It’s still Christmas on the Poudre River Trail. Every year, someone sneaks over and decorates three of the trees along the trail, always the same three trees.
1. SECRET BAD GIRL: A Sexual Trauma Resolution Revolution, a Kickstarter project by Rachael Maddox. “How I broke my long-standing sexual trauma spell and grew vibrant, vital & free. A provocative memoir & wildly wise resolution guide.” The deadline to contribute is 12/30 at 5 pm EST. I’m adding my own contribution because I want to read this book and because Rachael is doing important work here.
2. Is it too little butter, or too much bread? from Seth Godin. Oh boy, do I need less bread.
3. Nepal’s Earthquake Victims Face Cold Winter Without Shelter, Aid. Check in the comment section for ways to help, places to donate that might actually have a chance of getting help directly to the people who need it.
4. “If you have a moral attachment to a way of eating, that’s a disordered behavior”: How dieting culture, fat shaming and food porn shape our lives. “Salon talks with Kelsey Miller, author of ‘Big Girl,’ about unlearning toxic messages around food and weight.”
5. Everyone has “their” song, a hilarious short video that I can’t stop watching.
6. Let’s Give The Gift of a Fresh Start, a project started by Humans of New York. Brandon described it this way,
Earlier this month we profiled eleven Syrian families that were preparing to begin new lives in America. They have escaped a horrible war, and have finally secured a degree of safety and security, but the road will be very tough for them. They will be starting at zero in a new country. In addition to the culture shock, they will face innumerable obstacles, including the need to learn an entirely new language. As they attempt to get their footing, they will be provided with little more than the bare minimum needed to subsist. This holiday season, let’s give them a little breathing room. The amount we raise over the next 48 hours will be divided evenly among the refugee families that were featured on HONY this month. Many of these families left Syria with nothing. For years they’ve been forced to stretch every dollar to provide for basic needs, so direct assistance will go a long way. Many of these families are large so we certainly can’t cover all their financial needs. But we can lighten the load and help ease the anxiety of starting over in a strange land. So please consider taking part in this gift by making a small donation.
7. Give Me Five, a hilarious cat video.
8. Watch the stars of ‘Downton Abbey’ play a hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity.
9. A DIY mindfulness jar. I love this.
10. What yoga instructor Jessamyn Stanley has to say on body image is brilliant.
11. Your Brain on Restriction. This is SO important, and I wish I’d written it.
12. 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest Gallery. Amazing images.
13. Why you should always buy the men’s version of almost anything. Grrrr….
14. A wild sea otter chose to give birth at an aquarium and everyone’s hearts are melting, including mine.
15. If Gyms Were Honest, from Dances with Fat. Reason #111 I want to start my own gym, and when I do, this will be my mission statement.
16. Wisdom from Pema Chödrön,
Limitations can be acknowledged without exaggerating or succumbing to them. When we’re confident that our mind is workable, our failings don’t seem like such a big deal. They’re as temporary as clouds, and in no way diminish the skylike nature of our mind. With this kind of confidence in our limitless potential, the mightiest challenges won’t cause us to lose heart.
17. Pema Chödrön & k.d. lang talk Buddhism, creativity, and “gapaciousness” on Lion’s Roar.
18. Buddhism A-Z: 10 Buddhist books everyone should have, a great list from Lion’s Roar.
19. The Heart of Generosity by Gina Sharpe on Lion’s Roar.
20. Rare bird discovered at Gardens on Spring Creek during Christmas Bird Count. I love everything about this — it’s local, it’s a rare bird, and there is such a thing as a “Christmas Bird Count.”
21. Parents Tell Stepparents What They Really Think, the sweetest video from Soul Pancake.
22. My 4-year-old was told not to say, ‘Happy holidays.’ Here’s how I responded. Word, Dad.
23. 10 Reasons Not to Focus on Your Weight in the New Year, from Be Nourished. SO important. Again, I wish I’d written it.
24. The 15 Best Books of 2015, a list from Brain Pickings. “Rewarding reflections on time, love, loss, courage, creativity, and other transformations of the heart.”
25. SAVE MY ARTWORK a gofundme campaign from Sabrina Ward Harrison, one of my favorite artists, who is in danger of losing a storage unit full of original work, which would be a loss for all of us.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 