1. The Lifegiving Benefits of Befriending Our Mortality, a new poem from Andrea Gibson.
2. These Are the Most Gorgeous Botanical Gardens in the U.S. Eric and I are planning a road trip to visit botanical gardens, state parks, museums, and all the good restaurants, so this list might come in handy.
3. Could You Transform Your Yard into a Flourishing Wildlife Haven? “Through Backyard Habitat Certification, individuals strive to make even the smallest outdoor spaces more biodiverse. Those changes add up.”
4. We Quit Our Jobs to Build a Cabin—Everything Went Wrong on Outside, “And it was also the most awesome experience.”
5. The soft life: why millennials are quitting the rat race. “Ambition once came with a promise: a home, a salary, progress and fulfilment. What happens when that promise is broken? Meet the women who are turning their backs on consumerism, materialism and burnout.”
6. Maybe You Just Need To Take a Nap Right Now. “We work (almost) more than ever before. It’s time to take it easy.” In related news, this piece from CBS Sunday Morning, Take it easy – The importance of being lazy. (video) “Social pressures to be productive – not to mention a culture that prizes multitasking – make doing nothing hard to do, for fear of being accused of the dreaded sin of laziness. However, experts say there are rewards for not pushing yourself to the edge all the time. Correspondent Susan Spencer looks at how some of the most productive and innovative people in history allowed themselves to take time out, just to be.”
7. How to Break Dependence on the Phone on Zen Habits. In related news, A leading mindfulness teacher shares insights to counter tech addiction and isolation.
8. Dan Rather, at 92, on a life in news. “It’s been almost 20 years since Dan Rather signed off as anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” at the network where he spent 44 years covering wars, politics, and the assassination of JFK – and where he mentored a young correspondent named Lee Cowan. Rather, now 92, talks with Cowan about his illustrious career; about the story that gave him (and CBS) a black eye; and his post-CBS years, writing books and finding a new, younger audience on social media.”
9. Restorative in every way: a rewilding retreat in Somerset. “A Wild Weekend on the 42 Acres estate near Frome offers fresh air, cosy rooms, sumptuous food and a chance to get hands dirty with some land regeneration work.”
10. Why Your Vet Bill Is So High. “Corporations and private-equity funds have been rolling up smaller chains and previously independent practices.” In related news, Pets may need to wait weeks, months for care amid US veterinarian shortage.
11. They turned cattle ranches into tropical forest — then climate change hit.
12. Embracing intimacy and uncertainty: At work with Oregon’s poet laureate.
13. The big idea: what if dreaming is the whole point of sleep? “Rather than being an optional extra, dreams might be vital to our functioning.”
14. Recipes I want to try: Apple Kuchen Bars, and Jumbo Brownie Cookies (Facebook reel), and Cinnamon Sugar Butter Swim Biscuits, and Cheese Biscuits (Facebook reel), and Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad.
15. The ‘real-life’ Martha from Baby Reindeer says she’s planning to sue Netflix.
16. Heart and Soul Podcast | Religion in the 21st Century: Buddhism. “What does it mean to be a Buddhist today?”
17. Why a Dog’s Death Hits So Hard.
18. If I Must Break from Nightbirde. “If I must break, I thought, Maybe I can break like the waves. And if I am shattering, maybe it’s into ten billion gleaming pieces, only for a second. And soon I’ll fall back into one whole. Maybe the breaking means I’m finally reaching home.”
19. 50 Ways to End a Poem on LitHub. “Emily Skaja Has Some Recommendations for Making a Strong Exit.”
20. Three gardeners remember their first gardens. “First gardens, like first homes, can have a dramatic impact on what comes later. Here three gardeners, Arne Maynard, Clare Foster, and Daisy Garnett remember the first gardens they made themselves.”
21. 33 loft conversion and attic room ideas. These are so dreamy.
22. The Enchanting Chichi-sugi: An 800-Year-Old “Breast Tree” in Japan.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 
That sacred tree in Japan. 🖤
Anna told me to watch Baby Reindeer. Have you watched it?
Those botanic gardens….swoon. Especially the one in Atlanta?
I haven’t watched Baby Reindeer yet. I think it’s a bit too dark for me right now, but I will eventually. I’ll have to be in the right headspace to watch.