Early in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, a 40-year-old backup goaltender for the Washington Capitals filled in admirably for two games in an emergency, but was unable to play for the rest of the series. Hockey teams, it turns out, are notoriously opaque when it comes to injuries, preferring euphemisms to transparency. No one tweaks a groin or pinches a nerve. Instead, they have a “lower body” or an “upper body” injury. Craig Anderson, the old man in goal, was out because of something called body maintenance.

Quickly latching on to this genteel way of describing recovery work in progress, I decided to let you know that More to Come is taking a summer break for body maintenance. Or perhaps the better way to phrase it in my case would be body, mind, and soul maintenance.

There is no injury involved with the staff at More to Come, but a sabbath respite is both biblical and practical.* As you can see below, I’ve been doing it all my life!

Last year’s summer hiatus from blogging worked out so well that I decided to extend the 2021 break over July and August to rest, reset, and focus on other projects, including some special attention on those pandemic pounds. This is it until the Tuesday after Labor Day (7 September for the international readers) unless something momentous comes along.**

Should you want to take this time and explore what you may have missed on the blog, what follows are the top reader favorites from 2021 (so far).

Three of the top posts came from the less than smooth transition of power in the U.S.

• The Hill We Climb — Amanda Gormon’s poem was among the best moments in an inaugural ceremony of hope and historic firsts.
• Heartbreaking and galvanizing — Our emotions were whipsawed between heartbreak and elation the week around January 6th.
• Another day that will live in infamy — As citizens attacked our Capitol, we remembered that violence and paranoia are part of our character. As is hope.

Two other highly-rated posts were more personal in nature.

• Tending the heart — The family celebrated a significant birthday for my wife this year, who is, in the words of a friend and former colleague, “fantastically lovely in every way.”
• Reminders — New Year’s Day seemed an appropriate time to consider how personal reminders of what matters can help us regain equilibrium after a tumultuous year.

Continuing with the family theme, fathers often provide guidance as we seek a way forward. These two posts are about lessons learned from two extraordinary fathers.

• Lessons Jamie Raskin learned from his father — When a situation seems hopeless, then you are the hope. When everything looks dark, you must be the light.
• The practice of breakfast — My father’s morning practice of centering, and then cheerfully making breakfast, was the example I needed all along.

Two of this year’s top posts dealt with the return of optimism.

• Les Colombes — Visit the beautiful photographs from an art installation in the National Cathedral.
• Time to reinvigorate the bucket list — As winter departed and we discovered newfound optimism, perhaps it is time to revisit what we “really” want to do.

And finally, I found myself writing a good deal this year about our need to depend on others.

• Assisted living — I have a confession to make. I have lived in assisted living my entire life.

Summer is also a great time to catch up on your reading. Some of the best books I’ve read this year include:

• Nesrine Malik’s We Need New Stories: The Myths that Subvert Freedom;
• Heather McGhee’s The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together;
• Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World;
• Eric Rauchway’s Why the New Deal Matters; and
• Ty Seidule’s Robert E. Lee and Me.

The top two Saturday Soundtrack posts by reader views featured the musical artists Low Lily and The Avalon Jazz Band.

If these don’t interest you, check out the top 10 posts in terms of reader views from the time the blog began, or simply rummage around in the archives. In any event, have a great rest of the summer.

More to come…

DJB

Image of the pier from free photos on Pixabay.

*There is no staff at More to Come. Just DJB.

**I won’t have to worry about covering Donald Trump’s fantasy of being reinstalled to office in August. As we used to say in the South, it ain’t gonna happen.