit, shell never exploded. I haven’t lost any blog-related work (surprised and saying prayers of thanks everyday). However Logan and I have lost significant income from our side-jobs (canceled yoga classes, cancellation of all air b n b bookings through early June, farmers market closed).

Health-wise things are OK, but there are daily challenges. I can no longer attend all of the therapeutic services I do weekly to maintain neutral with my TMJ and chronic neck pain. I’m reminded that daily stretching, strength-work and self-massage are not optional. There are good days and “bad” days — emotionally and physically (and psychically). I find myself repressing my feelings of empath-overwhelm. Constantly busying myself to manage anxiety.

With nothing to break up the “on” and “off” days I catch myself working through the weekends, filling my time with projects. What helps most is exercise, being in nature, guided meditations, finding things to laugh at, spending time with Logan doing “nothing.” Aka resting. An occasional cry is good medicine. And limiting my news intake to 15 mins a day is essential.

The Highs

Feeling resilient. Making things seems to release some pressure off the steam valve of my anxiety. Learning things too. I’m seeing a lot of silver linings to this difficult moment — this is a common experience for Highly Sensitives like myself, seeing the beauty in the dark.

Highs are very high and lows are very low. Small moments of joy and light and kindness become precious, elevated. I’ve accepted that I’m already doing the best I can — I can’t control the outcome of this situation. So I’ll make lemonade from lemons. Learn, progress, rest, do some inner work, garden, let this peculiar time inspire some art. Pain is great fodder for art.

Before this started I decided I’d challenge myself to post one new video a week on youtube for 8 weeks — at which point I reward myself. Rinse, repeat. So far so good.

The gym where I teach my yoga classes has closed — so I’ve pivoted my yoga classes to free Youtube classes and live-stream, pay-what-you-can classes (see my events page for schedule). These online offerings have been a major bright spot for me.

I started planting a fabulous Victory Garden: vegetables, herbs, flowers, more permaculture plants. A blackberry thicket is high on my list. So far just the early greens and radishes have gone in. Virginia is seeing its earliest and longest spring in years. The cherry trees and tulip magnolias are lustrous, pink, fluffy, soul-soothing.

Relationship-wise: Logan and I are enjoying the extra time together, writing new songs on our loop pedal most days, making jokes, making out, getting weird, going on walks, laying around the yard. We’re generally trying to stay both goal-oriented and sane through it all.

He’s enjoying all of the treats I’m stress baking. I’m enjoying his weird manic comedy that keeps me from going full emo-fairy. We have this song we like to sing really loudly in the woods together, set to the tune of “El Condor Pasa (I’d Rather Be)” by Simon and Garfunkel… “I’d rather be MANIC than be DEPRESSED… Yes I would! YES I WOULD! I surely would.”

What I’m Watching

I binged Love is Blind, Fleabag and Electric Dreams. Together Logan and I watched a series of Christopher Nolan movies (Momento, The Batman Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception). Brooklyn 99 and Schitts Creek are my happy-go-lucky mainstays. On insta I check Good News Movement (@goodnews_movement) account daily just for some happy cries.

What I Bought

I invested in a class on video journaling called “Handmade Film Making” with Xanthe Berkeley. I loved it so I just bought her next course called Make Films which is more in depth. I also invested in a few sets of yoga wear from Girlfriend in Agave and Trail — “paloma” bras, bike shorts and compressive high rise leggings in 19.5” inseam which makes them slightly cropped, my favorite length as a 5’3” gal. LOVING everything.

Favorites of the Month

Reading… Man in the High Castle and the latest issue of The Sun magazine, the only mag I subscribe to.

Eating… a million variations on this White Bean Stew, this 7 Spice Chickpea Stew and this Tuna Nicoise Salad (sometimes with chicken, sometimes with tofu). Also: almond cookies and lilac scones.

Listening… The new Vulfpeck single. My Make it Happier playlist on spotify. This episode of Expanded on Navigating Finances in Difficult Times with Ramit Sethi. And still doing the To Be Magnetic program with its meditations every other day.

Essential buy… Goddess Dreams Massage Oil from Mountain Rose Herbs. Subscriptions to Pvolve and Barre3 — both have two week free trials. Old Bay Potato Chips. Balance.

Luxury buy… Maslo Jewelry Square Pearl Necklace, Chain Necklace and Square Pearl Hoop Earrings