August 22, 2026
Good morning! It’s Saturday, and while Patrick and Richard and Gary are busily draining the feeders and burying sunflower seeds in the yard...
The Daily Respite
A brief moment of thoughtfulness before you step into your day, written by bestselling author Clara Parkes.
Live Last read · last published · next check
Latest posts
Saves to your Listen queue, to pick up on another day or another device.
August 21 Get-Together: When the Unexpected Appears
Hello, my dear Respiteers! Tis a gorgeous Friday afternoon here in Respitopia. Won’t you join me for a stroll in the garden? Because of course there’s a garden in Respitopia, no? I’ll be here until a little past 3pm EDT and have instructed the three ducks above to show you the way.
August 21, 2026
Good morning! It’s Friday. We had an unexpected dinner guest last night. From a distance, it looked like splatter on a windshield. But when I got closer, the shape grew long slender toes and fingers, spindly legs, plump round belly...
August 20, 2026
Good morning! It’s Wednesday. And what happens to all those seeds when they reach those new and exciting destinations? With any luck they find a good spot, manage to germinate, put down roots…
August 19, 2026
Good morning! It’s Wednesday. Before I had time to show you this year’s Queen Anne’s Lace, all the bobbing white lacy flowerheads started closing their umbels.
August 18, 2026
Good morning! It’s Tuesday. Another seed factory that’s kicking into high gear is in the apple trees, where the apples have been slowly plumping and blushing their way towards ripeness.
August 17, 2026
Good morning! It’s Monday, and Mother Nature’s seed distribution is now in full swing. Here, before the jostle of wind or rain or passing person, we will pause to admire the tidy arrangement of these hollyhock seeds.
August 16, 2026
Watch now | Good morning! It’s a quiet Sunday down by the water. No, I still haven’t seen our whale friend up close.
August 15, 2026
Good morning! It’s Saturday, and August is almost at its midpoint. All the worldly paths and pathways we’ve explored this week have led back here to this spot.
August 14 Get-Together: Paths
Hello, my dear Respiteers! Another week has flown by, and we are once again at the threshold of our imaginary pavilion. Instead of going inside, I’d like to stay out here in the sunshine for a while—precisely, until a little past 3pm EDT.
August 14, 2026
Good morning! It’s Friday, and our magical meandering trail has taken us away from the mostly dry arroyos of Tucson and up to the paved footpath running alongside the Haya River in Hakone, Japan.
August 13, 2026
Good morning! It’s Thursday. We’re traveling through the time-space continuum once again, this time landing in Tucson, Arizona—and just in time to wish my oldest brother a happy birthday.
August 12, 2026
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, and our journey along the time-space continuum of paths and pathways has led us here. We’re standing on the rue Didot bridge overlooking remnants of a 32-kilometer railway...
August 11, 2026
Good morning! It’s Tuesday. Instead of turning around and going straight home, we’re going to stay outside and let ourselves be pulled through time and space by more roads, more paths, more trails.
August 10, 2026
Good morning! It’s Monday, and the heat has returned. While the temptation would be to hunker down indoors and crank up the AC, I’ve made the radical decision to head outside and take us deep into the woods.