Category Archives: Something Good

Something Good

1. Sustainable Activism for Introverts & HSPs. “Join activist Omkari Williams as you engage your senses and develop a master plan for turning your story, vision, and strengths into action…If you are a Highly Sensitive Person, an Introvert, or both, this class will help you find your sustainable way of activism.” I’m all in.

2. 6 Mindset Shifts for Introverts That Bolster Inner Peace. In related news, Why Being Lonely as an Introvert Looks Different.

3. Recipe I want to try: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew.

4. Closet Detox: 10 Steps to End Closet Chaos from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less. I’m tempted to go big and do this, but I’m worried that doing it during a moment in time when all I wear is pjs might be bad timing.

5. How to make a zine.

6. Good stuff from Lion’s Roar: Too Much Criticism (“Someone in your life who’s too critical or confrontational can undermine your self-worth and enjoyment of life. Psychologist Lynn Monteiro suggests four ways you can take care of yourself”), and Confessions of a Hungry Ghost (“Sensei Alex Kakuyo knows what it’s like to live as a hungry ghost, constantly striving toward one more thing. He shares how Buddhist practice has helped him accept this endless hunger and find refuge in the present moment”), and Are We In a Global Rite of Passage? (“Can we thrive in the midst of this pandemic? Last year as the Covid-19 era began, Roshi Joan Halifax asked attendees of Lion’s Roar’s ‘Re-Awaken’ summit to consider whether the pandemic — despite its horrors — might offer us new possibilities, new horizons, and more meaningful connections with each other”), and Life is Tough. Here Are Six Ways to Deal With It (“An ancient set of Buddhist slogans offers us six powerful techniques to transform life’s difficulties into awakening and benefit. Zen teacher Norman Fischer guides us through them”).

7. Rachel Ricketts: Unplugging from the Matrix of White Supremacy. (podcast) “Tami Simon speaks with Rachel about the intersection of spirituality and activism, racial justice work as a form of healing across time and space, actively participating in work that challenges systems of oppression and the status quo, the connection between racial justice work and personal shadow work, becoming a ‘genuine ally,’ and much more.”

8. Wisdom from Andre Henry: “I hate hearing people speak with resignation about the course of history. They talk about future oppression and social decay as though they’re inevitable! As though we’re merely bystanders and victims of the rich and powerful.The foundation of our movements for social progress is the belief that the future is undecided and we get a vote. We must believe that, or else we forfeit the future unnecessarily. A new world is possible. It doesn’t have to be this way.” I really really really needed to hear that today.

9. Black History Month: 4 Ways to Virtually Participate and Learn This February and Beyond.

10. It’s Not Just You. A Lot Of Us Are Hitting A Pandemic Wall Right Now.

11. ‘I get better sleep’: the people who quit social media. “Soo Youn is considering giving up the apps. She speaks to those who have already taken the plunge – with liberating results.”

12. Rashida Jones On Becoming A Mom, Losing Her Mom, And The ‘Big Chapters’ Of Life.

13. Art and Activism Collide Throughout Montréal in Playful Street Interventions by Roadsworth.

14. People Are Hilariously Roasting ‘Target’ Fashion Designers By Taking These Pics Wearing Their Dresses.

15. sharkk heartt, “work fires.”

16. Pockets of Landscapes and Still Lifes Adorn Subjects in Lavish Portraits by Aniela Sobieski.

Something Good

1. Miniature Dollhouse Cushions Meticulously Embroidered in Extraordinary Detail.

2. The Wind. A beautifully written, brutal short story.

3. Lydia Davis: Ten of My Recommendations for Good Writing Habits.

4. On being HSP: For HSPs, Compassion Fatigue Is All Too Real and How I Deal With Panic Attacks as a Highly Sensitive Introvert.

5. What to read: 30 New LGBTQ+ Books to Add to Your Reading List in 2021 and 31 Native American Authors to Read Right Now.

6. What to watch: 28 Films to Watch During Black History Month That Aren’t About Black Trauma and Ten “Must Watch” Black History Documentaries.

7. 17 Problem-Solving Products To Make Wearing A Face Mask With Glasses Easier.

8. DoesTheDogDie.com “Crowdsourced emotional spoilers for movies, tv, books and more.”

9. Recipes I want to try: Sweet Potato Falafel and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars.

10. A shortened history of fat liberation. “I’ve been hearing people talk about fat liberation recently as if it’s a brand new thing that was just invented. That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

11. Aubrey Gordon, the writer behind ‘Your Fat Friend,’ has some thoughts on diets, BMI and the relentless advice of strangers.

12. The 11 reasons why people hate fat people.

13. Chasing the cool kids from Seth Godin.

14. They Say This Isn’t America. For Most Of Us, It Is. “Why do we keep telling ourselves the same stories about this country?”

15. Good stuff from Lion’s Roar: The Buddha on Zoom (“As the leader of one of the most important studies of human happiness, Dr. Robert Waldinger knows how essential it is to feel we are part of a community. In this time of separation, he offers five ways to keep our connection alive”), and 5 Practices for Nurturing Happiness (“‘The essence of our practice can be described as transforming suffering into happiness,’ says Thich Nhat Hanh. Here, he offers five practices to nourish our happiness daily), and The Trauma of an American Untouchable (“Arisika Razak shares her reflections on trauma, oppression, and healing the wounds of racism”), and When Sadness Rages Like Fire (“Pema Khandro Rinpoche shares the life of the Tibetan yogi Shabkar, whose practice and teachings were inseparable from loss and grief”), and How to Work with Anxiety on the Path of Liberation (“Anxiety is actually a necessary part of our path. Psychotherapist Bruce Tift gives an instruction in how to relate to it constructively”).

16. AOC hosted an IG live where she recounted her traumatic experience of the Capitol attacks.

17. Let’s Stop Apologizing for These 10 Things by Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

18. Gaslighting phrases you aren’t paying attention to. “It’s not always easy to spot the gaslighters in our lives. Here are some of the phrases you should look out for.”

19. On Cancel Culture, Accountability, and Transformative Justice. “adrienne maree brown Considers a New Method of Care and Community-Building.”

20. From Survival to Solidarity: Emerging From the Wreckage of the Trump Era. (podcast)

21. Banning White Supremacy Isn’t Censorship, It’s Accountability. “Claiming that deplatforming racists violates First Amendment rights shows a distorted understanding of how speech, race, and power work online.”

22. Teacher Demoralization Isn’t the Same as Teacher Burnout. “What COVID-19 means for the teaching workforce.”

23. Change Makers: 17 Women Making Black History Right Now.

24. Hitting Your ‘Pandemic Wall’? You’re Certainly Not Alone—Here Are 11 Tips to Deal from Experts.

25. How to Write an Obituary on The New York Times Magazine.

26. Well, it’s Groundhog Day, again from Austin Kleon.

27. If all else fails, read some Brian Doyle. In particular, might I suggest Joyas Voladoras or The Greatest Nature Essay Ever.