1. The Pall Of Our Unrest. “Terry Tempest Williams featured in The New York Times reading her ‘obituary for the land.’ She implores us: Let it not be true.”
2. Remarks by President Trump at the White House Conference on American History. If you had any doubts that the current President is a white supremacist, this should clear them up. In related news, Trump Accused Howard Zinn of “Propaganda.” But Zinn Was Right About US History, and Trump’s ‘1776 Commission’ isn’t education, it’s optics, and We Really Still Need Howard Zinn, and this wisdom from Nicole Cardoza’s Anti-Racism newsletter about supporting the 1619 project,
…as our country faces unprecedented challenges, it’s clear that many of its inhabitants are ill-equipped to fully understand the historical influences that got us here. We need to protect comprehensive curriculum that educators can implement in their classrooms. But it has to be willing to tell the truth. Because if we do, we all be more inspired to create the future that we deserve and collectively ensure that these injustices will never happen again. By protecting a whitewashed history, the current administration protects white supremacy and moves us further away from the country that truly supports us all.
3. Testing, testing on Rita’s Notebook, because this:
Our hope needs to be grounded in what is actually true right now today, not in what used to be true or what we wish or believe to be true–which means facing and feeling our sorrow and fear rather than pushing them away with half-truths that make us feel better. We need to accept the contradictory truths that things are terrible and that hope is reasonable so that we will take actions that might actually make a damn difference in our fight to make a better world, one in which we can all live and work without threat of death…
4. How is arguing with Trump voters working out for you? “If you want to stop authoritarianism, the efficient mission is not to attack the opposing side – but rather to stay firm in your principles and open in your heart.”
5. Wisdom from Andre Henry’s Hope & Hard Pills newsletter:
We’re a nation with concentration camps, where protesters are being snatched off the streets, and the president clearly aspires to total authority. And though we’re not the totalitarian state we could be, we must reckon with the fact that American fascism and authoritarianism is always on the table in response to Black freedom movements. The first step to fighting for our democracy is being honest about how undemocratic we are as a society. A new world is possible. It doesn’t have to be this way.
6. The eight secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life.
7. I’m not sure if it’s a curse or a blessing. Maybe both, from The Bloggess.
8. Above the Paradox Valley, a beautiful poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. In related news, videos of a recent event with Rosemerry hosted by the Loveland Public Library: Poetry Reading with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Poetry Workshop – The Practical Poet: Delight in the Details.
9. You’re Not The Fucked Up One from Chuck Wendig on Terrible Minds.
10. Guided Meditation for Election Anxiety, “a guided audio meditation by Ethan Nichtern, recorded in August of 2020 related to anxiety and contemplation of specific action around the 2020 election. The meditation itself is about 20 minutes, followed by about 7 minutes of commentary.”
11. Wisdom from Jena Schwartz’s Dispatches from Daily Life, “I realized yet again that writing really is how I live, how I process information and synthesize experiences, how I metabolize fear and sadness, how I play with ideas and possibilities, how I meet myself and you and the world.” Me too, Jena.
12. 5 Ways to Get into the Meditation Habit on Lion’s Roar.
13. Rev. angel Kyodo williams: Tying the Red Thread, a dharma podcast from Upaya Institute and Zen Center. “In this dharma talk, Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Sensei talks wrapping ourselves completely in the Red Thread, or the soiled messiness of life. She also talks about directly meeting what is in front of us and of being prepared for anything and everything.”
14. ‘PEN15’ Is No Longer an Underdog, and That Feels Weird on The New York Times. “In a joint interview, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle discussed the new season, the destabilizing effect of their show’s success and why the smallest slights are the most devastating.”
15. Free Online Practice Sessions from Tricycle. “Join Dr. Larry Ward and others for a series of live-stream meditations to help ease anxiety amid our social-distancing efforts.”
16. I’ve been doing Zoom meetings for years. These 7 tricks make them great.
17. Queer Morning Blessings / birkot hashachar. “You can greet the dawn (or whenever you wake up or really whenever you want) and become present to the miracle that is this life, that is YOU, every day, in the company of these beloveds. These are rough times, and more than ever, we need practices that reconnect us with ourselves, with Source and with each other.”
18. Video of dancing trash collectors recorded on home’s security camera goes viral.
19. Lost baby goat reunited with his mama. (video)
20. Breonna Taylor’s Family to Receive $12 Million Settlement From City of Louisville on The New York Times. “In the aftermath of the botched police raid in which Ms. Taylor was killed, the city also agreed to institute changes aimed at preventing future deaths by officers.”
21. Black-Owned Galleries to Support across the United States.
22. Japanese Artist Made These 30 Cute Vignettes From Leaves.
1. Fall in Colorado. It was a more abrupt shift between seasons than we typically experience. Usually it slowly gets cooler and darker, the green fades and starts to turn gold and orange and red. This year, with our early snow following right after a day over 90 degrees made things a little different. One day it was summer, the next winter, and a few after that, it was suddenly fully fall. The cooler weather and changing colors and the way the natural world starts to slow down has always been my favorite time of year.
2. Fall garden. We are still getting tomatoes, and the pumpkins and rhubarb are ripe. This is the first year the rhubarb was big enough to actually pick and use. I had about two cups, so I googled “rhubarb recipes” and found 
5. My tiny family. As hard as it may be sometimes to do my work on my laptop at the kitchen table, not always have direct access to my office and my stuff, I still like having Eric home more often. Ringo has been spending some time on Sam’s couch, which is both sweet and sad.
Bonus joy: tea with Janice, lunch with Carrie, aqua aerobics, sitting in the infrared sauna with Eric, listening to audio books and podcasts, how cool it is in the morning, cooking, making a meal from scratch without a recipe just using what we have, having all the laundry done and put away, Ringo’s belly and toe and razor burn all healed up, “singing” with Ringo and Eric, grocery pick up, yard time, being invited to write something for the next issue of Mabel Magazine, clean air and water, all those who continue to risk their own health and safety so that we have food and shelter and healthcare.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 