1. The Way It Is, a poem by William Stafford.
2. How an adopted son honored his birth mom. (video) “A boy was never supposed to know his birth mother, but his adoptive parents had other plans. When he recently had his own son, he found a way to honor her. Steve Hartman shares more in ‘On the Road.'”
3. The Enduring Wisdom of ‘Goodnight Moon’ on The New York Times. “It’s the first book many babies receive as a gift, and one of the few that parents will keep when their child is grown. Why does this 75-year-old story have such staying power?”
4. Were you a ‘parentified child’? What happens when children have to behave like adults. “The phenomenon has little to do with parental love, and much more to do with the personal and structural circumstances that stop parents from attending to the immense anxiety and burden that a child may be experiencing on their behalf. The parent is often unable to see that their child is taking responsibility for maintaining the peace in the family, for protecting one parent from the other, for being their friend and therapist, for mediating between the parents and the outside world, for parenting the siblings, and sometimes for the medical, social and economic stability of the household.”
5. This brown bear helped itself to some late night treats at a 7-Eleven. (video)
7. Puerto Rico has lost more than power. The vast majority of people have no clean water. In related news, How to help people in Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Fiona and 5 Organizations Helping Victims of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico. To be fair, Puerto Rico isn’t the only place that needs help. HOW could anyone still believe that we aren’t in the midst of a terrifying environmental crisis?!
8. Person Asks “Doctors, What Was The Worst Thing You’ve Seen In A Patient That Another Doctor Overlooked?”, And 30 Folks Deliver. **Trigger warning**: this post will ENRAGE you.
9. Élise on Instagram, a digital creator from Southern Colorado, “Food • Photography • Lifestyle”, who makes me smile. Clearly, the best content creators are named Elise or Elyse, because Hi, I’m Elyse Myers. Welcome to my podcast: Funny Cuz It’s True.
10. Monty Don welcomes adorable new puppy in a series of cute posts. I follow him for the gardening, but I stay for the dogs.
12. Corn Kid Is Doing Just Fine on The New York Times. “He went viral this summer for his love of corn. Now it’s back to business as usual: elementary school.”
13. Breaking Is Part of Healing by Adrienne Maree Brown.
14. One Hundred Reasons Why I Write.
15. I Am Ryan and My Dog Saved My Life. (video)
16. Kid’s outpouring of emotion meeting his baby brother for the first time has us wrecked. (video)
17. Grace Rose Farm. So gorgeous!
18. The Free Black Women’s Library, “a social art project, interactive installation and book collection that celebrates the brilliance, diversity and imagination of Black women and Black non-binary authors. The library features four thousand books written by Black women, as well as workshops, readings, story circles, performances, cultural conversations and a monthly reading club.” I love this project so much. Check out their reading room (video) and learn more about the project from the founder, (video).
19. Follow @anchoponcho for amazing animations. (video)
21. Old ambulance finds new purpose as mobile mental health clinic for LGBTQ+ youth. In related news, filed under “other good stuff happening in Colorado”: Aurora looks to expand program that offers an alternative response to mental health crises and They call him Goathead Greg and he has uprooted 427.5 pounds of puncture vine from Denver bike trails.
22. I Don’t Need My Life to Be Remarkable on The New York Times. “I’ve come to see the wisdom in not just seeking but finding joy in the mundane, in the unremarkable, even in the frankly boring, particularly in this era of global — and personal — illness. I realize I am far from unique in my efforts to appreciate the moment. It is the essence of mindfulness, the stuff of my (often failed) efforts to meditate. But it has allowed me to stand still when I might otherwise never stop moving.”
23. 5 Things That Help Me Fall Asleep as an Anxious Introvert.
24. Whatever Happened to the Starter Home? on The New York Times. “The economics of the housing market, and the local rules that shape it, have squeezed out entry-level homes.”
25. Can Brown Noise Turn Off Your Brain? on The New York Times.
26. Oregon church puts out the most inclusive and political messages. “Jesus was most critical of those who used religion as an excuse to marginalize others. We are merely seeking to follow Jesus in the best way we can.”
27. Hilary Mantel on How Writers Learn to Trust Themselves.
28. Why Do Women Gain Belly Fat in Midlife? on The New York Times. “And is there any way to target it through diet or exercise?” — **Spoiler Alert**: the answer is no.
29. How independent bookstores help in the fight against book banning and why it matters.
30. Artist uses AI to create ultra realistic portraits of celebrities who left us too soon.
31. How to Befriend Yourself: 10 Ideas To Deepen Self-Awareness.
32. Recipe I want to try: Cinnamon Sugar Scones.
33. Jessa Dupuis, a mixed media collage artist. (video)
34. Guilt-free Introverting: a roadmap for anyone who craves alone time from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.
35. Fall Is the Season for Building Mindfulness and Resilience on The New York Times.
36. Poems from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer: The Prayers, For a Moment, and An Open Thank You Letter to Kristen Who Works at the Cemetery.
37. The Pause from Krista Tippett, where she writes about “a deepened experience of a ritual I’ve come to think of as contemplative reading.”
38. Lessons From Chemotherapy from Andrea Gibson.
39. 12. The Confused Chestnut Tree from Summer Brennan. “But there was something sort of magical about it too, ominous but magical, like the tree was caught in two different times at once, flickering between spring and autumn, the present and the past. I suppose it’s a relatable feeling as well, that this tree has about it, when we’re not sure which way we’re going, out or in, going dormant or waking up. Is it time to give it all up and let everything fall so we can rest? Or to muster energy and hope, even against the odds of the season all around us, and send out new green buds? In times of turbulence, it seems even the trees aren’t always sure which way to turn.”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 