Stay home. Don’t leave the house.

Comfort, relaxation, quiet, solitude, less action, less novelty, shortage of worries.

It’s better this way.

Limit contact. Say little.

Cultivate thought

and heart

and soul,

Nurse preferences

and feelings

and daydreams.

This is ideal.

A few friends, a sprinkling of socializing, couples and corners of conversation…

The rest happens internally.

Meaning.

Choice eye contact. Sincere smiles. Opening up to…

a book—

that song: it’s one that captures the current doubts, builds up, comforts,

People: usually avoided.

Underappreciated.

Over-appreciated, but at a distance.

Walking books, stories, chapter upon chapter upon chapter of everything conceivable, that’s what they are.

A new place

creates

serenity, new and previous memories, clarity, stunning nostalgia…

Familiarity.

There needs to be a balance, a precarious scale of both.

Setting—not just necessary for literal literature,

for the breathing stories mentioned before.

Setting can change everything,

can alter mood,

can spur new ideas,

can ruin negativity,

can enlighten.

A break from routine is sometimes all that is needed.