1. Laughter in the dark. “A timid child of the suburbs, she has been dogged by anxiety for much of her life. As a teacher, living alone, she began to write mordantly witty verse about failed relationships. She is now one of our most popular and respected poets, and her latest collection reflects a new-found personal happiness.” I knew Wendy Cope’s poem The Orange, but the other day I read her poem “Defining the Problem” and it put words to an experience I’ve had for which I couldn’t quite find the right ones.

2. Small groups, well organized from Seth Godin.

3. Wisdom from Emily Flake: “Those of us without MFAs or rich/connected parents or whatever the fuck—we have to carve a different path. Or in my case just thrash through the weeds until something like a path emerges.”

4. Jami Attenberg: ‘Rejection gave me a fresh start, a new year.’ “The American author on how one professor’s criticism gave her the boost she needed to find her own way into a writing career.”

5. What Teaches Us? What Should We Worship? from Satya Robyn. 

6. Michael Singer Podcast. “Join the New York Times bestselling author of The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, and Living Untethered for this free series of curated teaching sessions, recorded at his Temple of the Universe yoga and meditation center.”

7. Is It Introversion or Depression?

8. Essay Camp Starts Wednesday with Summer Brennan.

9. finding softness in hard times (video), facilitated by Abigail Rose Clarke.

10. Art in nature: Artist Makes Massive Sand Drawings That Will Eventually Be Swallowed by the Tide and The Beauty of Ephemeral Nature Art.

11. Color can make a big difference: Hand-Coloured Photographs of Flowers Ogawa Kazumasa, 1896 and History enhanced! Early photographs reborn – in pictures.

12. 17 Life-Learnings from 17 Years of The Marginalian.

13. What Can a Poem Do?, “thoughts on singing in dark times” from Maggie Smith.

14. Simple Holidays: 10 Ways To Reduce Overwhelm And Increase Joy from Tammy Strobel on Be More With Less.

15. Good stuff on Lion’s Roar: 4 Ways to Heal Yourself with Love (“Loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity—these four loving qualities, says Pawan Bareja, are powerful ways to heal our trauma”) and The Zen of Jane Hirshfield (“When we live in the liminal state, the place of listening, of not-knowing, then everything draws near to us, becomes kin. Noelle Oxenhandler on the words and wordlessness of the renowned American poet Jane Hirshfield”).

16. Why People-Pleasing Isn’t Pleasing Anyone. “How to have secure, healthy relationships without bending into a pretzel.”

17. A Week Without Social Media from a Social Media Manager.

18. Top 30 Most Delightful Things That Happen Unexpectedly.

19. How to make letting go of stuff easier – decluttering experts share their tricks.

20. The Swedish philosophy of lagom: how “just enough” is all you need.

21. Putting your head down and hustling is ‘totally wrong,’ says Yale happiness expert—here’s what to do instead.

22. Bobi, the world’s oldest dog, dies at 31. Good boy, Bobi

23. Meet Amy Wilderson. “We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Wilderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.”

24. Recipes I want to try: Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies and Gingerbread Muffins.

25. Pink still feels like an underdog, even as the singer sells out stadiums.

26. Get It Done blog. “Inspiring true stories. Tips on writing, focusing, and getting things done.”

27. There is Power in Despair from Gretchen Schmelzer.

28. 63 Things To Declutter And Let Go Of from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less. The full title of this post included “By The End Of The Year” but I just don’t need that kind of pressure.

29. Balancing Act, a poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

30. Why There’s No Place Like Home for Introverts. I would add a #6 to the list: it’s where my dog is.