Good morning, friends! I hope this Sunday finds you well. Things are delightful here and I'm sipping my coffee under the large, old olive tree in my garden while I type this message to you. It's a peaceful oasis in the middle of a city where the sun dances and dapples through the leaves of the tree and where birdsong drowns out the sound of traffic.

A cat I've been trying to befriend stares at me suspiciously from a safe distance. After almost three months, she's still quite feral, but she stops by daily for a bite to eat. If I don't have her snack outside she stands at my patio door and stares in at me impatiently.

I've actually had better luck becoming buddies with the magpie that sit on the back of the second chair on my patio and chatters at me from a bit less distance.

Finding a bit of peace wherever you are is so important. We need to do this more than ever in the world we find ourselves. The uptick in crime, the simmering anger, the violence, the arguments - all of these things take a toll on us, even if they aren't directed toward us individually.

Find a place where you can see the sky and hear the birds, read a book that has nothing to do with current events, and breathe deeply.

Don't overlook your mental well-being as a part of your preparedness - I think it's actually the key to handling whatever life throws at you.

Take the moments of beauty as they come. I got one of the best photos of the Acropolis I've ever taken the other night after a rainstorm painted the sky with clouds and vivid colors. It was after a day that the weather interrupted my plans to walk to the shore. The slippery marble sidewalks are like glass when they're wet, and with the torn ligament in my ankle finally healing, I don't want to risk such an excursion until it's well able to withstand the unevenness and slick surfaces. Sometimes you forget that rain is a gift when it ruins your plans, but skies like this remind you.

I hope you have a fantastic week ahead, filled with peace, beauty, and good books.