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Mindfulness

Staying apart, together: Spice up your weekend with new reads, the Emmys

USA TODAY
Practicing meditation can be rewarding, but it's best if you're consistent and try to meditate on a daily basis.

Editor's Note: This is a preview of USA TODAY's newsletter Staying Apart, Together, a guide to help us all cope with a world changed by coronavirus. If you would like it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Saturdays, subscribe here

Before we get Saturday's edition started, let's all take a pause to remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice, gender rights and legal pioneer, who died Friday at 87.

Explore more about Ginsburg in USA TODAY's obituary and gallery of her life, and reflect on her work for women's equality. For more, here's how the "notorious" RBG became a pop culture icon, and a list of six recommended books you can read to learn about her life. 

I'm on Day 18 of a 30-day mindfulness challenge.

Every day for the month of September, I receive an email with a daily practice led by some of the biggest names in meditation. 

I can't say that I've been transformed into a peaceful Buddha, as I had hoped. And I still have the same problems to deal with, like being on furlough from work next week; missing my husband, who's in Florida on a work assignment for six weeks; still being isolated from family, friends and co-workers...the list goes on. But I can say that taking 10 to 15 minutes a day to log on and tune out has refreshed my spirit (and likely lowered my blood pressure).

One thing I've learned is that you don't need special training or equipment to be mindful or to meditate, and there's no penalty if your mind wanders - it will. And that's part of the exercise of being in the moment and connecting to your heart.

In these challenging times, it's worth a try. (My go-to guide is Mindful.org, but a quick search on mindfulness guides yields plenty of options.)

I'm Alison Maxwell, managing editor of USA TODAY's Life section, and I'm filling in for your regular newsletter host, Kelly Lawler. Let's get started!

Are you ghosting Halloween?

Today's debate

Will Americans ghost Halloween this year?

The answer is unclear, with more than a month to go until the ghoulish holiday.

One thing's for sure: The celebrations may look a little different in this world of COVID.

My colleague Erin Jensen did some reporting on the topic, and it's no surprise that she found some folks booing trick-or-treating and others trying to, ahem, carve out a way to go.

Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Health and UC Davis Children's Hospital, says families should avoid the door-to-door ritual. 

"I just don't see how it's feasible to do this safely," he says. It's not realistic to think children will be able to maintain social distancing recommendations as they walk around in groups and are handed treats, he says. And while masks help mitigate spread, they "don't eliminate risk."

Dr. Sandra Kesh, an infectious disease physician at Westmed Medical Group in Purchase, New York, says it's possible to safely trick-or-treat, but there are caveats. She says if COVID-19 is not well-controlled in your area, you should refrain. Local health departments and government websites typically offer public tracking of coronavirus infections, or you can ask your physician. Enclosed spaces like apartment buildings should be avoided too, she says. Keep celebrations outdoors. 

This handy guide from the Halloween & Costume Association and the Harvard Global Health Institute can help you decide how to celebrate. The color-coded map shows coronavirus risk levels by county.

Today's distraction

I'm not a TV critic, and I can't play one in this newsletter, so instead of Kelly's regular recommendations, let's all get prepped for the Emmy Awards celebrating the best of TV this Sunday on ABC (8 EDT/5 PDT).

TV Editor Gary Levin talked to Jimmy Kimmel, who will host this year's socially-distanced event. And it's looking like humor, not surprisingly, will be a key element.

Q: So how's it going to look for the audience at home? What can they expect?

Kimmel: Are you familiar with home schooling? It's gonna be kinda like that. It's gonna be a bunch of people on their webcams. It'll be closer to porn than an awards show. 

Here's more on how the show will unfold. And here's who Kelly thinks should win and will win awards. ("Succession" and "Schitt's Creek" for the win!)

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer and darkness is settling in. Makes it hard to see to read, but that's what Kindles and book lights are for, right? 

Here are 20 fall books we can't wait to read while curled up under a warm blanket, starting with "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," by Mariah Carey • Release date: Sept. 29 • The award-winning music icon tells the story of her life, unfiltered, in her own words. “Writing this memoir was incredibly hard, humbling and healing. My sincere hope is that you are moved to a new understanding, not only about me, but also about the resilience of the human spirit,” Carey says.

Today's books

I've read more books during quarantine than I've read in all of the last year and a half, and I couldn't be more thrilled being forced to slow down and find time for one of my favorite things. Two recent books I've finished and highly recommend are "Sisters" by Daisy Johnson - a tale of two sisters born 10 months apart with a shocking twist -  and "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell, a fictionalized account of the death of William Shakespeare's 11-year-old son.

When I finish my current read - "Saint X" by Alexis Schaitkin - I'll be turning to my colleague Barbara Vandenburgh's extensive fall books guide, which features 20 new releases to put on your must-read list, including new novels from literary heavy hitters Marilynne Robinson, Don DeLillo and Jonathan Lethem; celebrity tell-alls from Mariah Carey and Matthew McConaughey; and moving heart-to-hearts from Michael J. Fox and Megan Rapinoe.

Leslie Odom Jr. (from  left) stars as Sam Cooke, Eli Goree plays Cassius Clay, Kingsley Ben-Adir is Malcolm X and Aldis Hodge is Jim Brown in Regina King's feature directorial debut "One Night in Miami."

Today's reads

  • Did you know VP candidate Kamala Harris has a trendy shoe game?
  • Movie Critic Brian Truitt attended the Toronto Film Festival... from his couch in Virginia. But he still saw all the movies. Here's his ranking, from best to worst.
  • Can the stock market predict the next president?
  • Big Ten football is coming back in October. Here's what we know about the upcoming season. And here's why columnist Christine Brennan thinks the decision marks the darkest day in the conference's history.

*****

That's it for this Saturday. I'd love to hear from you - the good, the bad and the ugly - so please email me at amaxwell@usatoday.com. The newsletter will return on Tuesday with Kelly Lawler back at the helm. Don't forget to send pet pics, TV recommendation requests and coping tips (and your full name and location) to our new newsletter email address, stayingaparttogether@usatoday.com

Have a restful weekend,

Alison Maxwell

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