1. Quarantine Public Library, “a repository of books made by artists. The works published here are for anyone to freely download, print and assemble—to keep or give away.”
5. Welcome to Barn-Quilt Country on The New York Times. “Barn quilts are a homegrown art form that combines a few aspects of traditional Americana: barns, quilts and road trips. Over the past 20 years, creators from Ohio to Canada have painted wood squares that are reminiscent of quilt designs and put them on the sides of barns and other buildings. Some communities, including Fairbanks, Alaska, and Bowling Green, Ky., have created ‘quilt trails’ of multiple pieces to entice travelers to drive through (and spend money in) their country towns to see the art.”
8. There’s a Specific Kind of Joy We’ve Been Missing on The New York Times. “Psychologists find that in cultures where people pursue happiness individually, they may actually become lonelier. But in cultures where they pursue happiness socially — through connecting, caring and contributing — people appear to be more likely to gain well-being.”
9. “Cat Person” and Me. “Kristen Roupenian’s viral story draws specific details from my own life. I’ve spent the years since it published wondering: How did she know?”
11. “Catfish” Still Has Lessons To Teach Us. “In Season 8, Kamie Crawford hopped in the show’s cohosting saddle, bringing fresh energy. She pulls no punches as she tries to help guests remove their rose-colored glasses and see the truth about the people they’ve fallen in love with online. She also confronts catfishes, refusing to back down even as they attempt to insult her. Bitch spoke with Crawford about navigating the show during a pandemic, building a trusting relationship with guests, and making peace with the catfishes who’ve tested her patience.”
1. Wisdom from Pema Chödrön: “Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that we have, and the people who are in our lives. It’s about seeing how we react to all these things. It’s seeing our emotions and thoughts just as they are right now, in this very moment, in this very room, on this very seat. It’s about not trying to make them go away, not trying to become better than we are, but just seeing clearly with precision and gentleness.”
5. Good stuff from Rita’s Notebook: Oh, hey there. It’s me again… and Dessication. Seriously, I’m almost as excited about Rita’s retirement as I was about mine.
6. Wisdom from Michelle Maldonado, who in a recent podcast describes love as “an intelligent way of being that allows us to connect with one another, that allows for wisdom to come through and to be present.”
7. Wisdom from Adriene Mishler: “Daily or regular practice cannot only help us learn how to exist and survive inside the journey of process, but it can guide us to do so in a way in which we feel like we are working for ourselves, rather than against.”
9. Ryan Crouser OBLITERATES shot put WORLD RECORD at Olympic trials. (video) “Reigning Olympic champion Ryan Crouser smashes Randy Barnes’ 31-year-old shot put world record by over 8 inches with a massive 23.37-meter mark at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.”
11. Laurie Wagner Interview with Naomi Shihab Nye. (video) Laurie says, “I was gifted 30 minutes with the poet, Naomi Shihab Nye yesterday, and she blew my mind with her lit up beauty. Because we have worked with her poems for so many years and because we have benefited from so many of them, I wanted to share her with you. I love everything about her and I hope you do too.”
12. Ten Years In The Word Mines: One Lesson from Chuck Wendig on Terrible Minds. Teaser: “Initially, my plan was, let’s revisit the career and figure out what the hell I’ve learned. Did I learn anything? Can I tell people what that thing was? After all, I’m a writer, and this is a blog. Listicles are a thing, even if they sound a little like testicles? I could do a classic return to the 25 Things series which populated this space for many, many years. But —”
14. Wisdom from Dza Kilung Rinpoche: “Naturally we enter into meditation with some interest and enthusiasm, and there are goals to be attained. But in practice we must drop these. We must avoid the distractions created by expectations and not be tempted into placing quantity—the number of sessions we do per day, the ‘higher, more esoteric’ practices we know, or how many mantras we have recited—over quality. If we get in a rush, we are introducing the stress typical of samsara. Instead, we cultivate patience. Samadhi . . . will arise naturally when we relax beyond our desires, goals, and expectations.”
18. Wisdom from Stokely Carmichael: “In struggle one not only fights against something–injustice, oppression–but one must struggle for something equally real but positive. That’s the other part of the equation.” What are you struggling for?
19. Benji Is One Down Dog. “Adriene Mishler’s blue heeler, Benji, is one of the most famous canines in the country, but he hasn’t let it go to his sweet, soft little head.”
20. Solo Notes from the beloved Laurie Wagner. “You baked as many birthday cakes as you could.”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 