October 7, 2020

reader, 

If you're new here, well howdy! Welcome to my weekly blog about Houston arts and culture, plus whatever else I wish to share from my brain. Scroll to the very bottom for more about it.

I'm having a blast doing two weekly Facebook Live chats on my Facebook page: MONDAY MEDITATION CHATS at 10am (the latest one is here) and WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE arts & culture chats at 9pm (the latest one is here). Tune in!

A special note if you're a parent or caregiver: be sure to follow my GISH PICKS page for not only my KID PICKS but also my CAMP PICKS (holiday day camps). Special for the pandemic, I'm also publishing EXPLORE PICKS (school year enrichment programs) -- my latest blog is here and includes programs by organizations such as Adventure Learning Program, Alliance Fencing Academy, and the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.

As you read, please note that all the words in purple are linked to websites.

WHAT'S ON MY MIND THIS WEEK? I don't know about ya'll but I hit a pandemic wall recently -- which is a real thing about 6 months into any crisis. So, to elevate my mood: I hung up a hammock that I discovered in a corner of our garage, I painted my nails 10 different colors, and I took time to watch a beautiful sunset. It was a nice reset (I strongly recommend hammocks -- very good for the soul!).

Some of you, myself included, might need a bit more help. So, being the info-preneur that I am, I searched for organizations that offer free or low cost therapeutic help, or for helplines. My list is below -- please use it in good health (for better mental health!) and please pass this blog on to others. None of us has to go through these crazy times alone and there are plenty of professionals willing to help no matter your budget.

MENTAL HEALTH HELP

🦋 24/7 211 HELPLINE (to access ANY kind of local resources including mental health providers)
☎️ 211


☎️ 866.342.6892


☎️ 833.986.1919


🦋 24/7 SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE (for anyone experiencing stress/anxiety, not just for suicidal people)
☎️ 800.273.TALK (8255)


☎️ 713.461.7599


☎️ 713.861.4849


☎️ 713.402.5046


☎️ 713.526.8390


☎️ 713.970.7000, option 2
☎️ 24/7 CRISIS HOTLINE: 713.970.7000, option 1


☎️ 713.871.1004




☎️ 281.480.7554


☎️ 832.548.5000


☎️ 713.470.9878


☎️ 713.338.6422


☎️ 713.523.8963


☎️ 281.894.7222


☎️ 833.986.1919




(up to 10 free sessions for youth under 18)
☎️ 713.821.8909

LET'S CONNECT! If you are wondering wassup with me, my offerings are below. If you'd like to keep up with all my doings, please click here to get a sorta monthly newsletter from me full of info about my events and more, including my IGNITE YOUR LIFE! art project. Be sure to follow my Facebook pages too -- Gish Picks Kids and Gish Picks Adults. I'm always throwing words and pictures around somewhere!
⬆️CLICK ON IMAGE TO ACCESS WEBSITE⬆️
My ⭐️ARTS PICKS Spotlight⭐️ this week is the The Heritage Society, which is now open Wednesdays through Fridays from 10am-4pm. Tickets are $5/adults and $2/children 5-18 years old. The Heritage Society is an organization that "tells the stories of Houston" while it also serves as a special place to bring Houston's history to life. On view is a timely exhibit during this very important election year: "Houston Women Cast Their Ballots: Celebrating 100 Years of the Right to Vote!" If you'd rather see it virtually, click here for more information and tickets.

There are several historic homes on The Heritage Society campus, and three of them are available for private, docent-led tours with small groups. Unfortunately, Sam Houston Park is temporarily closed.

And now -- the two virtual events I am PICK-ing this week. Please note that even my VIRTUAL PICKS are always Houston-based because I am very committed to Houston arts & culture.

➡️ Virtual for ADULTS: I wrote about mental health this week, so I am highlighting two events that celebrate mental health and sobriety: This Is My Brave: Stories from Home Houston 2020 and The Art of Recovery HTX Show & Exhibit, on view through October 23. Please learn more about the presenting organizations, This is My Brave, Inc. and Archway Academy (while you're at it, check out Teen and Family Services too!).


➡️ Virtual for KIDS: Discovery Green has a super fun Be My Neighbor Day event series through Tuesday, October 13. They are dropping one new video each weekday at 10:30am that features Daniel Tiger, star of the hit PBS KIDS series "Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood." Past videos are online too!
HIRE ME! If you want help getting centered -- or for focusing your life -- here's how I can help (I'm available for groups too):

  • One-on-one labyrinth walks or nature mandala-making sessions (or both!), all done with masks and physical distancing. The fee varies based on what we are doing.
  • Virtual Life Path Sessions; see more about those here. It's $50 for 45 minutes during COVID. 
  • Virtual meditation lessons for up to 30 minutes. I've been doing weekly Monday Meditation Chats and was interviewed on Great Day Houston about fun ways to make sounds for meditation (see that here). The fee varies based on what we are doing, and all ages are welcome.

To book me for anything, please call me at 713.492.1173 or email me. I'd love to help you find PEACE in this crazy time.


UPDATES ON GISH PICKS:
In non-pandemic times, and since I started publishing my blog in 2004, it has been a space to promote my curated list of unique live Houston area cultural events (PICKS) on the weekend for adults and kids. Because of COVID-19, those haven't happened since mid-March so I originally re-worked the format to focus on 5 Houston-based arts & culture organizations in my (Almost) Daily Dose of ARTS PICKS blog each of the NINE weeks of quarantine. You can see each edition - and read about 45 arts groups! - here.
 
And now I'm bringing you an ⭐️ARTS PICKS Spotlight⭐️ each week -- featuring an arts & culture space that is open -- and you'll get info about all of their activities and sometimes a video to bring them to life. Alongside that, I'll also be PICK-ing one local virtual event each for ADULTS and KIDS. 

I'll keep doing all of that until public events start happening again on a larger scale and I can start curating live event PICKS again.

In the meantime: please enjoy my weekly Spotlights and VIRTUAL PICKS, and please stay healthy!


Sincerely,

Sarah Gish
713.492.1173


P.S. If you want to IGNITE YOUR LIFE now or anytime, check out my list of "12 Ways to Ignite Your Life Daily" -- and watch the 12 videos I made about each Way here. I'm very proud of that list and my work and I hope it will help you live a fully creative life. Meditation, taking care of yourself, enjoying life, and laughing -- plus more! -- is what will get us through this global pandemic. 
Gish Creative | www.GishCreative.com
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