image by Eric, Lory State Park coyote
1. People react to being called beautiful. “I conducted an independent project, which evidently turned into a social experiment halfway through, regarding beauty at my performing arts high school in Chicago. I want to clarify that my intentions were not to get a reaction out of people. I was simply filming beauty and this is the result. Here it is.”
2. Carrie Fisher just scorched ‘Good Morning America’ and you’re not worthy. So adorable, so funny.
3. The 5 best moments from ‘A Very Murray Christmas,’ which is now streaming on Netflix.
4. Adele has my dog feeling all types of emotions. This dog is my spirit animal.
6. Kid President’s Path to Awesome! “They were experienced foster parents, but these were two special needs children. Were they ready for that?”
7. Here Are 2015’s Biggest Pop Songs—All Mashed Up Into a Single 4-Minute Earworm. This might be my favorite song of 2015. 🙂
8. What to leave out and what to leave in and In praise of the simple kitchen timer from Austin Kleon.
9. This was a good week on Chookooloonks. “The Rice University Gallery currently has this amazing exhibit, called Intersections. Created by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha, the exhibit is a single, bright light suspended from the ceiling through an intricately laser-cut box made from wood, and painted black.” Karen shares her pictures of the exhibit and a video of the artist talking about and walking through it.
10. 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When You’re Feeling Stuck from Tiny Buddha. The first one alone is worth the read.
11. Wisdom from Brave Girls Club, “When we have the chance to do something kind or good…we really should just do it. Sometimes we think we have to plan elaborate occasions to show kindness and compassion, when just about every day there are opportunities that come up that allow us sprinkle some goodness in little doses that often don’t take more than a moment, but that make a world of difference to both the person we are gifting with our kindness and to ourselves.”
12. 8tracks, “Listen for free to millions of playlists, all lovingly handcrafted by people like you who know and love music. Pick a top playlist below, or explore playlists by artist, genre, or activity above.” Gift idea: make someone a mixtape.
13. How to Think About Nutrition. “When people start trying to eat normally, they almost always have to go through a phase of craving and eating things they used to think were ‘bad’, or things that are not generally considered ‘healthy’. And it freaks. them. out.”
14. A Response to the Fat Shaming on the London Subway from Dances with Fat. And another good one, Fat-Shamers Hand Out Nasty Cards on Subway, So Plus-Size Company Has Awesome Response.
15. Tips on making care packages for the homeless.
16. Painstaking Arrangements of Colorful Objects and Food by Emily Blincoe. This kind of order is very soothing to me.
17. Wisdom from Charles Orlando, “Don’t settle. Either they will wake up to the fact that you deserve more… or you will.” Oh, snap.
18. I call all of my power back to me now. I am whole and complete. (Say it with me now.) from Danielle LaPorte.
19. 11 Reasons That You Are Actually Matt Bellassai.
20. This poem from Rumi seems so appropriate right now,
Sit. Be still. And listen.
For you are drunk.
And we are at the edge of the roof.
21. In exclusive first interview, Mingyur Rinpoche reveals what happened during his four years as a wandering yogi on Lion’s Roar.
22. Fifteen Things for When the World is Shitty and Terrifying, a great list, for any time really, no need to wait until things get bad.
23. IT HAPPENED TO ME: I Was Trolled and Fat-Shamed by One of My Male College Students. I love how she handled this.
24. Chakra Salad. {Vegan Recipe} on Elephant Journal. It’s from this summer, but looks yummy.
25. Study: Dieting Increases Your Risk of Becoming Obese.
26. It’s OK, He’s Friendly. Amen, because of this, “Unsolicited interactions are a type of assault,” and this, “It’s perfectly reasonable for a person to expect to be able to use a public space without being pestered by others.”
27. BIRDY + RHODES – Let It All Go. Beautiful song, beautiful video. Gave me goosebumps.
28. Print out these 100 questions, and as Alexandra Franzen suggests, “Cut the paper into little slips with one question per slip. Put the slips in a bowl. Keep them on your kitchen table. When you’re lounging around, solo, or with your family, pull out a question at random and answer it. You might learn something fascinating about yourself — or someone else.”
29. Getting BuzzFeed Clicks by Drinking and Whining.
30. All Songs Considered: The Year In Music 2015.
31. In search of serendipity, which suggests, “The internet has become so good at meeting our desires that we spend less time discovering new ones. To update the Rolling Stones, you can always get what you want. But you may not get what you need.” I’m not sure I agree, not entirely.
32. 10 Ways Creativity Can Completely Change Your Life from Tiny Buddha. “Creativity is not just for artists or making art. Creativity is life making. It’s anything we do that turns us on, invigorates us, or offers a simple moment of pure merriment.”
33. What This Guy Creates Out Of Paper Really Needs To Be Seen To Be Believed. For real.
34. Burnout: How to deal with creative and mental exhaustion.
35. May You Be Present and Clear, great advice from Be More With Less. “If you want to break up with your busy mind, buzzing phone, and crazy to-do lists to engage in meaningful relationships, try incorporating one of the following ideas.”
36. The In-between State, “Pema Chodron points to the perfect training ground for the spiritual warrior — anxiety, heartbreak, and tenderness.”
37. Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness.
38. The simple way one American mom helped thousands of refugee children. “She’s not a politician or a community leader. She’s a mom who found an amazing way to help refugee families by sending over thousands of baby carriers.” Here’s another short video about her. This is a beautiful story of someone being touched by someone else’s suffering, and then moved to do something to ease it. We all have the opportunity to do the same, in our own way.
39. Pizza Delivery Man Overcome With Emotion After Receiving This Tip.
40. Gifts For Writers, 2015 from Terrible Minds.
41. Miley Cyrus – Silent Night (A Very Murray Christmas).
42. 20+ Simple Tips For A Happy And Healthy Life.
43. Awesome Books of 2015 (at least a few), a great list plus some bonus inspiration from Kira Elliot.
44. Hard Conversations Book Club 2016 from Patti Digh. “This monthly book club provides an avenue for reading and thinking in community about hard topics such as race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, classism, and all the ways in which we ‘other’ people. We will dive deep and have open, honest, and safe dialogue to seek greater understanding of issues with which we may have limited experience. We will emerge changed in significant, enriching ways.” Admission is by donation. I can’t do the club, but I’m making note of the reading list.
45. The Biggest Mistake Pet Owners Make at the End. Having to let two of my dogs go was the hardest decision(s) I ever had to make. This article would have been very helpful, still is.
46. Paper Life – The artist Rogan Brown cuts thousands of microorganisms in paper. Science + art = so cool.
47. Ridiculous Holiday Diet Tips from Dances with Fat.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 