Thriving in Our New Normal

True confession: I love being the center of a lot of activity, and I realized this week I am feeling overwhelmingly lonely. I very much enjoy my everyday life, and I especially love the action that is nocrumbsleft: the bustling kitchen, which is both the heart of my home as well as my workplace. On a daily basis, there’s someone heading to the grocery store and bringing home beautiful produce. While I create posts and stories, the produce is being washed, groceries are being unpacked, and the team is working away. My typical day has a lot of activity and communication and the sharing of space, stories, and food. Like many others, Zach, Molly, and I now work together virtually, each sheltered in place. With the normal markers of my life absent, I’m left feeling unbalanced, disconnected, and sad.  

Frankly, I can’t remember a more challenging time. I feel adrift from my normal life and have moved into a new life that seems to have more than its share of challenges. All of my routines have changed, and I suspect yours have too. We’re all living a new life of togetherness with those we sheltering with, yet experiencing such separation from what our lives used to look like. We are lucky to have Zoom and FaceTime, and I regularly do calls with my kids as well as my friends, but nothing substitutes for human interaction.

We wanted to offer some Friday Favorites inspiration in this issue with the hope that you’ll not just survive, but thrive, so we’ve included the always inspiring Maria Shriver, some thoughts about dreaming big, and a free community yoga class on Sunday. This week I was introduced to the delightful idea of hygee (pronounced HOO-gah), the Danish concept of comfort and creating a feeling of “being safe and shielded from the world and allowed to let our guard down.” And with kids home, many followers are concerned about their schooling, so we asked educator extraordinaire Theresa Collins to share her perspective too. I hope you’ll find some inspiring ideas here—we are offering a no-charge nocrumbsleft community yoga class Sunday at 2pm CT. See more details on classes below. Thanks for being a part of this community, and thanks for bringing me joy.

Teri Turner, founder, nocrumbsleft™
Author:  No Crumbs Left, Recipes for Everyday Food Made Marvelous
Podcaster: nocrumbsleft Table Talks
Pottery Shop:  nocrumbsleft.store

Hygge has been called everything from “the art of creating intimacy” and “coziness of the soul” to “taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things” to my personal favourite, “cocoa by candlelight.” It’s the perfect night in. I attribute Denmark’s status as “the world’s happiest country” to hygge (pronounced HOO-gah) and to the way they’ve uncoupled wealth and well-being.  Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, not about things. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allowed to let our guard down. The true essence of hygge is the pursuit of everyday happiness, and it’s basically like a hug, just without the physical touch. It’s about appreciating the simple pleasures in life, and it can be achieved on a shoestring budget. Let a good stew simmer for hours while you read a good book and enjoy a nice cup of tea. Keep it old school—board games over computer games, candles over electric lights. And food that feels like a hug.

Meik Wiking
CEO, The Happiness Research Institute
Author The Little Book of Hygge

There is so much imbalance in “schooling” right now that it feels hard to know what good learning should look like. In my virtual space, I check in with each group of students to help us stay connected. Given the inequities between schools with a lot of resources and schools with fewer resources, here are a few things that feel most important, and that anyone can do to keep learning:

• Connect with each other: share what makes you happy, calm, scared, or confident. 
• Connect with words: written on paper is best. 
• Connect with the world: if you can, go outside.
• Stay curious. This is the most important, because staying curious means staying connected to ideas and each other and our world, and that is what makes us thrive. 

Theresa Collins
President of the Board, Progressive Education Network
@progressiveednetwork

It doesn’t matter how far-fetched it seems to be or how shut down the world is. What matters is your commitment to visioning a new life for yourself and the planet during this “time between the worlds.” Take slow, deep breaths that fill your entire body, and allow creative ideas to emerge. If you could have anything you want, what would your future look like? Suspend old belief systems about what can and can’t happen and DREAM BIG.
 
Amrita Grace
Award-winning, best-selling author
SacredFeminineSchool.com

Whether you feel lethargic and need to re-energize, or pent up and want to let go, breathing is the ultimate tool. It’s your ally and best friend and biggest advocate. A mere exhale can change your state of mind, and conscious breathing will change your life! But it’s strangely easy to forget, especially when we’re afraid or tense. That’s why breathing is considered a practice. Conscious breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, calming the mind. Fast, intense breathing oxygenates the brain. Synchronizing the movements of your body with your breath, and focusing on them with your mind, reunites body, mind, and spirit.

Rachel is offering a breath-focused beginners yoga class FREE to the nocrumbsleft community this Sunday 11am CT on Zoom! zoom.us/j/809542511
 
Rachel Fiske 
www.ugoddessyoga.com

Most of us struggle with self-care. How to do "all the things" and what that looked like on a daily micro level used to overwhelm me. Routine is vital. When it comes to consistency with self-care, remember: micro-habits matter, writing it down increases application, and progress, not perfection. Self Care Society offers group support.

Upcoming Classes Schedule:
myselfcaresociety.com/schedule
Promo Code: CRUMBFREE - Good for 1 free class for members of the nocrumbsleft community.

Danika Brysha
@danikabrysha

Resilience—our essential ability to reshape and adapt—is linked to our immunity. The human body excels at adapting! When we tune into our innate presence, we realign our sensitivity and help build the individual and collective resilience that we need right now.  Qigong, meditation, and internal practices strengthen and support the whole Being. There's no charge for those unable to afford classes. For others, there's a $1–$15 sliding scale.  
  
Nikesha Breeze
www.sacredbodyundivided.com

This is a great time to make a stir fry! Use one of my favorites, Whole30 Spicy Citrus Chicken Stir Fry.

This week we are giving away Meik Wiking's book, The Little Book of Hygge. Click below to enter. 

We're considering how we as a small business can support you. This weekend we are offering free shipping on all products in the shop, except Everything Bowls, Bigger Bowls, and Nesting Bowls. Finally, we also have some colors in Fred Bowls, Patty Bowls and Mugs! We've stocked up on Bone Broth Mugs too, and you can find them in the shop. If you want to treat yourself to something you’ve been wanting, we want to treat you with free shipping all weekend long! Click here to view the shop.

This week we're revisiting a favorite, an amusing Table Talks conversation with my daughter, Lucy, aka @nocrumbslefts_kid, to talk about growing up, leaving home, a mother's magic, the childhood memories that connect us to our family, people we love, and life lessons. Please listen in, enjoy, and share with your friends.
 

Listen on: