“I’ve found a new phrase,” my sister said, practising her Italian: Il dolce far niente.

“That’s funny…”

Do you have an emergency first aid kit? Maybe it’s just band-aids and antiseptic, or perhaps a full Home Emergency Kit with a torch, batteries, and emergency contacts.

This week, I’ve been imagining a different kind of kit—one for spiritual emergencies. Something to ground me when world events feel overwhelming, to keep my heart open instead of consumed by grief, anger, or despair.

“Would you like to know something I learned about whales yesterday?” she asked.

I’ll admit, the women’s change room at Newcastle Baths was a strange place to be talking about whales, but what the heck.

The other day my friend made pancakes. They were just like my mother used to make; soft and delicate with a little bit of lemon and sugar. Katrina’s pancakes were rolled up and cut in bitesize pieces to share for Shrove Tuesday. Geoff Ivers mentioned to me that he also was going to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. His church had perfected the recipe for creating rainbow pancakes!

Quite a few years ago, Betty and I were enjoying a holiday on a small cruise ship on one of the rivers in Europe.  One night the crew member in charge of entertainment announced that he was arranging a concert for the following evening where the passengers could put on an item.

"I’m good at managing smart, bright people," my friend said, and we laughed at the audacity of the statement.