Prompt: In her seminal book Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott offers the observation: “The evidence is in, and you are the verdict.” Regardless of where you live in this crazy beautiful world, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s been a BIG year. Today, I want to acknowledge that you are here and I am here and we are here. We’re just… HERE. That feels like a BIG DEAL. And, that being said, I invite you to reflect on all that this evinces. What are you the verdict of?
I am the verdict of a universe in love, with all of it, and all of me. There is a longing for me, for us, for all of it to stand in the wonder, in awe of all that is. We are the spontaneous arising of wisdom and compassion, of deep knowing, laughing at the same time there are tears streaming down our cheeks. I am ears made for sound (music and screaming), eyes made for sight (beauty and muck), a nose made for smell (fresh baked bread and shit), skin made for touch (a caress or a pinch), and a heart made for love as well as being broken. I feel in particular to be a manifestation of the desire to ease suffering, for the cycle of violence to stop, for love to win. I am the embodiment of an intention to make things right.
1. People react to being called beautiful. “I conducted an independent project, which evidently turned into a social experiment halfway through, regarding beauty at my performing arts high school in Chicago. I want to clarify that my intentions were not to get a reaction out of people. I was simply filming beauty and this is the result. Here it is.”
9. This was a good week on Chookooloonks. “The Rice University Gallery currently has this amazing exhibit, called Intersections. Created by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha, the exhibit is a single, bright light suspended from the ceiling through an intricately laser-cut box made from wood, and painted black.” Karen shares her pictures of the exhibit and a video of the artist talking about and walking through it.
11. Wisdom from Brave Girls Club, “When we have the chance to do something kind or good…we really should just do it. Sometimes we think we have to plan elaborate occasions to show kindness and compassion, when just about every day there are opportunities that come up that allow us sprinkle some goodness in little doses that often don’t take more than a moment, but that make a world of difference to both the person we are gifting with our kindness and to ourselves.”
12. 8tracks, “Listen for free to millions of playlists, all lovingly handcrafted by people like you who know and love music. Pick a top playlist below, or explore playlists by artist, genre, or activity above.” Gift idea: make someone a mixtape.
13. How to Think About Nutrition. “When people start trying to eat normally, they almost always have to go through a phase of craving and eating things they used to think were ‘bad’, or things that are not generally considered ‘healthy’. And it freaks. them. out.”
26. It’s OK, He’s Friendly. Amen, because of this, “Unsolicited interactions are a type of assault,” and this, “It’s perfectly reasonable for a person to expect to be able to use a public space without being pestered by others.”
27. BIRDY + RHODES – Let It All Go. Beautiful song, beautiful video. Gave me goosebumps.
28. Print out these 100 questions, and as Alexandra Franzen suggests, “Cut the paper into little slips with one question per slip. Put the slips in a bowl. Keep them on your kitchen table. When you’re lounging around, solo, or with your family, pull out a question at random and answer it. You might learn something fascinating about yourself — or someone else.”
31. In search of serendipity, which suggests, “The internet has become so good at meeting our desires that we spend less time discovering new ones. To update the Rolling Stones, you can always get what you want. But you may not get what you need.” I’m not sure I agree, not entirely.
32. 10 Ways Creativity Can Completely Change Your Life from Tiny Buddha. “Creativity is not just for artists or making art. Creativity is life making. It’s anything we do that turns us on, invigorates us, or offers a simple moment of pure merriment.”
35. May You Be Present and Clear, great advice from Be More With Less. “If you want to break up with your busy mind, buzzing phone, and crazy to-do lists to engage in meaningful relationships, try incorporating one of the following ideas.”
36. The In-between State, “Pema Chodron points to the perfect training ground for the spiritual warrior — anxiety, heartbreak, and tenderness.”
38. The simple way one American mom helped thousands of refugee children. “She’s not a politician or a community leader. She’s a mom who found an amazing way to help refugee families by sending over thousands of baby carriers.” Here’s another short video about her. This is a beautiful story of someone being touched by someone else’s suffering, and then moved to do something to ease it. We all have the opportunity to do the same, in our own way.
44. Hard Conversations Book Club 2016 from Patti Digh. “This monthly book club provides an avenue for reading and thinking in community about hard topics such as race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, classism, and all the ways in which we ‘other’ people. We will dive deep and have open, honest, and safe dialogue to seek greater understanding of issues with which we may have limited experience. We will emerge changed in significant, enriching ways.” Admission is by donation. I can’t do the club, but I’m making note of the reading list.
45. The Biggest Mistake Pet Owners Make at the End. Having to let two of my dogs go was the hardest decision(s) I ever had to make. This article would have been very helpful, still is.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 