Shelter in Place

Social distancing has made us more reliant on social media than ever--and also more susceptible to its pitfalls. Laura reflects on the changes in her own life around social media during this time, and features work from Anya Marchenko, Keyonna Summers, and Sherry Turkle. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the news that schools will not reopen for the rest of the year, Laura considers what it means for us to settle into a new normal that is uncertain and ever-changing, and where so many things are out of our control. She draws from a conversation with Dr. James Furrow to figure out how to become more resilient and adapt to this new normal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two weeks into the Bay Area Shelter in Place Mandate, Laura reflects on the ways her family's life has changed, and shares the insights from her friend Arathi Ravier, whose essay on this time captures the pushes and pulls of this new life against the one we left behind. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Laura goes out of her home for the first time in two weeks, and shares what she's learned about meditation, prayer, and the importance of contemplative practices in a time when the chatter of our thoughts is constant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today's Story Saturday episode, Laura turns to the work of another creative, photographer Sean Donnelly, whose work of shooting family portraits through windows has given him perspective on this time. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Laura struggles with her sorrow in real time, she looks to generations past as well as to those who are currently suffering on wisdom for how to grapple with the challenges we face. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During this time when so many of us are isolated, Laura tells the story of her neighbors Sara and Mona, who took it upon themselves to take a neighborhood where no one said hello and make it a true community. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Midway through week 2 of the Bay Area Shelter in Place mandate, Laura reflects on why she feels compelled to push her anxiety into creativity in this time, and reflects on other times when artists have led the way. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Laura discusses the anxiety many of us are feeling right now, and shares the insights she learned from Dr. Chuck DeGroat on how the best way to move through that anxiety might just be through ancient practices of lament. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Laura reflects on the lessons of this last week of sheltering in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, she faces the hopes and failures of both herself and this world with a much-needed dose of grace. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since nothing feels normal right now, Laura has decided to designate each Saturday episode as "Story Saturday," a time of sharing fiction or art to get us through the day. Today she shares a short story she wrote a long time ago, but that feels right for the times. Contact her at laurajoycedavis.com if you'd like to be considered for an upcoming Story Saturday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Laura gets news from several friends who are being tested for the virus, and reflects on what it means to live a generous life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On day three of the Bay Area Shelter in Place mandate, Laura gets news that a family member might have been exposed to COVID-19. In the wake of this news, she reflects on what life is like for those in medicine right now, and what the rest of us can do to support them. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the Shelter in Place mandate extended to Bay Area wine country and Gavin Newsome warning us that school probably won't be back in session until the fall, Laura considers what it means that this is the new normal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the hours after the 3-week 24-7 Shelter in Place mandate to stop the spread of COVID-19, Bay Area author Laura Joyce Davis turns to her art to connect with others and make sense of the chaos in our world. In the first episode, she considers what it means to "shelter in place," and explores how we might see this strange time of isolation and containment time as purposeful. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.