We have a longstanding February practice here at Modern Mrs Darcy. Winter isn’t an easy season for many of us, and so to beat back the gloom, we’ve habitually gathered at its midpoint to share the things—big or small—that are saving us right now.
Real talk: right now, I need to notice and welcome in the lifesavers. This is a season of hard personal anniversaries for me, and the state of the world feels crushing. Noticing the good, the lovely, the peaceful, the joyful—it helps us carry the hard and the heavy. This is our time to see and name those good and needed things. This practice hits differently every year, but every year, I see how much I need it.
Every year I feel challenged to mix things up; every year I realize how much has stayed the same. I’ve written about countless practical and not-so-practical things. Over and over again I’ve cited sunshine and walks and books and sleep as dreary season essentials. I’ve told you about about jigsaw puzzles and Friday coffee and taking the long view. I’ve written about Rick Steves and travel guidance and managing medical crises. To my great surprise, one year I even waxed poetic about laundry.
When I was quite sick in 2023, I wrote about the lifesaving goodness of sitting on the couch. Last year I wrote about flexibility; in 2024, days after my mom’s funeral, I reinterpreted the prompt and shared a lengthy list of the things helping me keep my head above water.
(One notable exception to the evergreen nature of it all: 2016’s post about the small sips that are saving my life. I still love this essay, but I haven’t sipped since the earliest days of 2020.)
This year, continuing the theme of highly specific yet couldn’t this be true in any and every year, I’d like to express my gratitude for and reliance on warm, inviting, cozy, homey spaces, and for my comfy and hospitable spaces, in particular.
The good stuff lies in the details, though, so let’s talk about those details.
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This story begins, as many stories around here do, with a book.
In early 2023 I picked up Helen Ellis’s essay collection Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge: Intimate Confessions from a Happy Marriage for consideration in the Summer Reading Guide. I read it, I loved it, I included it. Here’s a screenshot of the blurb from the 2023 SRG:
The “coral lounge” of the title is Helen’s New York City living room, so called because its walls are painted “a delirious shade of coral that borders on Starburst candy orange.” I was captured by the detail that a passerby down on Lexington Avenue, viewing the apartment from the street, once left a post-it note with the doorman asking for the name of the paint color. Helen was happy to oblige, and you better believe I jotted it in my design files, but not before going on a Pinterest deep dive.
I love coral. Coral is my color, if you know what I mean; it has been going back to grade school. Happy, warm, and vibrant, I’ve always felt at home in it and around it. It’s not like the idea hadn’t previously crossed my mind, but after reading that book I was captivated by the idea of coral walls and started dreaming about which ones I might transform. Never mind that at this point, I’d been happily living in a house with all-white walls in our family spaces for seven years. (With one notable exception.)
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The process details could fill a post of their own, but here’s the short version: it turns out Helen’s coral didn’t feel right for me and my space. But we (painstakingly) chose a color, then finally, with fear and trembling, painted an accent wall. We loved it immediately: the space instantly exuded warmth and a sense of home that wasn’t there before.
I started thinking: what else can I paint coral?
I didn’t paint anything else, not then—but some months later I realized that, without any conscious decision on my part, that coral wall had become its own organizing principle, a filter through which I’d begun to make decisions about all kinds of things in my home. It felt good.
A year later—quite recently, as we were heading into the darkest, coldest days of winter—we finally painted another wall, carrying the warm shade into the adjacent living room, and holy bookshelves, if I’d thought the first wash of coral made a difference in our home it was nothing like the second. The ninety or so minutes it took to paint that wall completely changed the feel of the room.
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Okay, so I painted some walls. Just two! Not even a whole room’s worth. How is this saving my life?
I’m so glad you asked.
First off, year-round and even more so in these dark days of winter, I’m constantly grateful for any spaces that feel warm, inviting, and cozy. Where people feel snug and safe and like they belong. And if those spaces happens to be ones in which I spend a significant portion of my waking hours? So much the better.
Our coral walls put out a warm glow that say “welcome home” from the jump. Even before you walk in the door, actually, because you can glimpse one of these walls from the street! ((Though no one has yet left a post it asking about the color.)
I liked the spaces before, but now it’s as if the rooms themselves invite you to make yourself feel at home. I also love that the perhaps unconventional color choice makes the space feel like our home. As I wrote last month, “quirk and funk” really worked for me in 2025, and our chosen coral and the dominoing choices we’ve made and are making because of it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they really feel like us.
A space where I feel welcomed in, and where—I dearly hope—all who visit us do as well, where I feel happy (or at least happier) and safe (or at least safer)? It’s saving me.
More about those dominoing choices: the strong color now serves as a solid starting point for so many decisions I’m making at home. Not everything goes with coral, and that limitation is incredibly freeing. (I could talk about Don’t Overthink It principles for ten thousand words right here: all about decision fatigue, and deciding once, and letting the metaphorical sun shine in. Also, if you’ve been around here forever, perhaps you remember how one of the three final cover options had paint swatches on it? That sure feels relevant here!)
And last on my list, but not last in my mind: the coral spurred a fun little ongoing project. Not in the ugh this project will never end sense, but in the continuing enjoyment sense, more akin to the ongoing coffee adventures that worked and continue to work for me. (As my husband Will said, when I was talking about this idea with him, “what is a hobby if not a project that never ends?”)
Now this basic starting point has become an organizing principle that lets me scout for art, textiles, candles. (I don’t know about you, but I have more fun thrifting when I have a mission in mind.) It helps me decide which classroom art from my kid’s third grade year to frame. When I can’t decide which flowers to buy at Trader Joe’s, I think of the coral. I’m currently gathering objects for a little family art collection on a nearby wall, and this one already-made decision is helping me narrow down endless options to a manageable few.
And because it seems that color makes me happy, I’m dreaming of what I might paint next ….
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The original prompt for this longstanding tradition comes from Barbara Brown Taylor’s lovely memoir Leaving Church. In it, Taylor tells the story of when she was invited to speak at a gathering, and her host assigned the topic: “Tell us what is saving your life right now.” I feel a little bit silly telling you about a bucket of paint when so much is hard and heavy. But when things are hard and heavy, it’s important (says Taylor) to pay attention to what’s giving us life: to notice it, to name it.
There’s a reason we do this as a community: I know I’m not the only one who would very much like to hear what’s saving your life right now—or, if that question feels like a bridge too far, what’s helping you keep your head above water. Would you tell us?
What’s saving your life right now? Tell us below, or link to your own blog or Instagram post below in the comments section.
118 comments
* calming pasttimes
* life-giving soul care
* toasty clothes I’d buy again in a flash
* a bouquet of happy, fresh flowers
* treasured old quilts
https://lindastoll.substack.com/p/whats-saving-my-wintertime-life
– Book club
– Hoopla audiobooks
– Singing in a church choir
– Weekly mahjong
—having a pile of books
—writing poetry
What’s saving my life right now? A medical leave from work and therapy. My plate became overfull in the fall, and I needed something to give. My doctor said, “That’s easy. We take work off your plate…for now.” And that literally saved my life.
love this!
Good for you and I hope all goes well🩷
-long chats with a good friend
-play dates at the park
-walks by the desert with my dog
-Saturday and Sunday hikes
-going to bed early
-yoga and a soundbath once a week
I love the paint color story! And the ripple affect. So cool!
We brought 2 llamas into our lives and now we know why the phrase “llama drama” is a thing. Two giant goofballs all about the drama. They bring us so much joy – walking, hiking and camping with them (they can go on all equestrian trails here in the PNW), brushing them out, talking with them, and just sitting with them in the pastures while I knit or spin fiber. Ringo and KC saved us!
This may sound bizarre. But for me, my job is saving my life right now. I’ve been sick all winter. And I’ve had a powerful urge to just stay in bed until spring. But I’m a hospice nurse. Some days are very hard, but they’re all rewarding. Knowing my patients need me has helped draw me out of my own funk. And some days that’s what you need. The need to crawl out from under the covers.
As ever, writing and performing things… but I’d fallen into thinking of them as scary ambitious goals and overwhelming obligations . Thanks for the reframe.
– Meal prep
– Dubai chocolate
– Slow reading the Wolf Hall trilogy
– Watching Detroit and U-M hockey and basketball teams right now
– Abiding Together podcast
I’m doing Wolf Crawl too and loving it. It’s such a wintery book, I’m wondering how it’s going to feel in the summer.
Emily and Melanie- I am also loving the Wolf Hall Slow Read. The War and Peace Slow Read was such a great experience, I had to continue with Wolf Hall this year.
Yes, to Dubai Chocolate!!
Small knitting projects are getting me through right now. A scarf for my husband, leg warmers for my daughter, baby sweaters for friends … little bits of warmth and tangible expressions of love against the cold and darkness.
I’m also leaning into long, older books this winter. I did a re-read of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives & Daughters in January, and I just ordered a nice print edition of Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Towers for February. I always have a lighter fiction story going on the e-reader app on my phone as an alternative to doom-scrolling, but I’m really loving the solidity of these longer books and their love affair with the English language during these winter months. And there is something about reading a printed book that just can’t be matched by an e-reader, though I’m certainly happy to have both options depending on what I need/want at the moment.
– mindfulness
– spiced coffee
– wintering in TX
Love this annual tradition! It’s so helpful.
https://under-the-lintel.blogspot.com/2026/02/whats-saving-my-life-2026.html
Exploring journaling through Suleika Jaouad’s The Book of Alchemy
Yoga
Art – Catherine Rains Collage workshops online and live model drawing
Vacation planning
I came here to say this! I just finished the Collage Breakthrough, and I’m now doing BB Henry’s BB Bash. I was the kid whose picture didn’t go on the classroom wall for open house, so doing this feels like thumbing my nose at the things I was taught about what I couldn’t or shouldn’t do. Small personal rebellions.
Also, peaceful guitar channels on YouTube…
Sometimes, at night, I hear an owl. It takes me away from my worries and brings a sense of peace.
love this!
Yes!! I’ve heard an owl for the past two nights now. It’s amazing what simple joy and peace it brings.
I live in Minneapolis and this question is literal. The answer is our neighbors and community. We are actively working to save each others’ lives right now. We are in contact every single day, checking on each other, making sure we have what we all need, and trying to keep everyone safe. It is hard to get my head around other things at this moment.
My heart is with you and your community.
You all are doing life-saving work. Thank you!
love this!
Ours hearts are with you from up in Canada too. It’s been a hard but beautiful thing to watch your community (need to) look out for and after each other. 💕
I’m in St. Paul and I know what you mean. Last night, for the first time in dozens of years, I went to our Precinct Caucus. It felt good to be in community with my neighbors and look to the future and hopefully more peaceful times.
We’re also doing more to keep in touch with our neighbors and I try to check in with my staff at work since many of them are facing a lot more difficulties than I am.
Feel free to message me if you ever want to chat/commiserate.
You all are an inspiration. Sending you love and strength for VA.
I think that is all you can do at this moment…there is a time for everything and now is the time to care for your community and yourselves. So many people support how you are all showing up! xx
My heart hearts for all that are affected. Prayers and hugs.
Love to you! You are all amazing!!
Another Canadian here, watching with admiration the people of Minnesota. Wishing everyone strength and peace.
Your chosen coral is beautiful. I can see why it brings you joy.
My home office is painted ‘Sunlit Coral’ (Benjamin Moore) – it’s really more of a peachy blush pink and I absolutely love it, especially at this time of year. It is also one of my favorite colors to wear, especially on gray days.
The other things saving my life right now:
– the full moon on a clear winter night
– hot tea and book in my reading chair, with sun shining on the “snowcrete” or in the evening with twinkle lights
– good pens and notebooks
– the newly discovered indoor walking track at our local rec center (plus it’s free!)
Great post! But everyone is going to want to know which exact color of coral you chose! Will you share?
My husband had an old gift card for Land’s End that he was never going to use, so he gave it to me. I bought several of the Anyweather Fleece Quarter Zip Pullovers in different colors that I like. Then I got matching pima cotton turtlenecks from LL Bean (using points I had saved up). These matching layers are so pretty and so cozy – they are my “uniform” for every winter day and I absolutely love them. I actually cleared my closet of all the ratty, pilled sweaters and sweatshirts that I didn’t love anymore and it feels great.
love this!
I love the change in format – a long essay (which I have always loved from you), that you moved the traditional intro/context to the end and plunged us right into the story. And now I realize that coral is my favourite colour too!
And – because we are all dying to know – what shade of coral did you pick?? And what shade was in the book?? And can you show us a whole wall?? (sorry for being greedy – I just love this so much!)
Please consider this my post-it note: what’s the color name??? I love your coral choice.
I’m having a hard time right now with anxiety about the country and the world. The extra-cold winter this year is not helping. Things keeping me sane are my dogs making me laugh, my reading, my knitting, and watching things on TV or streaming that make me laugh and/or feel good.
This is beautiful, Anne, thanks for sharing. This tradition has become such a special one to me and I love that you’ve kept it going all these years. My list this year is simple, specific, and genuinely keeping me afloat right now.
https://kendranicole.net/whats-saving-my-life-this-winter/
Your beautiful post saved my mood this morning, thank you. Your coral walls are gorgeous and got me thinking about a piece of my mother’s furniture that was gifted to me, sorely in need of transformation. Maybe coral or pink is the way to go.
I used to enjoy winter but my current home has a steep driveway and we’ve already had 3 winter storms with actual accumulation (for Virginia that’s unusual, I know that’s nothing for so many folks) so I am completely over it and ready for spring! But for now, these things are keeping me sane:
– Books (this is noteworthy right now because I’ve been slumping off and on for longer than I’d care to admit)
– A cozy set-up in my bedroom with LED candles and fluffy pillows
– Creative hobbies like bullet journaling (including a reading journal), crocheting, and making things with my Cricut
– Phone calls with the people I love
Wow! I love that color! I remember reading that book and wishing I had a coral room in my house! Coral is one of my favorite colors to wear!
I shared 10 big and little things saving my life right now.
The Pitt
Thymes Olive Leaf Hand Lotion
Sending Cards/Postcards
Our basement remodel into a game room
Candied Jalapeños
Tote Bag
Spindrift
Neck/Shoulder Relaxer
Puzzles
Upcoming Trip to Florida
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2026/02/whats-saving-my-life-february-2026-edition/
My faith/prayer
Focused time with my husband
Doing something to help others
Quality time with my family
Working on a puzzle
Crocheting blankets for my grands
Cuddling with my dog
Friday morning walks with my daughter-in-law. She unloads what’s going on in her life, we connect, get some brisk exercise, and I appreciate all over again how lucky I am to have her in my family.
Early mornings in my building’s basement hot tub. I do my pt exercises on the steps leading in and then sink into the bubbly hot water and feel happy in the moment.
Tracking my wardrobe choices. I keep a list in my bullet journal of wardrobe hits and misses. When I need inspiration (I’m trying to use more of my clothes), I look back at prior hits.
Taking a watercolor class with my sister. I’m embracing failure, making me more willing to take risks. It may not look pretty, but I’m trying.
love this!
In the spirit of taking care of myself spiritually, physically and mentally:
Early morning meditation
Strength training guided by my trainer at the gym, as well as regular massages
Challenging myself to write daily
My Tuesday social knitting group. I’ve made it a priority to attend (I always seem to have appointments or some errand to do on Tuesday) and have decided that I will no longer schedule anything on a Tuesday. It’s a small group, but it’s so good to connect with people and I’ve realized it’s crucial for my well-being.
Also…MMD Book Club. That one goes without saying! Best little corner of the internet.
And as always, the daily walks with my dogs….especially when we can dip into the forest for a bit.
I always enjoy these. You didn’t mention this but I am wondering whether the very visible reminder that you can step outside your comfort zone and that can be a good thing is one of the reasons your coral walls are saving your life?
The world is heavy right now. What is helping me get through it this winter?
* my snowshoes, which are allowing me to continue taking walks in my snow-covered landscape
* Soups on my stove almost every day, which are helping to keep my home warm and humidified in addition to being nourishing and delicious
* Smokey (lapsang-souchang based) and toasty (such as hojicha) teas, which seem to be hitting all my cravings just right
* Wool socks and long underwear are a constant marvel
* My home yoga and mat pilates practices (using my beloved Down Dog app)
My books
Scrapbooking our story and life moments
Making pretty cards
Spending time away from news and political drama
Ditto all four for me!!
We got a Peloton in November, and it’s really been saving my life these past few months. I used to be a runner, but stopped making time for it years ago, so I went from almost never working out to getting in several good workouts a week. I’m sleeping better. My energy is better. I’ve always been intimidated by gyms and classes, and the main intention for the purchase was for cardio, but the easy and private access to short stretching and strength workouts has really expanded my horizons too. It was a splurge for us, but worth every cent to me.
Other things that are really helping my life right now:
– A slow read poetry project: My husband and son heard about a book of poetry, EUNOIA by Christian Bök, on a YouTube video and got it for me for my birthday. I’m reading just 2-5 short poems a day, and really loving it. It’s nothing like the kind of poetry I’m normally into; Bök restricts himself to a single vowel for each section, and it’s very challenging to me, because his restrictions mean he uses a lot of vocabulary I’m not familiar with. I have to read most poems twice, and the second time I usually look up a few words. But I can feel it helping to (re)build my focus and concentration.
– Middle grade read-alouds: My 9yo and I have been doing read-alouds every other night for the last couple of years, and I cherish the time the time with him. It’s become a really special bonding activity for us, and I love seeing him develop into a reader with his own taste.
– Consignment shopping: I think I could count on my fingers the number of band-new pieces of clothing I’ve purchased in the last few years, but I’ve bought a lot of new-to-me treasures from a really well curated consignment shop in Old Town Alexandria, near where I live. It’s such a thrill to find something that’s well made, fits perfectly, and feels like a real treat, without feeling guilty about the price.
P.S. I meant to say, I love the coral! We painted a half bathroom SW’s “Mellow Coral” maybe 5 years ago, and hung our most fun/light-hearted art, gallery style — floor to ceiling in there. It makes me so happy! And guests seem to enjoy it too.
Do you know the book The Reading Promise? It might really inspire you in regards to reading to your son.
I actually had an experience almost opposite to painting walls coral. Last spring, after replacing the flooring on the main level of my home, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce more color to my furnishings. I bought a beautiful rug, rolled it out…and had to admit to myself that I missed the peace and calm that my previous neutral rug had brought to the space. I returned the colorful rug and found a larger neutral one with a bit of texture (so that it’s not boring). It was definitely the right decision.
What I had hoped would be a January of leaning into the coziness of winter has instead turned out to be a string of interruptions – from emergency furnace repairs, to a cosmetic home project that’s taking longer than expected, to a family member who will likely become a temporary roommate. I really, really miss feeling like my home is a refuge of peace and calm. What’s been saving my life, surprisingly, has been the routine of my job, as well as my sweet cats and a more-than-healthy dose of Netflix!
It always seems like the little things are saving my life. I wrote about it https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2026/02/what-is-saving-me.html
As I mentioned above in response to Laura, I’m in St. Paul, Minnesota. We’re hoping for more peaceful times soon. The disruption caused by the current situation is traumatizing for all, whether directly involve or not.
What’s saving my life?
Attendance at local theater and dance performances
Pro Women’s Hockey (go Frost). Several members of our Minnesota team are in Italy competing in the Olympics.
My church community
Time relaxing with my cats
Reading
Music
I always love this post and reading all the responses. Here is my list:
– wax melts, they don’t last as long as candles and I can put out a new scent more frequently and they take up less space
– a heated blanket for the bed, this is the best thing we spent money on last year and I should have done it decades ago as getting into a toasty bed is a life changer
– my book groups, I look forward to those treasured times of joy , book chat, and companionship
– herbal teas, I love having a selection to choose from and my current favourite is a mixture of green tea and cherry
– phone calls with my oldest friends, they ground me.
I loved this! Thank you for sharing. I have a paint related experience to share. When I was a teen my mom painted our whole bathroom school bus yellow. It was quite the rude awakening when you first wake up in the morning. Well, many years later (after my mom had passed) I decided I would paint one wall in my bathroom a bright yellow. Every time I step out of the shower I look at that one yellow wall and it makes me think about my mom and smile. My mom was definitely a bright, cheery yellow.
This is the best! Made me tear up!
– Naps to disconnect after work
– watching my favorite comfort shows (New Girl, Brooklyn99, Gilmore Girls, Big Bang Theory). It’s so comforting to see people accepting and caring for each other.
– seeing my two cats cuddled together on the couch with us
– Doing One Little Word project by Ali Edwards
– my Ember mug I received as a present as I drink my AM coffee (I drink super slow!)
– a good cry sometimes
– I live in MN and am so proud to see people standing up for respect for human life in the truest sense of the word
– MUSIC!!
Thank you for this, Anne! I love the reminder to stop and look at the good, and that paint color is wonderful and cozy. Sending you love and light in the dreary season!
To be honest, Heated Rivalry. We need more stories about queer joy!
THIS! This show has given me so much dopamine and serotonin and love.
Harney & Sons Tea
$10 spring bunch flowers at Whole Foods
Cardinal birds in the snow
Sitting in my recliner in front of the fire in the late afternoon knitting an Emotional Support Chicken for my daughter with an occasional glass of port at my side.
*thumbs up
What’s getting me through right now:
belonging to a morning meditation group
focusing on building in-person community with friends, new and old
getting back into knitting
using the Brick to block phone apps at night so I can’t doom scroll the night away
the Hatch – I love it! using the Brick and the Hatch have really improved my sleep.
going analog – journaling, drawing, reading and holding an actual book and not my ipad (when did books get so heavy lol) and less technology time
and finally, my word of the year is Nourish so I’m focusing on doing things that nourish my soul and letting go of the things that don’t. It’s been eye-opening to say the least.
-Making soup
-Learning to bake bread from my late father’s recipes
-Dinners out with girlfriends
-The permission to call it an early night, every night
-My sister
-The game Q-Less (solo dice word game)
*cross stitch
*ambient environment videos
*playing piano daily
*reading summer days at the beach
– Short walks to glimpse the sun as it goes down (way too early!) as a many days as I can.
– Paint by Number….who knew !?!?!
Oh, I so love this…it feels like we’re sharing a lovely conversation together. So, what’s saving my life right now??
* My heating pad on my lower back due to twisting way to the left and bending downward to hit a pickleball-ball that I had no business trying to hit.;) And, no, it didn’t make it over the net. Sigh.
* The two owls chatting early last night as the big moon was rising and wondering why my nine-year old chocolate lab, named Molly, is always brought to attention (possibly concern/worry) when she hears owls hooting.
* My sweet husband who brings me coffee every morning. Every morning!
I am going to share your wonderful story about coral with my daughter, who lives in a home with all white walls and is considering a shade of blush for part of the first floor space. Frequent calls and visits with her and her family, including two grandchildren, are a joy for us. I have a bedroom painted in Tradewind—a blue shade from Sherwin Williams—and I find it soothing and lovely. I often think of the brave people of Minnesota and have sent a donation to one of the many good organizations there, and that makes me feel I am doing a little to support them.
A slow read (one chapter a night) of War and Peace
Cuddles with my dog
The App Line which allows for free communication with my son in Japan
My new espresso machine which allows me the fancy coffees at home.
Hubby working days after 19 yes of nights
Love this, Anne! Pops of color are definitely a lifesaver. Here’s my list for this winter: https://katieleigh.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/saving-my-life-midwinter-2026-edition/
I watched the HBO documentary on Billy Joel on a long flight last month and just made a Billy Joel playlist and listening to it a LOT and it’s awesome. It’s so nostalgic.
Learned mah jong from my mom and we have been playing it regularly.
Enjoying the snow! Yes, it’s cold but there is something so refreshing about chilly air on your face. Dress warmly and it’s not that bad!
Mornings with my grandson
Pickleball
Strength training
Reading 26 mins per day
Cooking a delicious monthly lunch for youth group leaders
Making Sunday lunch for my family
Decluttering
This is such a good practice. The comments are solid gold and so lovely to read.
Here’s mine, written up between helping my kids with homeschool and making another cup of coffee.
https://open.substack.com/pub/breannemosher/p/whats-saving-my-life-february-2026?r=377te&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
My faith and my church
Meal prepping with my sister
The friends I’ve made at Bible study
Trying new recipes
Audiobooks
Cuddling with my dog
Trips to Hobby Lobby and Barnes & Noble
Warm drinks – coffee/tea/apple cider
New slippers
-setting a daily intention each morning, this generally involves meditation.
-our new duvet and cover which I just love. My husband and I are both sleeping more cozily this winter.
-exercising twice a day.
-books, as always.
-quilting. I find creativity to be an almost instant mood booster.
-the people who love and support me.
Thanks for sharing, Anne. I’m more of a teal person than a coral person, but coral is a great accent color with teal. 😊
*Tai Chi
*Sunshine
*Birds
*Watson (my cat)
*Mahjong Groups
*Bookclub Group
*Louise Penny
*Walk for Peace Monks
*Happy Family
*
I cannot get the link to work but on the Substack app, Kate Bowler today has a wonderful article that fits right in with this discussion, “Living with the Ache: Making Dinner While the World Burns”. It is people, writing articles like this, musings that speak directly to the times we are living and to the ways to stay sane within them, that are speaking to me and saving my life right now (I’m also a huge fan of Barbara Brown Taylor who also has an online presence and sends out occasional posts in this same vein.)
-walking around the big loop of my neighborhood
-a run of solid 5-star books (White Rabbit by G.Randall, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Real Americans by Rachel Khong,)
– Amazon Basic Barel Jeans black
-wearing square scarfs around my neck
– making lots of food one day and freezing it for the month.
-planning for Disney
-Rewatching Starwars Saga
– and ALWAYS my neck and shoulder heating electric heating pad
Making soup is saving my life right now! I love making it, eating it and giving it away so people I love can enjoy it too! Soup is love!
– Dreaming up my daughters first trip to Disney world
– Vinyl Records
– The (liturgical) church calendar
– Our local library
– Beeswax candles
Books
Music
Tea
Fresh flower bouquets
Thinking about & planning my warm weather patio decoration
Coral is my happy color. After hearing an excerpt from Anne’s book, before I bought & read the book, Don’t Overthink It, I buy a fresh bouquet of flowers every week without hesitation simply because it brightens my days.
Fun to read these comments–very insightful. This year members of our church is studying the Old Testament, and my heart has really opened to it! Understanding that this whole beautiful world we live in was created by our loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ inspires me.That overarching realization makes me love colors (mine are purple and sage green) fresh flowers, chocolate and my family!
What’s saving my life during this winter season:
Hot tea in the quiet of early morning, before I get on my yoga mat to do my (also lifesaving) stretches and range of motion exercises
Quick and easy quilting projects (mug rugs, table runners) that use up yummy scraps and give me a quick sense of accomplishment
FaceTime with my twin grandsons (8 year old boys with many things to share)
Becoming a better cook. I’ve never really cooked, and I didn’t like my efforts when I did. My youngest has gently encouraged me to learn from projects that don’t go well and keep practicing. I realized last week that I’m actually getting better.
Trying lots of new soup recipes
I always love this post and perspective. Others have referenced the unusually rough winter, and I’m uncharacteristically thankful for it this year because it’s given me freedom to stay cozy at home with my toddler and newborn — we’ve needed the rest! Also, for books on Kindle, because nursing my floppy-necked infant is a two-handed job, and my big toe can turn Kindle pages as well as my index finger.
Would love to know what the name of the coral paint color is. I love it!
It’s a beautiful shade, cool enough for me. Do you ever share what color it is?
I had a coral accent wall in a vacation home. Made me happy every time we were there!
Saving me now –
Listening to Les Miserables on Audible while reading same. I am picking up on everything I missed 30 years ago. Next on my list : Look Homeward Angel by Thomas Wolfe and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. This is a totally satisfactory way to read Classics.
Bible in a Year Podcast with Fr Mike Schmitz. I appreciate the commentary from Fr Mike.
Harney’s Paris hot tea.
I love that coral is one of the things you highlighted that’s saving your life! I was so interested when I heard you mention it recently! You go, girl, I’m so happy that you DID IT! And you love it! I see many others are asking “what color is it??” and I add to the pleas…I love what I see in the picture you included. It’s time for me to have another coral wall (I had one in the kitchen, in an apt I lived in once.)
I will say that it wasn’t 2025 that I did it, but a few years ago, I painted my fairly large bathroom turquoise on the top half of the wall, white on the bottom, and then put up colorful beach prints from photos I took myself on Maine beaches. Then, the piece de resistance—the inside of the bathroom door is golden, sunflower yellow!! I love it every time I see it. I always hope when guests come out, they will say, “I love your door! And I wish I was as brave as you are, I’m going to paint something!” Some have! Little joys…(I wish I could include a picture).
My monthly baking kit from the Pastry Project in Seattle. Every month I get a fun and delicious kit and it’s usually something I wouldn’t normally make. Everything has been so so good!
My electric blanket!
~ I joined an a cappella choir in November and we sing every Monday night.
~ I lead a vibrant yoga community online (since the pandemic) and open the ‘doors’ 15 minutes early for conversation.
~ Walks. Curiously the colder the temps have gotten (single digits!) the more often my husband and I walk, and for longer distances.
~ Handwriting letters to relatives and friends who live elsewhere, both internationally and within the US.
~ Attending Wednesday lunchtime hour-long concerts at a church in the next town. The acoustics are phenomenal!
~ Anticipating, receiving and reading more enjoyed newsletters and email from YOU plus Louise Penny. 🙂
There is something about exactly the right colour that just lifts the spirit and makes a space. I’m so happy that you found yours.
The thing that is saving my life right now? A little thing that is hard to come by: self-compassion.
https://jumbleofseaglass.substack.com/p/what-is-saving-my-life-right-now?r=5i2n0
In difficult times, it’s something we could all use a bit more of.
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. Your winter feet will thank you for using this before you put on socks in the day and on bare feet before bedtime. My husband and I both use it and saw a big difference in our feetwithin days of the first use.
90° turn for my second thing that is saving my life. Prunes. Yes, prunes. Already TMI, but they are also life-changing.
—My two book clubs
—Knitting on the couch with my cat while listening to an audiobook
—Time with close friends
—My church community, originally Japanese-American, now multicultural, welcoming all, and dedicated to social justice.
It has been so cold here in New Jersey this winter. Most days it barely makes it to 20 degrees even when the sun is shining. Even with the freezing temps, I bundle up and go for a walk. There’s something about the fresh air and sunshine that keeps me going day-by-day. It would be easier to just sit here and stay warm. Forcing myself to go out is what’s working for me right now. Oh look…the sun is shining and it’s 28 out there. Here I go! Thank the good Lord for sun!
Organized all my emails into folders
Implementing Deep Work — Cal Newport
Epistolary novels
Healthy smoothies
Yoga
I love the coral color!!
Here is my list of things saving my life/making me happy right now: https://www.livingonthesunnyside.com/whats-making-me-happy-right-now-2026/
-crocheting
-playing old Wii Lego video games (instead of playing games on my phone)
-re-watching favorite older cheesy comfort shows (right now, it’s Angel)
-my oldest 17 year old child who helps far more than she should have to
-strawberry season (and I can’t wait until our very nearby local farm opens for the season)
-not feeling guilty for feeding my family chicken strips at least once a week and sometimes more
-HRT is probably saving my whole family
Anne, curious if you are dipping instead of sipping or…?
🙂
Ooooh, now I’m looking at my walls with an eye to paint one! Yes, we need to know your coral color paint name! Paint color is so easy to overthink!
-Anne’s weekly Links I Love. How are there always so many and they are ALWAYS so good??
-Cold coffee with cream and sugar after lunch has helped me mostly extinguish my Diet Coke addiction
-Quinoa, roasted veggies and yum yum sauce for lunch every day
-My Shuffle Mamas low impact course – it gets me up and exercising and laughing at myself in the funnest way!
-Writing letters to my sister, my cousin and a 10 year old family friend.- I’m not sure which makes me happiest – writing or receiving a hand-written letter
-5calls and monthly donations – it’s all I know to do
-apps Duolingo, Wordle, Merlin
-and of course, reading, jigsaw puzzles, reading, Netflix
— enjoying a good read while in my favorite chair, bundled in blankets
— reaching out to friends
— coloring spring scenes
— naps
— chocolate
Learning to crochet. My book club. Naps.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful post.
Mardi Gras
New grandbaby!
Big cozy blankets
Books 🙂
Exercise
Lunch with friends
~Reading, NOT for book club
~My propane fireplace w/ remote on & off
~Crocheting
~My cat on my lap
~FaceTiming grandkids
~Reruns of the Great British Baking Show (love Mary Berry!)
– actively reading four books so I can choose what sounds good each day
– not eating or missing bread after learning of a gluten intolerance
– my new K-skincare routine that’s simple but still feels like self-care
– my new and first quality tablet that I’m using right now!
– going to bed by 10:15
– catching up on old Simpsons, one episode at bedtime
Retiring March 1 with my last day of work February 19!!
I’m a little late to this discussion – I stopped checking email daily when I retired – but I am loving all of these ideas and are considering incorporating some of them into my life! What is saving my life right now is:
*regular trips to our local YMCA – I have never been a huge exercise fan, but I am loving the companionship that doing group fitness classes and machines is bringing to me. It makes exercising actually enjoyable and I feel so much better about myself when I finish!
*Books, of course! Ebooks during the day and actual books in the evening. I am trying to get through some of the many actual physical books that I own.
*My church family provides a comforting group for me. Whether it is my Sunday School class, the various groups I sing with, or our regular book study group, I feel such a tie to these people. It really is uplifting on so many levels.
Long walks with my husband and our dogs
New favorite book series: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (the audiobooks are fantastic!)
Meals with friends
Baking and sharing
Evenings of music, reading, puppy snuggles, and LED candles on a timer
Planning a summer trip
Prayers for our country
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion audiobooks are delightful with more to come. What a joy to discover them this winter!
Additional joys-
Expanding my culinary flavor palette and techniques
Hiking the snowy hills and fields on our family farm
Garden planning
Classical music
Travel shows
The daily drama and comedy at the bird feeders
Evening snuggles with pets
Readathons – or reading retreats – with my friends are absolutely saving my life right now. Last year over President’s Day weekend, two of my friends and I did our first 24-hour readathon. We all brought plenty of food and snacks, cozy blankets and pillows, and read for as much of the 24 hours as we could from noon Sunday to noon on the holiday Monday while my spouse and my friend’s spouse played video games in another room. We broke into sporadic chats and had a few games throughout as well. Then for Labor Day weekend last year we added one more friend, and a book secret santa-esque gift exchange. One of our number even cold-emailed a huge number of our favorite authors, some of whom wrote us encouraging notes for trying times and a few even recorded video messages for her to play for us!
This year for President’s Day, instead of piling into my home we rented a cabin for the reading retreat – we’re even going to get snow (a big deal for us Southern Californians)! So what’s saving me is looking forward to this holiday weekend when my spouse and I will pack up our puppy and or themed gift-baskets (we’re doing another gift exchange – we all bought one person an audiobook gift link, or in my case I bought my friend’s spouse a gift link for a videogame, and put together a basket of small gifts that go with the themes from the book) and head to a snowy cabin with our closest friends. And Readathons will keep saving me this year because after this weekend, I know we’ll be busy planning the next one for this year’s Labor Day weekend!
*Donating platelets at the Red Cross- feels great to help others
*Pet sitting and spending time with my own dog Daisy
*Reading- I’m focusing on books that are on my shelf and/or those I’ve wanted to read for a long time
*Cooking and baking
Oh my goodness! Articles like this! I love color and I love reading about color and what a kick start to the year!
Also, hot chocolate every morning, writing note cards to people and my local chapter of Silent Book Club!
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