1. Addiction Ravaged My Family and Tribe. I’m Fighting to Get Them Back. on The New York Times.
2. “Pets are family,” a Facebook thread from Josh Weed on the grief of losing a pet.
3. Good stuff from Seth Godin: Turtleneck confusion, A long time is not the same as never, Working with problems, and The Perfect conditions.
4. Fight, Flight, and Freeze Embodied, an emotion wheel from Lindsay Braman. “Learning about fight, flight, fawn, and freeze can be helpful, but learning how these responses manifest in our particular bodies is where the magic really starts.”
5. Helena Bonham Carter reads Small Kindnesses by Danusha Laméris, one of my favorite poems. (Facebook reel)
6. Read Anne Boyer’s extraordinary New York Times resignation letter. “The Israeli state’s U.S-backed war against the people of Gaza is not a war for anyone. There is no safety in it or from it…Its only profit is the deadly profit of oil interests and weapon manufacturers.”
7. Warren Doyle Knows More About the Appalachian Trail than Anyone. He Hates What It’s Become. “Doyle set a speed record on the AT 50 years ago, long before YouTubers and partying twentysomethings had flooded the iconic trail. Through his Appalachian Trail Institute, which he’s run since 1989, he’s still trying to convert a new generation of thru-hikers to his personal philosophy of what the trail should be.”
8. A new graphic novel version of ‘Watership Down’ aims to temper darkness with hope.
9. Lama Rod Owens: The Path of the New Saint. (podcast) “Give a listen to this inspiring conversation on how each one of us can become effective agents of social and spiritual liberation. Tami and Lama Rod discuss awakened care and bodhicitta; partnering with ancestral forces and the unseen world; brokenheartedness and our collective emotional labor; disrupting reactivity; the radical act of choosing joy; experiencing our true home; two traits of a prophet: embodying clarity and telling the truth; the New Saint as an ordinary human being; the practice of receiving love; spiritual warriorship and what it means to ‘fight within love’; prayers of protection; the commitment to get free from suffering; consenting to the work of being a New Saint; and more.”
10. It’s hygge season: How to embrace the Danish lifestyle of rest and coziness.
11. 9 Nonfiction Books To Make You Rethink the World Around You.
12. Why All of My Book Clubs Have Imploded.
13. Fall in love with Willow the muskox calf. (video) “Watch as our adorable and spunky muskox calf joyfully dives headfirst into her very first pile of maple leaves and turns her leafy playground into a zoomie extravaganza.”
14. Introspective Figures Navigate Surreal Worlds in Simón Prades’ Illustrations. This image is my favorite.
15. The Racist Origins of Marijuana Prohibition. (video) “The legal status of cannabis has been in question in the U.S. since people starting regularly smoking it in the early 1900s. The debate continues today, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions taking a firm stance against legalization and insisting that federal prohibition laws be enforced, even where states have made it legal. But how did it become illegal in the first place? As it turns out, it has some roots in racist rhetoric pushed by politicians and the media in the 1930s, when it first became illegal.”
16. Three Things That Should Be Required For Weight Loss Research from Ragen Chastain.
17. ‘We’re not doomed yet’: five reasons for climate hope, by a climatologist.
18. 5 Signs You’re Overthinking It.
19. 3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel Lingo on Ten Percent Happier podcast. “A former nun explains how to deal with doom-scrolling, despair, and rage in the face of world events.”
20. Things That Count as Writing on McSweeney’s.
21. Everyday Creativity: Small Actions with Big Impact from Esmé Weijun Wang.
22. What do Artists do all day? a video series from the BBC shared on the Art Documentaries YouTube page.
23. Is my work in the world over? from Patti Digh. “Coming back from that edge is in process.”
24. How to Get Through the Holidays When You’re Grieving.
25. 30 Ways to Be Kind: Simple Ways to Spread a Little Love.
26. Can little actions bring big joy? Researchers find ‘micro-acts’ can boost well-being.
27. A gratitude zine from Austin Kleon.
28. Unpacking the Psychology of Gift-Giving on The New York Times. “When it comes to gift-giving, context is everything. While marketers, influencers and innumerable holiday gift guides might suggest otherwise, whether a present is a home run or an epic fail depends less on cost, design, style, presentation or practicality and more on the giver’s ability to listen, observe and empathize — and perhaps do a little sleuthing.”
30. Holiday Anxiety? 5 Ways To Stress Less And Enjoy More from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.
31. Taking Clouds and Putting Them In A Jar: A Conversation with Esmé Weijun Wang. “On the importance of comfort, the wisdom of dogs, and how to live with an unreliable body and mind.”
32. At 33, I knew everything. At 69, I know something much more important. from Anne Lamott.
33. When Your Significant Other Has Four Legs and Fur on The New York Times. “For singles who have grown weary of dating, pet ownership helps fill the relationship void.”
34. Nice vs. Kind: The Difference Is Significant.
36. What to Know About Assisted Living on The New York Times. “The facilities can look like luxury apartments or modest group homes, and can vary in pricing structures. Here’s a guide.”
37. Pretty Scruffy: enchanting animal textile sculptures by Bryony Rose Jennings. “Hampshire, UK-based artist Bryony Rose Jennings creates fascinating animal textile sculptures using different kinds of patterned fabrics from old clothes scruffily and delicately sewn.”
38. I know sitting is bad for me. But how can I cut back when it’s so much fun? “I eat my greens and I look after my gums. There’s not much I won’t do for the sake of my health. But this? Get lost.”
39. 6 Ideas for Introverts to Slow Down and Enjoy Life More.
40. Work has conquered every day of the week. How do we remain human in a world that worships toil? “Left unchecked, work will rule your life. If we can’t entirely exorcise the work demon, we should, frankly, make it harder for it to do its thing.”
41. 35 Thoughtful Questions To Ask At Thanksgiving Dinner. “Thanksgiving gets a bad rap for its association with tense family conversations that sometimes escalate to full-fledged shouting matches. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Gathering immediate and extended family together for a special meal offers a great opportunity for meaningful conversation and the chance to learn more about your own history. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of 35 questions to promote thoughtful discussions and help you learn more about your family on Thanksgiving.”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 