🐾❤️ Fall in love whenever you can 🐶🐱
Spring is nearly here! Theme announcement is icumen in.
Paper Crane Feelings #8
Dear Friend,
I skipped the mid-February newsletter because I was feeling extremely overwhelmed, and now… I am still feeling overwhelmed. I don’t think that is going away any time soon, so! I’ll keep going the best I’m able while trying to feel the feelings and rest when possible. I hope you are also finding your way through it all the best that you can and getting some rest.
The title of this edition of the newsletter is from the final part of the Practical Magic movie quote I’ve been highlighting:
...There are some things I know for certain: always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.
In honor of falling in love whenever you can, I wanted to share what I’ve learned about love over the last 16 years.
I say 16 years specifically because that is about when I became a dog person/owner/parent. Taking care of our dogs, Oski and Pippi, taught me more about love than I could have previously imagined. I truly believe that experience has shaped me more than anything else in my life.
We were devastated when Pippi passed away suddenly in 2020 and Oski in 2021. Then, about seven months later, I found Luna through a small rescue organization’s post on social media about a dog that had been in the shelter too long and was going to be euthanized. I’m sure I’ve scrolled past many similar posts, but for some reason my heart just couldn’t bear this one. (I’ve shared more about this story in my journal post “Further Reasons My Anxious Rescue Dog is Edward Cullen.”)
We weren’t sure what it would be like bringing a new dog into our home after over a decade of living with Oski and Pippi, and it was certainly complicated. At first, I kept expecting her to behave and react like they would. I learned quickly that she very much had her own mind and personality.
Though we were still grieving, we also immediately fell madly in love with her; that’s how I learned that love is infinite, like a well that never runs dry. Love didn’t heal our grief, but I believe opening our hearts to Luna helped us to keep going through it.
I had some of these thoughts in mind when I decided to interpret “fall in love whenever you can” as a person embracing their beloved dog.
Current Projects
Winter 2024-25 digital card.
In 2011, I started creating winter holiday cards for friends and family and regularly sent out over 100 of them. I wanted to still have something to send folks who used to receive them, so I spent a few days trying to put a digital version of the card together from scratch. I hope to improve the quality of these in the future, and I’m currently planning to only do this for the Winter cards. If you haven’t already viewed it, you can check it out (unlisted on YouTube) here.
Practical Magic movie trailer.
I’m continuing to work on the Practical Magic video I’ve been dreaming up, and I’m committing to finishing it, even if it takes a year (but I hope it doesn’t take that long)! Here’s a little sample of the direction it’s going via Canva. I think it’s turning out pretty cute.
Snail Mail Club updates.
WINTER CARDS. Hopefully all SMC members have received their cards in the mail! If you haven’t, please hit ‘reply’ and let me know.
I’ve been working on updating the information page for the Winter card on my website. So far, I’ve only added some images and shared some information about the poem I selected, but I will be filling in the rest soon.
SPRING CARDS. Announcing the next theme!! SMC member Karen requested a theme a while ago and I’m hoping to do that for Spring 2025. I will be attempting to recreate… The Wicker Man! This film from 1973 is actually my favorite of all time. I also would like to try drawing cat characters instead of dogs, so this could be quite a challenge, and I hope I can pull it off. Luckily, much of the movie centers around May Day, so that gives me some time to work on it. (Also, a reminder that SMC members can request themes for the cards!)
WHAT IS SNAIL MAIL CLUB? SMC members receive unique handmade cards four times per year that are inspired by the seasons. Additional items are included in every release such as stickers, bookmarks, and other surprises. If you aren’t already a member, you can sign up through Ko-fi HERE! Thank you, SMC members!
New journal entries.
I’ve got a few things I’m working on, but I haven’t managed to get my thoughts together enough to complete anything recently. You can browse past journal entries on the website.
Luna.
We decided to try slightly increasing Luna’s anti-anxiety meds recently and have seen good results. These are things that might seem imperceptible to some, but, knowing how sensitive and easily triggered she is, even the smallest improvement is exciting.
Recent Inspirations.
Watching.
Ruslan and Ludmila (1972). Ruslan and Ludmila is a Soviet Union-era film directed by Aleksandr Ptushko and based on the poem by Alexander Pushkin. The sets and special effects are so imaginative. (Ptushko has been compared to Ray Harryhausen, Mario Bava, and even Walt Disney.) I thought it was a beautiful movie, and it was so fun to watch that I was constantly squealing with delight.
Reading.
How to Talk About Wine Like a Japanese Tea Master by Leanne Ogasawara. I loved this piece about wine, tea ceremony, and slowing down to be more present from Dreaming in Japanese on Substack.
Other.
Loving-Kindness Meditation. I’ve mentioned that I recently got back into meditating, and this seems like an appropriate time to share my favorite method. I find it especially helpful during times of high stress or anxiety when it’s too challenging to completely clear my mind. Repeating the loving-kindness statements gives me something to focus on while still giving me a break from unhelpful thoughts.
The practice I am familiar with simply involves repeating loving-kindness statements, first directed at yourself, then towards others, and finally to the whole world or all beings. I do my best to picture in my mind the person or being to whom I’m directing the statements. I like that the statements can easily be personalized with what works best for each individual.
I know that this method, or even meditation in general, may not be for everyone, but if you’ve struggled with the just-clear-your-mind type of meditating or if the idea of using meditation time to offer blessings is appealing, then you may enjoy this.
Here’s a video via YouTube of Sharon Salzberg going through the basic steps.
And some additional information on loving-kindness meditation via PsychCentral.
In conclusion.
Since I skipped the last newsletter, this one had quite a bit of information, so thank you for reading this far. And thank you to everyone who has replied back to any of the newsletters! That always makes my day.
To wrap up these writings on love, I think there will always be people, animals, communities, and causes that could benefit from our love and attention. May each of us open our hearts to those which speak to us… and allow ourselves to fall in love over and over again.
💖 Becky H
💚 Dear Chizuko
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