From our garden
1. Paisley & Hazel, an Instagram account where they paint pictures of adoptable dogs to help them get homes.
2. What the fuck should I do with my life? (A step-by-step process). I love that she ended with this, “Before wrapping up, I want to acknowledge that not everyone has the freedom to do what they choose in life and live out their desires. I’ve really written this article for those of us who are lucky enough to have that choice — let’s not take our freedom to do what we want in life for granted.”
3. Because of you from Alexandra Franzen. “Olympic athletes who claim the gold are very inspiring. But the person who comes in ‘last’ can be just as inspiring, if not more so.” Another good one from Alexandra, There is no rush.
4. Johnny & The Mongrels Debut Album, an Indiegogo project to help my friend Johnny make an album.
5. 500,000 Children Could Lose Free School Meals Under Trump Administration Proposal on The New York Times. What would Jesus do? He’d feed the hungry children. For that matter, he’d feed all the hungry people, unlike someone else we all know: Trump administration plan to kick millions off food stamps is ‘cruel and arbitrary.’
6. This was a horrific, heartbreaking week. 251 mass shootings this year. 29 people dead just this weekend. 2 separate shootings within 13 hours of each other. Here’s an archive of the specific locations and exact numbers. Of Course the Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooter Was a White Supremacist, and El Paso Shooting Suspect May Have Authored Manifesto Containing White Nationalist Talking Points, and Dayton, Ohio, Shooting: Victims Identified; Live Updates on The New York Times, El Paso Shooting: Massacre That Killed 20 Being Investigated as Domestic Terrorism on The New York Times, and State Officials Will Pursue Death Penalty Against Suspected El Paso Gunman, and The Gilroy Garlic Fest Shooter Plugged a White Power Manifesto on Instagram, and America Is Infested With Domestic White Male Terrorists, and Ohio lawmaker blames mass shootings on trans people, gay marriage and drag queens, and After Sandy Hook, we said never again. And then we let 2,189 mass shootings happen, and Stop blaming mental illness for mass shootings, and We Have a White Nationalist Terrorist Problem on The New York Times, and Terminating Service for 8Chan, and Apocalyptic Whiteness, The Scope of Right-Wing Violence, and Trump’s Stochastic Terrorism, and Dayton Police Killed Shooter Within 30 Seconds Of 1st Shot, Police Chief Says, and El Paso Shooting Suspect’s Manifesto Echoes Trump’s Language on The New York Times.
7. Buddhist psychotherapist and “RAIN” champion Tara Brach on Lion’s Roar. “Western psychology and Buddhism—together they offer us a complete diagnosis of the human condition. Andrea Miller talks to psychotherapist Tara Brach, who works to combine these two disciplines into a powerful path to love and fulfillment.”
8. “Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale,” a poem by Dan Albergotti. “Listen for the sound of your heart. Be thankful that you are here, swallowed with all hope, where you can rest and wait.”
9. The mindfulness conspiracy. “It is sold as a force that can help us cope with the ravages of capitalism, but with its inward focus, mindful meditation may be the enemy of activism.” In related news, How mindfulness privatised a social problem. “The £3.4trn industry encourages a preoccupation with the symptoms of mental illness, rather than their social causes.”
10. 3 (Pretty Simple) Ways to Remove Yourself from Drama on Be More With Less.
11. Wisdom from Pema Chödrön, “Everything that occurs is not only usable and workable but is actually the path itself. We can use everything that happens to us as the means for waking up. We can use everything that occurs—whether it’s our conflicting emotions and thoughts or our seemingly outer situation—to show us where we are asleep and how we can wake up completely, utterly, without reservations.” P.S. this doesn’t mean we need to see our suffering and obstacles as “gifts.”
12. Wisdom from Andrea Gibson, “Even when the truth isn’t hopeful, the telling of it is.”
13. Frequently Asked Questions about Buddhism on Lion’s Roar. “Short answers to the most common questions about Buddhism.”
14. Colson Whitehead Opens Up. “In a wide-ranging conversation with The Nation, the author talks about political writing, zombies and horror stories, American history, and his new novel The Nickel Boys.”
15. Please Help Fund Keaton Shepherd’s Funeral.
16. A Heartbreaking Loss: “Tuca & Bertie” Gave Female Trauma Survivors a Road Map for Healing.
17. Here’s What Fat Acceptance Is—and Isn’t. “Sizeism is everywhere in our culture, from the workplace to the playground. It’s time to change that.”
18. 26 Responses People Had To This Anti-Vaxxer Proudly Wearing A ‘Jesus Wasn’t Vaccinated’ T-Shirt.
19. Why You Need to Make a ‘When I Die’ File—Before It’s Too Late.
21. NYPD Judge Recommends That The Officer Involved In Eric Garner’s Death Be Fired.
22. ‘We’re All Tired of Being Called Racists.’ “At Donald Trump’s rally in Cincinnati, droves of attendees made it clear that they stood with the president despite his recent comments.”
23. Stunning Images Show How Native American Fashion Looks Without Cultural Appropriation.
25. Car mechanic shifts gears, becomes a doctor at age 47 and helps address shortage of black doctors.
26. You Can’t Sweets Your Way Into Diabetes. “There are a lot more factors at play — all more complicated than ‘I had a cupcake at lunch.'”
27. Ethiopia planted a record-breaking 350 million trees in 12 hours to fight climate change. (video)
28. And now…a piglet eating grapes. (video) Make sure the sound is turned on for this one.
29. This flight attendant deserves a raise for this hilarious safety demo! (video)
30. “Did the Lion King opening and Nathan joined in with me!” (video) BTW, Nathan is a donkey.
31. “I wrote this song using actual comments I’ve received.” (video)
32. A Woman Tried To Sell Her Phone To A ‘Nice Guy,’ And He Went Nuts Asking For Her Address. In related news, Woman Left-Swiped A Man On Tinder, So He Started “Rebuking” Her On Instagram.
33. On Silence, (or Speak Again). “Elissa Bassist breaks her silence about everything she’s not supposed to talk about and comes out alive.”
34. Megan Rapinoe is in celebration mode. And she’s got some things to say on New York Times Magazine.
35. Border Patrol Detained a 9-Year-Old American Girl on Her Way to School for 32 Hours. “It didn’t matter that she had her U.S. passport with her.”
36. Brazil’s indigenous people: Miners kill one in invasion of protected reserve.
37. Father Tries to Grasp How He Could Have Left Twins to Die in Hot Car on The New York Times.
38. 9 Podcasts That Don’t Whitewash Race.
39. 6 Comments That Gaslight People in Conversations About Social Justice.
40. Ben Carr, Stepfather of Eric Garner, Dies at Daughter’s Wedding.
41. ‘I Know That They’re Cared For.” Why One Mom Has Chosen To Foster Migrant Children.
42. Burger King’s new Pride ad features an f-bomb, a burger diamond and 2 super cute hus-bears.
43. Better to have a few rats than to be one.
44. Footage shows the devastating moment ICE agents broke through a man’s window and detained him while his two young kids were in the car. (video) In related news, Trump Administration Moves To Speed Up Deportations With Expedited Removal Expansion. #AbolishICE
45. Tony Robbins Has Been Accused Of Groping More Women And Mistreating Vulnerable Followers.
46. The Crane Wife.
47. On Being with Krista Tippett: Ross Gay, Tending Joy and Practicing Delight.
48. $250 million lawsuit from Covington student against Washington Post dismissed by judge.
49. Recipes I want to try because as always I have WAY too much zucchini: Easy Scalloped Zucchini and zucchini quesadillas.
50. Indigenous People Demand an End to Detention on Stolen Lands.
52. 10 ways your parents’ behaviors shape who you are today.
53. The Best-Directed Show on TV Is Better Things.
54. Yoga Reconsiders the Role of the Guru in the Age of #MeToo.
55. HARRIET – Official Trailer [HD].
56. Why a Gaslighting/Narcissist Relationship Is So Devastating.
57. Jordan and Andre Heroes El Paso, a GoFundMe fundraiser. “The family of Jordan Anchondo just confirmed they also lost her husband Andre Anchondo in the El Paso Shooting, leaving all three of their kids without their parents. Their 2-mos-old newborn, Paul, survived and will be released from the hospital today. Yesterday was also their 5-year-old daughter’s birthday, and they also leave behind an 18-month-old daughter.” This fundraiser is to help their kids and the family left to care for them. Andre stood in front of his wife and baby, and Jordan put her body in front of the baby when the shooter came for them. The baby survived; both parents were shot and died. They were at Walmart buying things for their 5 year old’s birthday party and school supplies.
58. “Write a Sentence as Clean as a Bone” And Other Advice from James Baldwin.
59. Mad Magazine Will Be Effectively Stopping After 67 Years.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 