1. The Ten Commitments from The American Humanist Center for Education. “Each one of us is responsible for the collective welfare of humanity, other beings, and the resources of our shared planet…The Ten Commitments represents our shared humanistic values and principles that promote a democratic world in which every individual’s worth and dignity is respected, nurtured, and supported, and where human freedom and ethical responsibility are natural aspirations for everyone.”

2. 12 little acts of kindness: what friends and strangers did for each other in their hour of need. “From hot meals and thoughtful surprises to strangers who took the time to listen, you shared the ways people brought you light in your darkest hour.”

3. Give a Girl by Brittany Moore. (Facebook video) This is my new favorite song, and I just found out the specific dog she wrote the song about is a BLUE HEELER. 

4. For the HSPs: 15 Simple Things That Make Highly Sensitive People Happy, and The Science of Calming the Heck Down (And Why We HSPs Can Struggle With It), and How Social Media Affects a Highly Sensitive Person’s Brain.

5. A Manifesto by Roxane Gay — 10 rules for loving and being loved well. “For Roxane Gay, love has no rules, but there are ways of loving well. A relationship is to be nurtured, worked on and appreciated; and contrary to common wisdom, it’s something to find joy in, not suffering. Here, the writer gives us a gentle guide—hand-drawn by her wife, the artist, writer and educator Debbie Millman—on how to navigate this most delicate of emotions.” I’m not sure I agree that love is “this most delicate of emotions.” I’d call it fierce if anything.

6. For the Love of Dogs…and All Beings with Tara Brach. “The focus of this conversation is on our relationships with dogs, and more broadly, all beings. We look at what Thich Nhat Hanh called interbeing, and what happens when we shift our attention from self to who are we together. Tara is joined by Mark Drucker, an animal lover who works in digital media and is founder of lovedog.com, and Drew Webster, a dog behavior consultant par excellence.”

7. Will The Rock’s Red One be the worst Christmas movie ever? “The trailer for Amazon’s reportedly troubled $250m action-comedy shows that it might just be weightless action mush.” I watched the trailer and it’s so ridiculous. I was cringing as hard as I was laughing.

8. How Much of This is True? On the Subtle Nuances of Memoir and Autofiction. “Everything is, on some level, fiction. Especially after it’s been filtered through individual experience. We are all unreliable narrators, recounting our stories through the filters of perception and memory. Mostly, whether someone believes you only has to do with how well you can tell your story.”

9. The paradox of self skepticism from Seth Godin.

10. To the People I’ve Lost Over Politics and Religion on The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz. “I know you may believe this disconnection is about politics or religion, but I want you to know that this simply isn’t true. It’s nothing that small or inconsequential, or this space between us wouldn’t be necessary. This is about fundamental differences in the ways in which we view the world and believe other people should be treated. It’s not political stuff, it’s human being stuff—which is why finding compromise and seeing a way forward is so difficult.”

11. Good stuff on Be More With Less from Courtney Carver: 8 Mistakes We Make Over and Over that Make Us Feel Unhappy and 10 Little Tips To Help You Keep Your Cool.

12. 6 Common Fears About Starting Therapy on Psychology Today. “Going to therapy for the first time is a bold step and it might elicit some strong feelings. These apprehensions are expected, and they accompany the process of entering therapy.”

13. Our Mistaken Ideas About What Makes Us Happy on Zen Habits.

14. Ditch These 5 Unhealthy Habits to Unlock Your Best Life.

15. Feeling exhausted? Here’s how to fight the weariness. “Try these top tips for managing your energy more wisely.”

16. Grief Guides: Among the death doulas. “What it takes to become a death doula, someone who guides the dying and their loved ones through grief—from the logistics of closing a social media account to the experience of holding their hand as they pass.”

17. The poetry of Finn Butler. Such as “I know the heart is a heavy thing” and “Saltwater” and “What is the shape of your loneliness today?”

18. Abe Lincoln wax sculpture melts in brutal DC heat. Seems to be a metaphor for something in there somewhere.

19. Wednesday Poetry from Patti Digh: “Epitaph” by Merrit Malloy.

20. Pair of Sleeping Bees Wins Insect Photography Contest. I love how this title seems to imply that the pair of sleeping bees are the ones who took the winning photo.

21. Free to be you and me from Rita on Rootsie. “Or, what if you actually are creating what you need to be, right now?”

22. Embracing Mortality: The Conversation Live on Death, Dying, and Finding Peace on The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet. “In a recent InstaLive session, I had the pleasure of discussing one of life’s most profound experiences – death – with hospice nurse Julie. Known fondly as Hospice Nurse Julie, she has recently authored a book titled ‘Nothing to Fear,’ which has already made it onto the New York Times bestseller list. Our shared objective is importance of normalizing death and the significant impact it has on how we live our lives.”