1. When Facing Significant Life Challenges, Is It Even Possible to Look at the Bright Side? on The Gurdeep Magazine. “A positive outlook doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It’s about finding ways to cope and maintain hope while facing challenges.”
2. Ambition & Fear, “& Samarra Khaja on reclaiming joy” on The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad.
3. Why we need help doesn’t matter, “All that matters is that we do” from Rita Ott Ramstad on Rootsie. (Thanks for linking to my lists, Rita 💛. The kitchen cabinets are gorgeous.)
4. Good stuff from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less: Ditch These 5 Habits Today If You Need More Ease and 10 Little Reflections About Simplifying My Life.
5. This Is What It’s Like to Live in Asheville After Hurricane Helene from Outside. “Our national-parks columnist, a 20-year resident of Asheville, was there when Hurricane Helene’s floods wiped out entire towns in western North Carolina. Nobody expected a storm like this.” In related news, How You Can Support Communities Hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
6. Reason for Living #4: Time is Beans, “guest essay by Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing and Saving Time.”
7. ‘I’ve dealt with anti-hillbilly bigotry all my life’: Barbara Kingsolver on JD Vance, the real Appalachia and why Demon Copperhead was such a hit. “As the Pulitzer-winning author’s little-known debut – about the 1983 Arizona miners’ strike – is published in the UK, she discusses the roots of division in the US, her wild childhood, and putting the story straight about where she’s from.”
8. Heaven, Hell, & Holy Body Norms, “The Christian church’s obsession with thinness, and how it impacts all of us.”
9. Can Staying in Your Comfort Zone Actually Be Healthy for an Introvert?
10. Poems from Julie Barton: Reincarnate, Ghosting the Publisher, Failed Revolution in the Grocery Store, and Overfilled.
11. A vessel, “…the sea is so big and my boat is so small” from
Pádraig Ó Tuama.
12. Good People Won’t Be Voting for Donald Trump, “I’m sorry, that’s just how this is” from The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz.
13. 8 Self Editing Tips, “….and how to let your younger writer self into the world from Laura Lentz.
14. Who I am and how I got here, “Welcome to Play is the Opposite of Survival Mode, a newsletter by Britchida.”
15. Decisions as effort from Seth Godin.
16. Shut Up, Inner Reviewer from Jami Attenberg.
17. The joy of clutter. “The world sees Japan as a paragon of minimalism. But its hidden clutter culture shows that ‘more’ can be as magical as ‘less’.”
18. Five Essential Books For Understanding Native American History.
19. Elizabeth Strout on Complicated People.
20. What Happened to Kmart? (Incompetence, Fraud and Greed). In related news, Kmart through the years, in pictures. I was a Kmart kid.
21. ‘Horrifying’ mistake to take organs from a living person was averted, witnesses say.
22. I Studied Queer Pornography in Law School and Was Told the Subject Would Ruin My Career on Open Secrets. “‘Because Fat Girl’ author Lauren Marie Fleming on pursuing her career passions despite the naysayers.”
23. Son writes humor-filled obituary for his dad: ‘He is God’s problem now.’
“The obituary of the Texas man who died at 74 lampooned his eccentric life and mishaps.”
24. 18 Simple Habits That Will Make You Happier and Healthier.
25. How To Pursue Mindful Engagement This Election Cycle.
26. Science-backed mood boosters to (almost instantly) snap you out of a funk.
27. How to Detangle Your Productivity and Self-Worth.
28. How to Stop Checking Your Phone Every 10 Seconds.
29. 4 Things That Are Not Your Responsibility — Even If Your Anxiety Says They Are.
30. The Cure To Stream Only 2024 Concert Live On YouTube.
31. Cliff Cash: The Long Road. (video) “Cliff Cash titled his first special ‘THE LONG ROAD’ because it reflects his 13-year comedy journey, filled with twists and turns…’The Long Road’ is, in essence, a love story—a road comic who has fallen deeply in love with life’s journey: the challenges, the next adventure, the sound of laughter, the pull to say something meaningful, to do something that matters.”
32. ‘Modern Love Podcast’: Amelia Dimoldenberg Can Teach You How to Flirt on The New York Times. (gift link) “The YouTube host who has perfected the art of charming celebrities on her popular show, ‘Chicken Shop Date,’ thinks dating should be way more fun.”
34. Bird Divinations: Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, a gorgeous print and poem from Maria Popova.
35. It Took Me 7 Years To Bury My Husband. Here’s What I Learned About Grief During That Time. “I have no real memory of the months after his passing. … I’d ‘wake’ to find myself at the grocery store holding a box of his favorite cereal with no idea how I got there.”
36. For the Grieving, the Global ‘Wind Phone’ Movement Is a Lifeline.
37. And finally, this random collection of things I saved on my phone this week.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 
I loved those Kmart photos. I miss Kmart.
I love all of the shares at the bottom of these posts. They are very relatable. 🖤
It’s maybe a bit sad how a retail store was such a big part of my childhood. 🙂
Aww, not really? I completely understand how you feel. I have the same reaction to retail stores. Whenever I walk into a department store like Macy’s, the smell takes me back to those times I spent at the mall with my mom and grandma when I was little. It makes me sad to see so many of those stores—and malls—disappearing. I definitely relate to that feeling.
We actually still have a Super Kmart building just five minutes from my house (though, of course, no Kmart anymore). It was one of my favorite places, and every time I drive by, I can’t help but miss it. 😘
I don’t comment every week, but I read and appreciate every week. Always feel honored to be included in your list. Also, thanks for the kind words about the cabinets. They are slowly getting there.
❤