Author: jane staw

One Name

One Name

One of Stephen’s and my favorite walks near Mendocino takes us from near Highway 1 to the cliffs above the ocean. We love meandering along the paths, taking in the sweeping views and looking closely at whatever is growing along the way. As we wander, …

Happiness Booster

Happiness Booster

Several months ago, while I was away for the weekend, Stephen surprised me with a Little Free Library mounted in front of our house. I was thrilled. I’m a writer and reader, and it had seemed to me for a while, that a Little Free …

One Tiny Note

One Tiny Note

One morning last week, I found a tiny, turquoise square post-it note fluttering in the breeze on my driver’s side car window: “Be careful. I saw a baby bird under your car.” Oh my, I thought, staring down at the post-it, I hope the bird …

At Last A Smile

At Last A Smile

The news from the CDC has been very positive lately, and we’ve begun to experience the benefits. Though we haven’t yet dined indoors in a restaurant, I’ve had several social lunches outside and Stephen and I have twice had outdoor dinner dates with friends. And …

A Happy Ending

A Happy Ending

I’d been struggling with a sick computer for several weeks. It started with a techno-nervous-breakdown, random files suddenly flashing across the screen. I knew enough to unplug everything and immediately take my Mac to the Mac doctor, where it remained for four days. When I …

A Reminder of the Importance of Small

A Reminder of the Importance of Small

I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of small lately. Over the most intense year of the pandemic, when for days at a time, except for long walks, Stephen and I stayed at home, it became abundantly clear how noticing small moments of beauty …

Practicing Small

Practicing Small

I have a confession: this is the first time since the beginning of Covid 19 that I haven’t been able to isolate a moment of joy within all the uncertainty and anxiety. Not because I haven’t experienced anything positive. Quite the opposite. Life has opened …

A New First

A New First

Stephen and I have been doubly vaccinated for a while, and last weekend we had our first indoor dinner with friends—at our house! I’ve never been a dinner-party person. Not that I don’t enjoy good food and company. But I’m a perfectionist, prone to worry …

Attention to Small

Attention to Small

When Stephen and I attended a mindfulness workshop this weekend, we were given a “bio” break after an hour and a half, and told to return to our screens with a bit of fruit. I had just bought a sac of organic Sweeties—those intensely sweet …

Not a Small Surprise

Not a Small Surprise

Stephen and I found our way to the “right” Briones Park this weekend, which was just as I remembered it—minus all the mountain bikers. Far west of where we landed last week, this section of the park offers meandering trails and multiple topographies, from gentle, …