jillsalahub

1. How to Work with Anxiety on the Path of Liberation on Lion’s Roar. “Anxiety is actually a necessary part of our path. Psychotherapist Bruce Tift gives an instruction in how to relate to it constructively.”

2. The Tenacity of Trees. A gallery of trees growing in impossible places.

3. Be Like Benji trailer. “Benji the Dog is adventuring into his first animated adventure for all ages.” You have to subscribe to see the full episode, but just the trailer made me so happy.

4. Why this s.tage of the pandemic makes us so anxious.

5. This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma. Ezra Klein’s podcast on The New York Times. “The author of The Body Keeps the Score on how trauma transforms the body and the brain.”

6. Monday, a poem by Alex Dimitrov.

7. Alison Bechdel and Cheryl Strayed in Conversation. “Earlier this summer, Alison Bechdel and Cheryl Strayed got together for Virtual Wordplay, an event presented by St. Catherine University and Star Tribune…During their talk, transcribed and lightly edited below, the two discuss Alison Bechdel’s new graphic memoir The Secret to Superhuman Strength and reflect on the gendered history of physical activity and the spiritual nature of exercise.”

8. In Praise of Snail Mail.

9. Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath. “In the wake of 9/11, Valarie Kaur set out across the country as a college student, camera in hand, to document stories of hate violence on people of color, especially Sikh Americans…The go-to film on hate crimes in the aftermath of 9/11. Watch the 20 year anniversary re-release for free.”

10. Good stuff from Seth Godin: Urgent cultural change and Writing Something.

11. On blooming (and not) on Rita’s Notebook. “One day this week I was scrolling a social media channel and I saw a photo full of now-former colleagues. They were doing something fun together, and I felt this tight little feeling in my chest. Not because I missed them or wished I’d been included, but because I felt so relieved to be out of the place I’ve been and sad/weird about feeling relieved. They are not terrible people, and it is not a terrible place. But, now that I don’t have to work there any more, I can finally fully admit to myself how much it just wasn’t my place. Their community and its culture isn’t mine.” *sigh*

12. Tattoo Artist Esther Garcia Creates Beautiful Blackout Tattoo Designs.

13. The Beauty of Beasts (and How to Save Them From Ourselves). “Possibility, not hope, is what Nijhuis says drives the work of making the world habitable into the future.”

14. Yuna Begins A New Chapter In Her Musical Journey. “The award-winning singer-songwriter’s musical journey proves that taking a chance on one’s self and going all in is all you need to realise a faraway dream.”

15. Sharkk Heartt Drops a New Music Video.

16. Mamma Mia! ABBA Is Back After Nearly 40 Years.

17. The Staves: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert.

18. How to Grieve for a Very Good Dog. “Sunny was like a handrail along the edge of a thousand-foot cliff. Navigating life’s challenges seemed doable because I knew I could hold on to her if needed. Now the handrail was gone. Trying to understand why I was in such pain, I sought out a few experts, who explained to me what it is about these transitions that makes them so difficult.”

19. Wide Awake at 3 A.M.? Our Readers Offer Advice. On The New York Times.

20. Corvallis-to-the-Sea (C2C) Trail, “The Trail That Links The Willamette Valley and The Pacific Ocean.” Yes, please!

21. 15 Simple Things That Make Highly Sensitive People Happy. This list, for me, is spot on.

22. Why Are We Expected to Love Our Jobs? “For decades, Americans have been told they should love their jobs. But is this a healthy relationship?”

23. 7 Things You Definitely Won’t Need This Year (or ever again) by Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

24. Coming to Terms With the Legacy of Rick James on The New York Times. “For a new documentary, the director and the star’s daughter examine both his pioneering work and his misogyny, as well as a sexual assault conviction.”

25. Richard Drew on photographing the “Falling Man” on 9/11.

26. Naipoki Returns for Help. In related news, on The New York Times, Reuniting an Orphan Elephant and Her Mom, Perhaps, With DNA and Luck.

27. Roasted Tomatoes recipe. Tis the season where we think to ourselves, “what are we going to do with all these tomatoes?!” A few other recipes I like are for roasted tomato salsa (not sharing one because I can’t find the one that I used last year that was SO good and the one we made yesterday wasn’t it), Sliced Tomato Gratin, Roasted Tomato Basil Soup, and Tomato Jam.

28. The Sneaky Grief of a Pandemic, by Amy McCracken, one of my favorite writers and humans.

29. Miniature Paper Plants by Raya Sader Bujana.

30. Is Your ‘Go Bag’ Ready? on The New York Times. “Climate-related emergencies like hurricanes, fires and floods are becoming more frequent. Here’s how to prepare whether you need to evacuate or hunker down.”

31. Worried About Breakthrough Infections? Here’s How to Navigate This Phase of the Pandemic. on The New York Times.

32. The chronic stress survival guide: how to live with the anxiety and grief you can’t escape. In related news, 6 Tips For Coping With COVID Anxiety This Fall And Winter, and The crises won’t stop coming. Radical acceptance is the key to coping, and These Are the Best Exercises for Anxiety and Depression.

33. I Was Euphoric in June. Look Where We Are Now. on The New York Times. “Those first few postvaccination months turned out to be not the conclusion of the pandemic but a brief, debaucherous respite before yet another deadly wave of the virus.”

34. Keeping the Bruised Heart Tender, a contemplation and poem from one of my favorite writers and humans. “I don’t know if we’re at the end of one story or the beginning of another. Or where it ends or where it begins. I’m in the middle of it with everyone else, the muddle of one long unfolding. All I can do is keep my heart tender while I can.”

35. Wisdom from Mark Rothko, “In 1958, in an address to a private university, Rothko gave students his ‘art formula.’ He said all great art must contain the following ingredients: a preoccupation with death, an acknowledgement of human sensuality, tension, a healthy dose of irony, wit and playfulness, the element of chance, and a tiny bit of hope, to make the tragedy of life bearable.”

36. Good Life Project Podcast: Rev. angel Kyodo williams | A Path to Collective Liberation.

1. Morning walks. I was reminded this week how easy it is to walk just one dog, this morning in particular when Ringo got to say “hello” to all the dogs he encountered. To be fair to my first dogs, Obi and Dexter, it’s not always that much harder to walk two, especially if they get along and aren’t super reactive and stay close even if the leash gets dropped. With Ringo and Sam I had to be hypervigilant about all the potential triggers we might encounter — Sam would freak out if he saw a beaver, Ringo does the same when he sees a heron or someone on a skateboard, and certain things would trigger them both simultaneously and sometimes that meant they’d scrap with each other, which was no easy thing to manage with two strong dogs on leashes and a potential third party. Walking just Ringo, who sure has his own triggers and doesn’t always behave, but it’s just him and as such so easy. I only have to manage his reactions, not a relationship of them, and I’m enjoying the ease of that, even as I desperately miss my Sam.

2. Late summer produce. Corn, peaches, watermelons, pumpkins, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, and so many tomatoes.

3. Good friends. And their babies, kids, partners, dogs, and cats. Making each other laugh, common histories and inside jokes, eating together, sharing what is good and what is hard.

4. Practice. I am so grateful I found it, that I can be lost and still find it.

5. Reading. Besides life and all the things that supported it, the best thing my parents gave me was the skill and love of reading. It has engaged, challenged, comforted, and educated me, brought me a lifetime of joy.

6. My tiny family, tiny home, tiny life. Eric has a three day weekend and I’m so excited to get to see him more often for a bit. He was missing me the other day so when he got home from work, he asked if I would come sit on the couch next to him and do nothing for a bit. I did and it was so nice. At almost eight years old, Ringo has been such good company at home, is an awesome walk and nap buddy. This morning while I was writing in my office, he came back and napped on the floor behind my chair, something Sam always did but Ringo hardly ever does.

Bonus joy: ranunculus in my favorite jar on my meditation shrine, Ringo getting to say “hi” to his neighbor dog Rizzo (who he usually only smells and barks at through the fence) not once but twice on our walk this morning, falling asleep last night with the window open listening to the rain, laundry, berry bagels with cream cheese, breakfast burritos, sesame cucumber noodles, Ringo lounging in the backyard in the sun until he gets too hot and comes in to cool off and then goes out again until he gets too hot and this goes on and on for hours, clematis blooms, hanging out and writing with Calyx, podcasts (in particular right now is My Favorite Murder), TV (right now: Catfish and DCI Banks), the flock of goldfinches that visit our sunflowers and bird bath in front every morning and evening, good neighbors, the river, vaccines, holding Baby H and catching up with his mom, how sweet and soft Franny is (just like Perrita and Sam were), the way Ringo followed me around the house after our walk this morning, hugging Eric, laughing with him, naps, getting in the pool and the sauna, training with Shelby, grocery pickup, that one corner of the couch, down blankets and pillows, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.