1. Three Reasons to Go More Gently from Satya Robyn on Going Gently.

2. ‘Tis the season, “To embrace radical acceptance and set gentle intentions” from Rita on Rootsie.

3. The year of connection from Garrett Bucks on The White Pages. “We can and will accomplish so much together, but there will still be more work to be done after we are finished. The world is on fire, quite literally, and we may very well exhaust the capacity of our buckets and hoses, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t keep filling them with water.”

4. A Portrait of the Artist as an Amazon Reviewer. “Between 2003 and 2019, Kevin Killian published almost twenty-four hundred reviews on the site. Can they be considered literature?”

5. 21 Ways to Make Your Holidays More Sustainable.

6. 52 random facts I learned in 2024.

7. Live a Happier Life By Releasing These 10 Things and Habits from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

8. Lit Hub’s 38 Favorite Books of 2024. In related news, Readers’ Favorite Books of 2024 from the 16th annual Goodreads Choice Awards. In other news, The 10 Best Movies of 2024 and The 50 Best Albums of 2024.

9. We Can Solve Our Care and Housing Crises, Together.

10. How To Write Words And Make Art In This Dire Era of Clowns and Cowards from Chuck Wendig: Terrible Minds.

11. Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People from The Trevor Project.

12. I am on my way with the necessary equipment from Patti Digh.

13. What does it actually mean when we talk about the American ‘working class’? by Rebecca Solnit. “Everyone I asked gave a different definition – and when a concept is so nebulous, it becomes a political cudgel.”

14. The ChatGPT secret: is that text message from your friend, your lover – or a robot? “People are turning to chatbots to solve all their life problems, and they like its answers. But are they on a very slippery slope?”

15. Saplings from vandalised Sycamore Gap tree will spread ‘message of hope.’ “The 200-year-old tree had become one of the most photographed in Britain and was a beloved feature of the Northumbrian landscape at a dell on Hadrian’s Wall. It was chopped down illegally in an act of vandalism in 2023, provoking a global outcry of sadness and disbelief. The National Trust announced in September it would create a legacy for the tree by gifting 49 saplings – one for each foot of the sycamore’s height – to communities around the UK.”

16. 10 ways to relate to others (and yourself) in a positive way this Christmas.

17. The Shadow in Me. “How my life changed forever when my mother left our family.”

18. Dave Eggers just opened a library of books written entirely by children.

19. Is the Dull Men’s Club actually… quite interesting?

20. Illness and the Myth of Strength: What a Yoga Class Got Wrong About Resilience from Andrea Gibson.

21. “Give me darkness when I’m dreaming, Give me moonlight when I’m leaving” from Amy Marie Turner.

22. 5 Practical Suggestions for Getting Out of a Funk. “Ideas to help reset your mood when you’re feeling low.”

23. Looking for ‘Glimmers’ Is Our New Favorite Mindfulness Practice.

24. Season 1 of “Art in the Twenty-First Century” on YouTube. “At the dawn of the 21st century, American artists are taking self-expression and the artistic process into uncharted territory. Today’s artists are engaging the world and their audiences in vital and surprising new ways. They use an enormous variety of media and draw on sources ranging from pop culture and politics to ethnic heritage, classical models, and deeply personal life experiences. Season 1 features 21 artists that represent a cross-section of contemporary art practices and philosophies, and hail from different regions of the United States.”

25. Word of the Year picks: ‘Brain rot’ named Oxford Word of the Year 2024 and ‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year.

26. Pete Rush, Sculptur, on Instagram. His work with driftwood is particularly beautiful.

27. Recipe I want to try: Apple puff pastry doughnut. (Facebook reel).

28. How to Be Patient in a Hectic World: 3 Tips and a Story that Changed Me from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

29. A poem for those brokenhearted on the holidays from John Roedel.

30. Visualized: Top Streamed Song on Spotify Every Year, 2014-2023. I got my Spotify Wrapped, and while the podcast stats are accurate, it’s hard to know with the music because I use Spotify when I’m teaching, so the first and last artists on the list are more about that than my own preferences or awareness.

31. Associated Press 100 Photos of 2024: An epic catalog of humanity.

32. Bad influence. “One Amazon influencer makes a living posting content from her beige home. But after she noticed another account hawking the same minimal aesthetic, a rivalry spiraled into a first-of-its-kind lawsuit. Can the legal system protect the vibe of a creator? And what if that vibe is basic?”

33. Land Artist Jon Foreman. (Facebook reel)

34. Am I allowed to be funny?’ Ashley Storrie on acting, autism – and grieving her mum, Janey Godley. “The Scottish comedian received two Baftas last month, just after the death of her mother. She discusses secrets, sadness, success and how comedy sustains her.”

35. True Colours, a poem on Facebook from Becky Hemsley.

36. An Instagram reel about Jasmin Paris. “I think I cried 20+ times making this video. tears of pure inspiration & awe. what Jasmin did at the Barkley marathons is beyond comprehension of pure grit & determination. grit that most of us will likely never reach the depths of in our entire lives. but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to fight through the pain & failure, when we face hardships, whether that’s in a marathon, or your daily job. and… to all the women out there watching this, I hope this incredible achievement takes you forward. you decide what’s possible.”

37. Give a Girl from Brittany Moore. (Facebook reel) I love this song, so much — obviously.

38. And finally, this collection of random things I saved on my phone this week.