1. Wisdom from Desmond Tutu, “Discovering more joy does not, save us from the inevitability of hardship and heartbreak. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreaks without being broken.”
2. Recipe I want to try: Sweet Potato Black Bean Hash. This is actually one I shared a year ago and never made, but saw it in my Facebook memories this morning and decided to make it for dinner this week. Pretty much anything with sweet potatoes, spinach, black beans and cumin is something I’m going to like.
3. An Interview With Bryan Stevenson on Institutional Racism and Changing the Narrative..
4. Power & Heart: Black and Buddhist in America on Lion’s Roar. “At the first-ever gathering of Buddhist teachers of black African descent, held at New York’s Union Theological Seminary, two panels of leading Buddhist teachers took questions about what it means to be a black Buddhist in America today.”
5. Wisdom from Michelle Obama (by way of A Design So Vast), “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
6. I Wish I’d Had A ‘Late-Term Abortion’ Instead Of Having My Daughter.
7. Trapped, with no end in sight: A detained mother’s struggle to get home.
8. 4 Surprising Ways to Use a Yoga Bolster. There’s one of these I wouldn’t try or recommend, but there are two core ones that look worth trying.
9. Mexican-American novelist Sandra Cisneros wins international literary prize from PEN America.
10. Artwork (sculpture) by Thomas Deininger. (video) There’s a metaphor in there somewhere.
11. First Listen: Yola, ‘Walk Through Fire.’ It took me a few songs to get into this album, and when I did, I wanted to curl up in her lap for the rest of the day while she sang to me.
12. So, feeding baby manatees looks like the BEST JOB EVER. (video)
13. Kitten tries to copy momma cat bathing. (video)
14. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. (video) “America’s obsession with and fear of obesity is putting fat people’s lives at risk. As a reminder: don’t worry, you can laugh! This segment was written by fat people! Featuring the thicc and fabulous Kristen Bartlett and Ashley Nicole Black.”
15. NFL star Shaquem Griffin shared an adorable moment with a little boy who has 1 hand, just like him. (video) To be honest, the real reason I’m sharing this video is I had no idea there was a professional football player with only ONE HAND! So cool.
16. “It’s easier to talk about gang rape than your body”: Roxane Gay on body positivity, trans rights, and 2020 In related news, Roxane Gay Would Prefer Not to Have to Be Exceptional.
17. The Denver teachers strike is over. They won.
18. A Border Agent Detained Two Americans Speaking Spanish. Now They Have Sued.
19. Rare, Elusive Black Leopard Caught On Camera In The Wild.
20. “Pen15” Is The Must Watch Show That Tackles The Awkwardness Of Middle School From A Female Perspective. I really, really liked this show.
21. Dazzling Gradients and Geometric Designs Baked into New Pies and Tarts by Lauren Ko. I think this is cool, but honestly it’s more important to me what they taste like.
22. Butterflies Vs. Border Wall: National Butterfly Center Seeks Restraining Order.
23. Dozens of polar bears invaded these Russian islands, prompting them to declare a state of emergency. (video)
24. This woman dropped everything to keep her granddaughter out of the foster care system. (video)
25. North Carolina A&T’s Kayla White Becomes the Fastest 200-Meter Runner…in the WORLD. In related news, Watch this 15-year-old girl bench press 360 pounds, breaking a state record, (video).
26. Five Essay Collections by Women of Color.
27. 9 Brutally Honest Confessions Of An INFJ.
28. Chimpanzees Build Makeshift Ladder, Break Free From Zoo Enclosure.
29. At first glance, the works of Ruth Miller look like paintings. (video) “They are embroidered tapestry portraits hand stitched with care. She explains why she continues her art.”
30. This 390-year-old tree survived the bombing of Hiroshima.
31. Who won this lip sync battle? (video)
32. Sweet Photo Series Reveals What’s In A Preschooler’s Pockets.
33. Fox News host who doesn’t wash his hands because germs aren’t real sums up Fox News.
34. The Aurora shooter had a history of domestic violence and assault. He never should have had a gun.
35. Accounts of sexual misconduct and abuse from several people who were very close to the Sakyong. This is a particularly difficult read, but it’s important to know the truth.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 