1. Poetry: Sit with the Pain in Your Heart, he said by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Wherever You Are by Maya Stein shared by Heart Poems, Lonely Young Mother’s Refrain and Text to My Friend from Julie Barton, Writing From Home from Jena Schwartz, Background Hum on The Weekly Pause by James Crews, and For You Who Have Loved Old Dogs by Silas House shared by Maggie Smith on The Slowdown.

2. Death and Her Compass. (video) “Andrews, a ‘death doula’ and lover of the woods, works with clients nearing the end of their lives to confront the fear, anxiety, and hope surrounding death. As Andrews inspires those around her to be more open about their mortality, she reflects on her own relationship with loss.”

3. From The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz: I Am (not) Charlie Kirk and What Exactly Do MAGAs Love, Anyway? 

4. How can we enjoy fall when democracy hangs by a thread? from Alix Klingenberg, “cozy sweaters and rage – Letter Two {Falling Gently}.”

5. Act now! from Seth Godin.

6. From problem to possibility: how your attention can improve your life. “In a world of constant digital noise, by reclaiming our attention we can improve the quality of our lives. Jodie Jackson, a specialist in the way the brain forms habits, explains how.”

7. The human stain remover: what Britain’s greatest extreme cleaner learned from 25 years on the job. “From murder scenes to whale blubber, Ben Giles has seen it – and cleaned it – all. In their stickiest hours, people rely on him to restore order.”

8. Sherwin-Williams’ 2026 Color of the Year. I can’t decide if this is utterly depressing or just right. Maybe both?

9. 8 Gentle Practices That Add Ease (When Pushing Through Isn’t Working) by Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

10. Open Source Anxiety Toolkit. “Free tools to help when you’re feeling anxious. These exercises are simple to follow and don’t require any special equipment – use them whenever your mind feels too busy or when you need a moment of calm.”

11. The Permission Workbook: Writing About the Dead. “Is it ever okay? Also, some craft thoughts on Elizabeth Gilbert’s All the Way to the River” from Elissa Altman.

12. Resilience Fatigue. “A comic for when you feel overwhelmed” from Connie Sun.

13. Bryan Andrews Music on gun violence. (Facebook reel) “You can pray AND advocate for doing SOMETHING.”

14. ‘My wife is an exquisite goddess’: Nick Offerman on love, woodwork and storing gravy in his beard. “The Parks and Recreation actor answers your questions on being married to Megan Mullally, visiting Manchester and preparing for the apocalypse.”

15. They were right [that college makes you liberal]… but not for the reason they are angry. (Facebook reel)

16. Buck helps with everything on the farm. (Facebook reel) Good boy, Buck!

17. Rudy Francisco reads his poem A Series of Gentle Reminders. (Facebook reel)

18. Simple Hack for Living in the Present Moment from Dan Harris. (Facebook reel)

19. Here’s a handy guide to help you spot AI writing.

20. This is How Bill Hader Relates to His Neuroses from Dan Harris. (Facebook reel)

21. And finally, this random collection of things I saved to my phone last week.