Something Good

1. Poetry & Writing Archive at OnBeing. “Poetry rises up in human societies when official words fail us and we lose sight of how to find our way back to one another. It has moved to the heart of what we offer on the radio and in podcasts, in digital spaces, and in gatherings.”

2. Thoughts on “I’m bored” from Seth Godin. Also from Seth, Forward.

3. Buddhist Teachings, Wisdom, and Practices for the Coronavirus Era from Lion’s Roar.

4. In a Pandemic, Is ‘Wellness’ Just Being Well-off?

5. Mapping Our Social Change Roles in Times of Crisis. “Identifying the right actions in times of crisis requires reflection, and it’s in that spirit that I’m offering a new version of a mapping exercise that helps us identify our roles in a social change ecosystem…This exercise can especially be helpful to re-align ourselves when we feel lost, confused, and uncertain in order to bring our fullest selves to the causes and movements that matter to us.”

6. Write Yourself Free: A Six-Week (LIVE) Online Writing Series for Women with Julia Fehrenbacher.

7. Writing Advice In The Age Of The Pandemic from Chuck Wendig on Terrible Minds. Also, Chuck posted the question “what was your weirdest or most embarrassing injury” on Twitter, and here are the responses.

8. Ways We Accidentally Continue To Participate In Diet Culture from Dances with Fat.

9. Good stuff from Austin Kleon: Nobody knows anything (the article he links to in this post is worth a read as well, Two Errors Our Minds Make When Trying to Grasp the Pandemic), and poetry is Language made special, and The calm of collage.

10. Wisdom from a recent newsletter from Jenna Hollenstein, “In the Buddhist sense, however, the word discipline has a completely different connotation. It is not about overriding our desires or rigidly applying rules despite changing conditions…True discipline is about coming back to the present moment. Again and again and again…Whenever we find ourselves lost in our anxious or controlling minds, ruminating on obsessive thoughts, criticizing our non-compliant bodies – we notice, we come back, we consult our present-moment bodies, asking ‘What am I feeling? What do I need right now?'”

11. My Restaurant Was My Life for 20 Years. Does the World Need It Anymore? on The New York Times Magazine. “Forced to shutter Prune, I’ve been revisiting my original dreams for it — and wondering if there will still be a place for it in the New York of the future.”

12. It’s okay to be doing okay during the pandemic. “Stop feeling guilty. Start being useful.”

13. Still Lives on The New York Times. “In this unnatural state of isolation, photographers show us the things that bind.”

14. Joy Harjo Gets A Second Term As U.S. Poet Laureate.

15. COVID-19 News: Colorado Purchased 100K COVID-19 Tests From South Korea and ‘Kept It Under Wraps’ to Avoid Feds Seizure, Says Governor, and So You’ve Got Coronavirus. Now what?, and Coronavirus ‘reinfections’ were false positives, says WHO technical lead, and Gyms in some states are starting to reopen. Is it actually safe to go?, and Trump’s Response to Virus Reflects a Long Disregard for Science on The New York Times, and 5 lessons from the coronavirus about inequality in America, and Colin Kaepernick Launches COVID-19 Relief Fund for Communities of Color, and Why losing a loved one amid COVID-19 means a different kind of goodbye, and These reps say the coronavirus crisis has proven just how badly Americans need universal health care (video), and The whiteness of anti-lockdown protests, and Top E.R. Doctor Who Treated Virus Patients Dies by Suicide on The New York Times.

16. The Most Beautiful Flower Garden In The World Has No Visitors For The First Time In 71 Years And I Got To Capture It.

17. This daddy-daughter story time is the most precious thing we’ve seen all day! (video) In related news, another kind of music, This duet is everything you need to brighten up your day today. (video)

18. Baby can’t stop laughing at his playful dog. (video)

19. Beyond Harry Potter: 40 Fantasy Adventure Series Starring Mighty Girls.

20. Recipes I want to try: Roasted Cauliflower And Curry Soup and Fried Cornbread – Southern Cornmeal Hoecakes.

21. The Reclusive Food Celebrity Li Ziqi Is My Quarantine Queen on The New York Times. “In isolation, the D.I.Y. fantasy world of the Chinese YouTube star is a dreamy escape, and a lesson in self-reliance.”

22. Interview with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer by Laurie Wagner. (video)

23. If You’ve Always Wanted To Write A Book, Here’s How.

24. Americans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized Receipt.

25. Land O’Lakes Took The “Butter Maiden” Off Their Packaging And Now People Are Having Meltdowns Over It. In related news, There’s another story behind that Land O’Lakes butter box.

26. The impulse to garden in hard times has deep roots.

27. Advice For Dealing With Uncertainty, From People Who’ve Been There.

1. Coping with Coronavirus: Use These Skills to Be Your Best Self on Zen Psychiatry. “Instead of going straight to habitual negative coping skills that may not be productive, take a pause and try one of these strategies instead.”

2. An Anxious Introvert’s Guide to Keeping Calm During the Crisis.

3. Every Covid-19 Commercial is Exactly the Same. (video)

4. What do Artists do all day?, a video series.

5. Morning, Sunshine, a morning meditation video series from Jen Lee.

6. The Best Acoustic Covers of Popular Songs, a full hour of music. (video)

7. Yoga with Adriene’s May Practice Theme: Meditation. “If you have been wanting to add a regular meditation to your routine, this is your month. Throughout the month of May we will be focusing on seated and moving meditations that will ease stress and create equilibrium for positive mental, emotional, and physical health…Take time to sit quietly or let it be a moving meditation. This month’s free yoga calendar includes opportunities for both. Commit to exploring the practice this month and observe it unfold and grow.”

8. Sarah’s Rental Cottage, “DIY adventure of fixing up a remote 1950s island cottage on the open water of Georgian Bay before the sun set on summer.” Proof that painted hardwood floors aren’t always wrong.

9. Good stuff from Austin Kleon: To wonder rather than know (in particular, I LOVE the blackout poem at the beginning of this post), and Survive the savage sea, and Do what you know how to do, and 3 thoughts on a decade of publishing books, and On praying, whether you believe or not.

10. How to grow your own tiny forest.

11. Shift your Mood: 7 Quick & Easy Body Tools.

12. A story of kindness from a flower grower in Kerry with lots of flowers and an idea to brighten people’s day. (video)

13. A Harvard student who traces the etymology of words and makes all kinds of infographics, from cities to apple varieties to Harry Potter characters.

14. Man dies from coronavirus after calling it a ‘political ploy’. This is just one story of many. Sometimes you find out you are wrong the hard way. In related news, “I Don’t Believe Your Science As I Believe My God” Says Anti-Lockdown Protestor.

15. ‘Instead of Coronavirus, the Hunger Will Kill Us.’ A Global Food Crisis Looms on The New York Times.

16. Native American Heritage Association, “Native American families suffer from food insecurity and hunger daily. Two of the poorest counties in America are on the Crow Creek and Pine Ridge Reservations in South Dakota. NAHA, with the help of our generous donors, is committed to fighting hunger with emergency food supplies and basic life necessities.”