1. Finding a Way Forward When the Path isn’t Clear. “The gift is, that in struggling along our own trail, we become the trail makers. Each of us makes it possible for the next person coming along, the next person who can’t see a way forward, to make it to the next cairn. And the next one. Making their journey forward possible.”
2. Which team? from Seth Godin.
3. You should sign up for Hugh Hollowell’s Life Is So Beautiful, “a weekly email handwritten, non-AI-generated, personally crafted, and curated by Hugh Hollowell, devoted to the idea that our hope for survival in this brutal world is rooted in finding the beauty that is everywhere, but sometimes hard to find.” If you need a reason, here are three from his most recent newsletter: Eternal Spring (video), and Still Life (video), and So, About This HAIR… (video).
4. Honoring Juneteenth on PBS, a collection of videos, a link shared by Omkari Williams in a recent Activist Micro Action Dispatch, (“Have an action you can do in 10 minutes or less delivered to your inbox each week”), in which she says, “My relationship with this holiday is complicated. On the one hand I celebrate that slavery was abolished. On the other I recognize that abolishing slavery is one thing while freedom, freedom is something else entirely. We don’t fix anything by ignoring it. We can address our issues of injustice and racial harm if we choose to do so, but it’s a choice we must make each day. Educating ourselves and our children is one step towards building the world we want to see.” You can also preorder her new book, Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World (Without A Bullhorn).
5. The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet, “a groundbreaking series of one-on-one interviews featuring candid conversations with women and non-binary individuals…for raw and honest discussions on topics that need to be addressed right now. Each week, these incredible guests share their personal journeys, the insights they’ve gained and often hard lessons they’ve learned along the way.” I bring it up because her most recent episode sounds really interesting — As Sick As Your Secrets: Recovery From Addiction with Jamie Lee Curtis.
6. Doing Water Aerobics in the Senior Living Community with Janie Bird from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. I love aqua aerobics.
7. Xinyue: Delight in the Everyday. “Are you seeking to make your daily life more joyful without spending too much effort or money? Xinyue Wu’s thesis project, Xinyue: Delight in the Everyday, offers simple, affordable solutions for 24-35-year-old workers. By transforming ordinary experiences into delightful ones and using everyday products as emotional intervention tools, Xinyue aims to bring joy into people’s lives in a more accessible and sustainable way. With this approach, individuals can unconsciously infuse their daily lives with new-found vitality and happiness.”
8. Parker Posey Doesn’t Know If She Can Live Here. “The actress on aging in the city, terrible boyfriends, and why she doesn’t read her press.”
9. The Food Expiration Dates You Should Actually Follow on The New York Times. “The first thing you should know? The dates, as we know them, have nothing to do with safety. J. Kenji López-Alt explains.”
10. Good stuff from Lion’s Roar: Cultivating the 5 Powers (“Faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, insight: these are faculties found within us all. It’s up to us, of course, to develop and bring them out. In this conversation with Buddhadharma, author, medical doctor, and Plum Village monastic Sister Dang Nghiem — a.k.a. ‘Sister D’ — talks about how her teacher Thich Nhat Hanh taught the ‘five strengths,’ and how we can transform and harness them into powers that drive and deepen our dharma practice”) and Grow Your Mindfulness in the Garden (“Cheryl Wilfong on how to practice the four foundations of mindfulness in the garden”).
11. Why Gardening Is the Perfect Summer Hobby for Introverts.
12. “Everything Rots,” Thank God, “in defense of half-assing it.”
13. When Words Fall Short from Summer Brennan.
14. A Commencement Speech For Us from Frederick Joseph. “Sharing a few words many of us might need.”
15. Compassion becomes you from Patti Digh, who asks that we “resist dehumanizing people, no matter what.”
16. Let Kids Get Bored. It’s Good for Them. on The New York Times. “A reminder to parents soldiering through the summer: Boredom has its virtues.” I’ll add to that: boredom, it’s not just for kids.
17. 5 Painfully Obvious Truths We Tend to Forget When Life Gets Messy.
18. Everything Must Be Paid for Twice.
19. There’s No Such Thing as Getting Ahead.
20. The Man Behind Nature’s Driftwood Creatures // 60 Second Docs. (video) In related news, Slinky Artist Felix Semper // 60 Second Docs. (video)
21. CBS Sunday Morning Featuring Replacements, Ltd. (video) “Correspondent Nancy Giles visits Replacements, a North Carolina-based company that is the world’s largest supplier of active and discontinued tableware.”
22. Recipes I want to try: Rhubarb Butter and Favorite Rhubarb Recipes.
23. The White Woman Whisperer. “In 2019, I moved my life to the Midwest for my first ‘well-paying job’ and, through some painful experiences, found out that racism is not only still pervasive, but can be presented as allyship. To make things worse, those who DO want to advocate for racial equity are not equipped to do so without causing further harm. So… instead of succumbing to the dehumanizing nature of ‘professionalism’ and screaming into the abyss of Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, I am choosing to believe that we can, and will, break this cycle.”
24. 36 Random Animal Facts That May Surprise You.
25. Already Very Queer Comedy “The Lake” Gets Gayer in Season Two.
26. Dr. Sanjay Gupta: It’s time to rethink what we call ‘old age.’
27. A Heartwarming Short Film That Pays Beautiful Homage to Role That Dogs Play in Human Lives.
28. Powell’s Q&A: Gail Tsukiyama, author of ‘The Brightest Star.’
29. 6 Key Figures of the Harlem Renaissance’s Queer Scene. “Harlem in the 1920s and ’30s offered the Black creative class a sense of pride and possibility. It also had cross-dressing blues singers, extravagant drag balls and literary and artistic salons.”
31. What to Do If Your House is Overflowing with Books. “Emily Grosvenor Offers Some Interior Design Tips for the Struggling Bibliophile.”
32. Unlikely Hikers is Making the Great Outdoors Way Greater.
33. Jack Hanna’s Alzheimer’s has progressed to the point he no longer recognizes most family members.
36. Artist Reimagines Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ with Adorable Dogs.
37. Quote from a current read: “I rediscover a few key facts about friendships: They take time. They require attention. They need nurturing. Not the friends, necessarily, but the friendships. The quality and durability of any friendship reflects all that is put into it by both parties. Honest conversation. Availability. Sensitivity. Care. Compassion” (from Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness, which I’m not sure yet if I’d recommend, especially considering the reviews).
38. Why does everything have to be Flamin’ Hot? a hilarious rant from the always hysterical Roy Wood Jr. (video)
39. New to me music: Pamela Machala. We saw her in concert last night with one of my favorites, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, and she was SO good. One of the friends that went with us said, “I could listen to that voice all day.” Pamela also has two ADORABLE cattle dog mixes so I did the most me thing ever after she played and showed her a picture of Ringo Blue.
40. I Asked AI What The Typical Person From Each State Looks Like, And Here’s What It Came Up With.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 