Back in March when the world was falling apart and nobody knew what we were doing or where we were headed, when flour and bleach and toilet paper were impossible to find, I felt myself slipping off the rails.

So I started writing something new. Called the Daily Respite (just go to dailyrespite.com), it’s a daily email wishing you good morning, reminding you what day it is, and offering a brief moment of relief. An idea, a poem, a picture, a video. Sometimes funny, like sheep on trampolines. Other times astonishing, like half a billion monarch butterflies preparing to migrate. On Sundays we go outside for a moment with nature.

I still don’t know what I’m doing or where we’re headed, but this has brought comfort and built a beautiful community during a challenging time. The respite is available by subscription for $6 a month, or free for all who need it.

In case you’ve been feeling yourself slipping from your own rails, I wanted to offer a snippet from today’s respite along with some words from the man who lived not ten miles from where this video was shot.

The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year—the days when summer is changing into autumn—the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change. —E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

🍂🍁🍂 ...