jillsalahub

1. Flowers in the bathroom. I hadn’t had any in a while. I wanted a small white poinsettia but kept forgetting to look for one. Then I had to get rid of my Christmas tree and needed the cheering up.

2. An intention and visioning workshop. I haven’t done one of these for a while, after doing them regularly when Jamie Ridler hosted monthly full moon dreamboards. It also inspired me to pick a guiding word for 2019, something else I haven’t done lately: space. Holding space, making space, taking up space, resting in space. My Buddhist name translates to “space dancer” so it makes sense.

3. Eric. He and our friend Kerri were recently honored as Colorado Community College System’s Outstanding Faculty. They totally deserved it.

4. Ringo Blue, and his mama and papa, Peaches and Spec. It was five years ago we went to visit a litter of puppies, met their parents, and committed to taking one of the babies home when they got old enough. I suspect we’ll never get another dog under those circumstances, but I’m glad we have him.

5. We finally got snow! It’s almost all gone now, as the temperatures zoomed up to the 50s the very next day, but it was nice to have a little.

6. Sweet Sam. I didn’t get any pictures of him this week, even though he was with me almost every minute. Here’s a cute one from last year.

Bonus joy: citrus essential oils, naps, good books, bad TV that is good in its own way, aqua aerobics, teaching yoga, hanging out with Mikalina, texting with my brother, working on a puzzle, vet visits with both dogs who were so good for me, a big glass of cold water, sunshine.

Note: I’m skipping the “People Behaving Badly” segment of this list this week again. There are still bad, awful, horrible things, but as I say good-bye to 2018 and look to the new year, watching the snow we’d hoped to have for Christmas start to fall, I feel like skipping it once more. I’m not denying or ignoring it. I’m not “focusing on the positive.” I’m just leaving it alone for another week, letting it rest for now. Happy New Year, kind and gentle reader!

1. Burning the Old Year a poem from Naomi Shihab Nye.

2. Saying Goodbye to 2018’s Seesaw of Outrage and Numbness. This post includes some really great prompts, “guiding questions to use the image above to reflect on your own social change journey for 2019,” that can help us distinguish the specific roles we play “in pursuit of equity, liberation, inclusion, and justice.”

3. UN panel says the U.S. owes reparations to African-Americans. Similar steps should be taken for indigenous people. We owe so much to so many.

4. Complete Guide to 2019 Artist Grants & Opportunities.

5. Mary Oliver on On Being. “Often quoted, but rarely interviewed, Mary Oliver is one of our greatest and most beloved poets. She’s just released a new volume, Felicity, at the age of 80. And so we’re revisiting the interview she granted us earlier this year on the wisdom of the world, the salvation of poetry, and the life behind her writing.”

6. An Introvert’s Road Map To Mindfully Controlling Stress And Anxiety.

7. What I learned from losing my dog by Jennifer Louden.

8. In 2019: Persist, Persist, Persist, wisdom from Chuck Wendig on Terrible Minds.

9. A Daily Journal Ritual to Jump-Start 2019. In related news, 19 Questions that Will Open Your Mind in 2019, and for writers, Writing Inventory, Intentions, and Reminders for the New Year.

10. Thank you for not trying to fix this from Andrea Scher. “Sometimes we are afraid that if we move toward our difficult feelings they will devour us, drag us under and engulf us. What’s more true is that allowing ourselves to have them, while shining a light of loving attention on them (either from ourselves or another) is a very miraculous kind of medicine.”

11. This Is The Kind Of Work That Excites An INFJ Personality. Alternate title, “Why I’m Quitting my CSU Job.”

12. Wisdom from Zen teacher Cheri Huber, “Self-hatred uses self-improvement as self-maintenance.”

13. Authoritarianism Thrives on Demoralization: How to Fight Trump and Stay Psychologically Healthy.

14. What Health at Every Size ISN’T. In related news, Why Eating Disorder Treatment is Failing Us All.

15. This Japanese pub is made out of 100% recycled materials. And it’s gorgeous.

16. This duck’s story is heart-wrenching but his new yellow boots are the cutest thing we’ve ever seen. (video)

17. Abused Wolves And Troubled Teens Find Solace In Each Other.

18. Cloth wrapping, known as furoshiki in Japan and bojagi in Korea, is a traditional and waste-free way of wrapping gifts, packing lunchboxes, and much more. (video)

19. The weight of being fat and black in America is worth more consideration than goes into a cheap joke. “A trio of new books lays bare the struggle of being large, African-American and considered too smart for the authors’ own good.”

20. 50 Times People Found The Most Unexpected Things.

21. Bandersnatch Stole 3 Hours of My Life Last Night, and Will Get Even More of My Time Over the Weekend.

22. Researchers Double Down on Claim Yoga Changes the Expression of Your Genes. “Over the last decade or so, we’ve been hearing that mind-body practices like yoga and meditation may affect our genes. A new review of the research solidifies it.”

23. This Russian artist is creating stunning intricate 3D landscapes with embroidery. (video)

24. This elementary school surprised their ‘superhero’ janitor with an appreciation party — and his reaction will have you ugly crying. (video)

25. Blackness Redefined: The 10 Best Films Of 2018. In related news, The Beautiful Clutter Of Black Film In 2018.

26. Forgiveness Repairs the World from Jack Kornfield.

27. Poet Andrea Gibson on Feeling Everything Everywhere.

28. Grandmothers bring food and comfort to asylum seekers at bus stations.

29. The 28 Most Amazingly Wholesome Things That Happened In 2018.