1. Fall colors and foliage. Some of my favorites are the asters (white, yellow, and purple) and rabbitbrush.
2. Morning walks. We got to all go together on Monday morning. This week we saw heron, beavers, a hawk, and deer.
3. My tiny family. It was lovely having a three day weekend with them.
Bonus joy: potato salad, getting in the pool and the sauna, hanging out and writing with Calyx, that sweet thing my friend said about me, breakfast burritos, a big glass of cold clean water, a warm shower, clean sheets, laundry, good TV, books, podcasts, sitting next to Eric on the couch doing nothing, cooking, being able to make appointments online instead of having to call, mail, my new pillow for “side sleepers,” training with Shelby, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.
1. How to Work with Anxiety on the Path of Liberation on Lion’s Roar. “Anxiety is actually a necessary part of our path. Psychotherapist Bruce Tift gives an instruction in how to relate to it constructively.”
3. Be Like Benji trailer. “Benji the Dog is adventuring into his first animated adventure for all ages.” You have to subscribe to see the full episode, but just the trailer made me so happy.
7. Alison Bechdel and Cheryl Strayed in Conversation. “Earlier this summer, Alison Bechdel and Cheryl Strayed got together for Virtual Wordplay, an event presented by St. Catherine University and Star Tribune…During their talk, transcribed and lightly edited below, the two discuss Alison Bechdel’s new graphic memoir The Secret to Superhuman Strength and reflect on the gendered history of physical activity and the spiritual nature of exercise.”
9. Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath. “In the wake of 9/11, Valarie Kaur set out across the country as a college student, camera in hand, to document stories of hate violence on people of color, especially Sikh Americans…The go-to film on hate crimes in the aftermath of 9/11. Watch the 20 year anniversary re-release for free.”
11. On blooming (and not) on Rita’s Notebook. “One day this week I was scrolling a social media channel and I saw a photo full of now-former colleagues. They were doing something fun together, and I felt this tight little feeling in my chest. Not because I missed them or wished I’d been included, but because I felt so relieved to be out of the place I’ve been and sad/weird about feeling relieved. They are not terrible people, and it is not a terrible place. But, now that I don’t have to work there any more, I can finally fully admit to myself how much it just wasn’t my place. Their community and its culture isn’t mine.” *sigh*
14. Yuna Begins A New Chapter In Her Musical Journey. “The award-winning singer-songwriter’s musical journey proves that taking a chance on one’s self and going all in is all you need to realise a faraway dream.”
18. How to Grieve for a Very Good Dog. “Sunny was like a handrail along the edge of a thousand-foot cliff. Navigating life’s challenges seemed doable because I knew I could hold on to her if needed. Now the handrail was gone. Trying to understand why I was in such pain, I sought out a few experts, who explained to me what it is about these transitions that makes them so difficult.”
24. Coming to Terms With the Legacy of Rick James on The New York Times. “For a new documentary, the director and the star’s daughter examine both his pioneering work and his misogyny, as well as a sexual assault conviction.”
27. Roasted Tomatoes recipe. Tis the season where we think to ourselves, “what are we going to do with all these tomatoes?!” A few other recipes I like are for roasted tomato salsa (not sharing one because I can’t find the one that I used last year that was SO good and the one we made yesterday wasn’t it), Sliced Tomato Gratin, Roasted Tomato Basil Soup, and Tomato Jam.
30. Is Your ‘Go Bag’ Ready? on The New York Times. “Climate-related emergencies like hurricanes, fires and floods are becoming more frequent. Here’s how to prepare whether you need to evacuate or hunker down.”
33. I Was Euphoric in June. Look Where We Are Now. on The New York Times. “Those first few postvaccination months turned out to be not the conclusion of the pandemic but a brief, debaucherous respite before yet another deadly wave of the virus.”
34. Keeping the Bruised Heart Tender, a contemplation and poem from one of my favorite writers and humans. “I don’t know if we’re at the end of one story or the beginning of another. Or where it ends or where it begins. I’m in the middle of it with everyone else, the muddle of one long unfolding. All I can do is keep my heart tender while I can.”
35. Wisdom from Mark Rothko, “In 1958, in an address to a private university, Rothko gave students his ‘art formula.’ He said all great art must contain the following ingredients: a preoccupation with death, an acknowledgement of human sensuality, tension, a healthy dose of irony, wit and playfulness, the element of chance, and a tiny bit of hope, to make the tragedy of life bearable.”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 