1. April is National Poetry Month. Poets.org has some really great resources for celebrating this month, or to simply get more poetry into your life. Some of my current favorite poems are Instructions on Not Giving Up by Ada Limón and Meeting the Buddha by Craig van Rooyen.

2. Advice To Writers. This series continues to be really good.

3. How Shrill Made Its Dream ‘Fat Babe Pool Party’ a Reality “I almost cried because it was so beautiful.” And if you’ve been following the controversy around this episode, you might be interested in this “sorry, not sorry” apology from Virgie Tovar.

4. How a Popular Decolonizing Yoga Summit Became a Colonizing One.

5. Gather – Art, Friends and Road Trip | Performative Documentary. “As four art instructors set out on a cross-country trip to teach workshops, they discover stark truths about themselves and their friendships. GATHER blurs the lines between documentary film and fiction, as individuals – appearing as themselves – use stories loosely based on real life events to create an intimate portrait of adult friendship. This bold experiment in narrative realism invites us to examine the heart-wrenching, invisible kind of loss that’s surely touched all of our lives–the moment right before everything shifts and threatens the longevity of a cherished friendship. GATHER is both a penetrating look at what holds us back from reaching out and connecting with one another and a beautiful reminder of what’s possible when we do.”

6. Be a Librarian to Your Readers: An Interview with Austin Kleon. Also from Austin Kleon, The page is a place.

7. Project 1, 2, 3: A Daily Creativity Journal for Expressing Yourself in Lists of Three by Paris Rosenthal, Amy Krouse Rosenthal‘s daughter.

8. April Love 2019, another great Instagram photo challenge from Susannah Conway.

9. From a Viral Tweet to a Dedicated Community: “Fatventure Mag” Celebrates Joyful Movement beyond the Bounds of Diet Culture. “Samantha Puc and Alice Lesperance founded ‘Fatventure’ to celebrate fat folks who ‘love joyful movement, but don’t love toxic diet culture.’ The second issue will expand that concept to the theme of home and belonging.”

10. Top 10 Reasons Why INFJs Are Walking Paradoxes.

11. Guy Biking Across The World Picks Up A Stray Kitten. (video)

12. Find the Poem: the full trailer. (video) “Getting close to finishing this project with 30 of the country’s most awesome poets giving their insight on writing, performance, business and everything else that makes up this world we call ‘spoken word poetry.'”

13. “You want to tell people that their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist?” (video) “Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave an impassioned speech during a committee hearing in response to Republicans push-back on her climate change policy, the Green New Deal.” She gives me such hope that we might be able to turn this around.

14. Them: A Fake Yet Relevant Film About the White Men Pissed at Jordan Peele for Saying He Won’t Make a Film Starring a ‘White Dude.’

15. Black Farmers to buy from instead of Whole Foods.

16. Intricate Golden Labyrinths Created From Fallen Leaves of a Gingko Tree.

17. This Woman Was Fat-Shamed While Running A Marathon. (video). “Latoya Shauntay Snell (Running Fat Chef) has experienced fat-shaming her whole life — by friends, family and doctors, and even by spectators watching her as she ran the New York City Marathon. Latoya’s response? ‘Fat-shaming can go f**k itself.'”

18. Dancing family. (video) “My wife is Pakistani & loves to watch hip hop dance. She asked me to dance to music from her culture…so last Sunday I got our 3 children together to perform to a song that I felt represented apart of my culture(hip hop) & her culture as well….We love you mom!!!”

19. Instead of hiding rips and tears, the visible mending movement turns them into art. “Born from the Japanese art of sashiko, visible mending enables crafters to eschew fast fashion and make mistakes beautiful.”

20. Little girl believes she’s hula hooping all by herself, but she’s actually got some help. (video)

21. Yoga, Race, and Culture by Dianne Bondy.

22. In Praise of bell hooks from The New York Times.

23. “Gentleman Jack”: 9 Facts About Lesbian Legend Anne Lister to Know Before HBO’s Miniseries.

24. A Dad Painted His Daughter as Mona Lisa and Her Reaction is Priceless.

25. Woman Gives Birth To Twins 1 Month After Giving Birth To Baby Boy. Surprise!

26. Japanese Illustrator Imagines A World Where Humans Live Among Giant Animals. I love these, but let’s be honest: cats that big would totally murder us all.

27. African Elephants Are Evolving Without Tusks Due To Extreme Poaching On The Continent.

28. 19-Year-Old Omarian Banks Shot After Knocking on Wrong Door.

29. Confronting racism is not about the needs and feelings of white people by Ijeoma Oluo.

30. On eve of execution, Texas prisoner denied right to have Buddhist priest present while he dies.

31. Add a Blurred Background to Your Photo with PicMonkey.

32. This Native American reservation has been inundated with floods for two weeks, leaving 80,000 people without drinking water, (video) “and the help they desperately need has been slow to arrive.”

33. Lawyering While Black: Cop Detains Attorney in Courthouse, Accuses Him of Impersonating a Lawyer.

34. After Cyclone Idai, bodies litter Mozambique’s fields, and the true death toll may never be known. In related news, Death Toll For Cyclone Idai, Which Struck Mozambique, Zimbabwe And Malawi, Reaches 750.

35. 31 Must-Read Stories For Every Day Of Women’s History Month.

36. Facebook Announces New Policy to Ban White Nationalist Content on The New York Times.

37. Meet the 14-year-old who wants to be the Colombian Billy Elliot. (video) “Sometimes it helps me when I’m sad or angry. I dance and everything goes away.”

38. Boxer reincarnated as a cat? (video)

39. Russell Brand does Great British Bake Off. (video)

40. Why Do Narcissists Make Positive First Impressions?

41. This citizen stopped ICE from arresting 2 undocumented immigrants because he knew his rights. (video)

42. NASA Scraps First All-Female Spacewalk For Want Of A Medium-Size Spacesuit. Must be the same reason I can’t find a decent bra that fits.

43. Damon Young on the ‘Absurdity’ of Being Black on The New York Times. “The co-founder of the cultural criticism website Very Smart Brothas mines his experiences in a new memoir, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker.”

44. Morgan Freeman converts his Mississippi ranch into a honeybee sanctuary.

45. Listen to this interview with Roxane Gay: ‘We have so much work still to do’, says feminist Roxane Gay. In related news, Roxane Gay was an oasis of calm on last night’s Q&A.

46. The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement.

1. Virgie Tovar is claiming that episode four of Shrill plagiarized her story. It’s not true. Read what Ijeoma Oluo had to say on Twitter about it. You can also find another version of the discussion on VT’s Facebook page, which included this very interesting clarification:

2. Can We Start & Never Stop Talking about Samantha Irby?

3. Here’s How You Can Help People Devastated by Cyclone Idai from The New York Times. In related news, a GoFundMe fundraiser: Cyclone Idai Zimbabwe Relief.

4. ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ Navigates The Challenges Of Existing While Black. “Damon Young says he’s spent much of his life waiting to be called by a name we won’t repeat, even though it appears in his new memoir — What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker — a lot. His essays are pointed, ruminative, often barbed and funny reflections on how the fact of his skin color has posed particular lifelong challenges, questions, and anxieties.”

5. ‘I Loved Myself for the First Time’: Women Prisoners Heal Trauma with Dance. “High percentages of incarcerated women suffer from untreated PTSD. One quickly expanding program is successfully using dance to help them move forward.”

6. 9-Year-Old Girl Was Detained at Border for 30 Hours Despite Being a U.S. Citizen from The New York Times. In related news, ‘A nightmare’: flight attendant with Daca status held after flying for work.

7. Jury Acquits White Former Police Officer In Fatal Shooting Of Unarmed Black Teen.

8. Instructions on Not Giving Up by Ada Limón. Because this,

Patient, plodding, a green skin
growing over whatever winter did to us, a return
to the strange idea of continuous living despite
the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,
I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf
unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.

9. Good stuff from Seth Godin: How big is your unfillable hole? and The minimum viable audience.

10. Is the Guru Model Broken? from Lion’s Roar. “Pema Khandro Rinpoche, Lama Rod Owens, Lama Rigzin Drolma (Anne C. Klein), and Lobsang Rapgay discuss the guru model in the Tibetan tradition, in which the teacher is central to the path. From the Winter 2018 issue of Buddhadharma.” In related news, My Spiritual Teacher Committed Sexual Assault. And He Saved my Life. What Does that Mean Now?

11. The magical thinking of weight loss. “On major weight loss & praying at the altar of thinness.”

12. The Message of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths on Lion’s Roar. “The message of Buddha’s Four Noble Truths is that paying attention and seeing clearly lead to behaving impeccably in every moment, out of love, and on behalf of all beings.”

13. Cocteau Twins ~ Heaven Or Las Vegas ~ Full Album (video playlist). Austin Kleon’s newsletter this week reminded me how much I loved this album.

14. Thanks, a poem by W.S. Merwin. In related news, Poet W.S. Merwin, Who Was Inspired By Conservation, Dies At 91.

15. Women’s Tennis Association Rules Serena Williams Can Wear All The Catsuits She Damn Well Pleases.

16. Hundreds of US cities are killing or scaling back their recycling programs. “China stopped importing trash from other countries. Now, many cities in the US are facing a recycling crisis.”

17. Drag queen story time organisers quit over Christian death threats.

18. Gregg Breinberg (PS22 Chorus Director) on Facebook. The videos of his kids singing are the best.

19. 20 Must-Listen To Black Women Podcasts for 2019.

20. Knowing the Right Time to Say Goodbye to a Pet on The New York Times. “End-of-life decisions for animals are difficult. A veterinarian has developed a scale to help clear up the confusion.” In related news, Study Shows That Losing A Dog Can Be As Hard As Losing A Loved One.

21. Just like we can destroy our planet, we can also choose to restore it, (video), “And that is what this Brazilian couple did!”

22. The Do-Nothing Farmer’s Guide to a Perfect Harvest on Lion’s Roar.

23. ‘What we’re witnessing around the world is the death rattle of white supremacy.’ (video) “This Muslim journalist is warning Americans against ‘white ISIS,’ a ‘racist’ president, and the rising global ideology of hate.”

24. Buddhism Is Not a Treatment for Mental Illness on Lion’s Roar. “A new article in The Atlantic says more Americans with mental illness are turning to Buddhism for mental health treatment. Experts might advise otherwise.”

25. Parkland shooting survivor Sydney Aiello takes her own life. In related heartbreaking news, Leaders react and take steps after second tragedy at Parkland and Sandy Hook Victim’s Father Dies in Apparent Suicide in Newtown on The New York Times. Please don’t give up. Please don’t give up. Please don’t give up. Please don’t. Please.

26. FL Senate gives right to grow veggies in the front yard a green thumbs up.

26. New Zealand reformed its gun laws less than a week after a mass shooting. (video) “This gun reform advocate is wondering why the U.S. hasn’t done the same.” Nobody is trying to “take your guns,” just the ones there is no reason to ever have unless you are planning to murder large numbers of people quickly.

27. Rick Steves Wants to Save the World, One Vacation at a Time.

28. A Virginia Police Officer Serving a Majority Minority High School Has Been Identified as a White Nationalist.

29. Ahead of C2E2, a look at Chicago’s new wealth of black female comic book talent.

30. 6 Reasons Why Introverts And Pets Are Perfect For Each Other. #6 is the story of my life.

31. If You Really Love LGBTQ People, You Just Can’t Keep Eating Chick-fil-A. Not sure why we have to keep repeating this, but there you go.

32. Peloton is being sued for using music without permission in its video fitness classes.

33. CBD-infused jelly beans are *finally* here. (video)

34. The shopping mall where everything is recycled.

35. ‘Lady Liberty’ Patricia Okoumou Will Not Go to Prison for July 4th Protest.

36. 12 Things People Do That Actually Mean ‘I’m a Highly Sensitive Person.’

37. The Referee Who Forced A Black Wrestler To Cut His Locs Is Suing For Emotional Distress. Nope. Just, no.

38. St. Louis Store Asks Whether New Zealand Mosque Shooting Was Tragic or ‘Fucking Great.’

39. The Trap House-Busting Vigilante of Pine Ridge Reservation. “After Julie ‘Mama Julz’ Richards’s own family was nearly destroyed by addiction, fighting back against meth became a personal crusade.”

40. This 60-year-old single father has adopted 7 boys, after growing up in a foster home himself. (video)

41. 5 Powerful Reality Checks For Survivors Of Narcissistic Abuse.

42. Roxane Gay on the importance of taking up space and being heard.

43. Auntie Maxine on Mueller Report: ‘This Is Not the End of Anything’.

44. ‘A State of Emergency’: Native Americans Stranded for Days by Flooding.

45. FAT!SO?, “FAT!SO? has been a ‘zine, a website, a book, and it’s always an attitude. This is the online version.”

46. 11 Books By Phenomenal Black Women That Should Be Required Reading For Everyone.

47. This 19-year-old delivery driver was tackled to the pavement and arrested by plainclothes police because he parked his scooter in the wrong place. (video)

48. Hundreds of businesses have bought these genius gender neutral bathroom signs. (video)

49. A rare Tengmalm’s owl is seen in Shetland, “in what is believed to be the first sighting in 100 years.”

1. Shrill, available streaming on Hulu. This show is SO GOOD. I loved the book it’s based on, Samantha Irby is one of the main writers for the show, and Aidy Bryant does an amazing job as the lead character. In related news, Aidy Bryant On ‘Shrill,’ ‘SNL’ Thrills, And Not Feeling Bad About Her Body, and Lindy West Talks “Shrill” On Hulu, Abortions On TV, And Fat Representation, and In ‘Shrill,’ Lindy West Made The Body Positive Show That She Never Had, and Big as Life: Hulu’s Shrill Upends Pop Culture’s Fat Narrative, and Hulu’s Shrill is a quietly tender portrayal of learning how to love yourself, and Filling A Plus-Size Fashion Void On ‘Shrill.’

2. WordSmith Deck, “WordSmith Cards were designed to put you back in control of your creativity. Now, inspiration strikes when you tell it to. Inside your deck are 100 prompts that will help you get something, anything down on that blank page. They’re also particularly useful for people who are new to journaling and want to build a habit of writing every day. Keep your WordSmith Cards on your desk or wherever you do most of your writing. When you’re stuck, draw a card, read the prompt and write the first thing that comes to your mind.”

3. Campaign Zero. “We can live in a world where the police don’t kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability.”

4. Meeting the Buddha, one of my favorite poems, by Craig van Rooyen.

5. Rainbow Yoga For All Ages, a fun sequence from Yoga with Adriene.

6. Why Entrepreneurship Might Be The Best Career Path For Introverts.

7. Take Refuge in Your Body, “When the storms of life hit, your body can be a place of refuge and healing. Cyndi Lee says it starts with making friends with your body.”

8. The Man-Made, Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca. “Lake Titicaca in Peru is a lagoon made up of approximately 70 man-made islands. The central island serves as a hub, home to over 500 residents. Living afloat isn’t for everyone, but the Uros, a small South American tribe, have created and maintained this unique lifestyle for many years. The platforms are made using dried reeds and can be moved away from the mainland at any time. Home to the old and the new worlds, Lake Titicaca is a floating paradise welcoming visitors from around the globe.”

9. Napping is actually really good for your health, science finds.

10. Court ruling: Trump administration must take responsibility for all children it separated. In related news, A Honduran Father Is Reunited With His Daughter, 10 Months After Being Separated.

11. Activist EXPLODING at Sacramento City Council “after they ordered riot police to attack non violent Black Lives Matter protestors after the acquittal of the police officers who shot Stephon Clark, an unarmed Black man.” (video)

12. White Shamans & Plastic Medicine Men [1996]. (video) “This award-winning documentary deals with the popularization and commercialization of Native American spiritual traditions by Non-Indians. Important questions are asked of those seeking to commercially exploit Tribal rituals and sacred ceremonies…and those vested with safeguarding sacred ways. The film represents a wide range of voices from Native communities, and speaks to issues of cultural appropriation with humour, righteous anger, and thoughtful insight.”

13. Son Shares Photo Of His Dad, Sad That No One Is Coming To His New Donut Shop, It Goes Viral And People Flood The Shop.

14. White Supremacist Podcaster Fired From Job As EMT In Virginia.

15. Kratu running agility at the UK Kennel Club. (video) I AM Kratu.

16. These Heartwarming Illustrations Show That Dogs Make The Best Roommates. I wish this artist would make an animated film, one specifically for introverts where nobody gets lost or hurt. It’d be the best.

17. The most cost-effective way to help the homeless is to give them homes.

18. Science proved you and your dog fall in love when you look in each other’s eyes.

19. Celebrity College Bribery Ring Draws Attention To Incarceration Of Black Parents For Lesser Crimes.

20. When Civility Is Used As A Cudgel Against People Of Color.

21. Basically Good. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama on good heart, awakened mind, the causes of happiness and other basic principles of Buddhism.”

22. Micro prairies: No yard is too small to go with earth-friendly native plants.

23. 47 Things I Wish Other People Knew About Me As An INFJ.

24. This veteran lost both his legs in Iraq but found a sense of peace through teaching yoga.

25. Netflix Cancelled “One Day At a Time” Because “Not Enough People Watched.” Yeah, cause nobody wants to watch TV with good writing and acting that deals with important topics and makes you laugh…

26. New Zealand mosque attacks and the scourge of white supremacy. “Shootings at Christchurch mosques are only the latest on a long list of acts of white supremacist terrorism in the West.” In related news, On this heartbreaking day, Waleed reflects and calls for unity, (video), and Christchurch mosque shooting: The faces of the victims, and Christchurch mosque shootings: Who were the victims?.

27. Family Claims Bodycam Footage Shows Slain Rapper Was Asleep When Cops Killed Him. In related news, Florida Cop Relieved of Duty After Video Emerges of Police Violently Arresting Black Woman Who Called for Help, and ‘My Trust Is Completely Broken’: Dyma Loving, Brutally Arrested After Calling Police for Help, Speaks Out.

28. High school coaches gave cheerleaders awards for their breast and butt size at a banquet with parents. (video)

29. It’s Okay Not To Talk To Toxic Parents.

30. How I Feel As a Native Woman When Trump Idolizes Andrew Jackson. “OG History is a Teen Vogue series where we unearth history not told through a white, cisheteropatriarchal lens. In this piece, Cherokee Nation citizen, scholar, and writer Adrienne Keene talks about how history, and Donald Trump, have been too kind to Andrew Jackson.”

31. Couple brings food to stranded drivers. (video) “After they made it home from a three hour traffic jam, this couple hiked back to the freeway the next morning to bring food and water to motorists who were still stranded.”

32. These 21 Things Stress Out Highly Sensitive People The Most. Just reading this list stresses me out.

33. 7-year-old boy rescues hundreds of dogs. (video)

34. Kids singing. (video) So good.

35. A coalition of giant brands is about to change how we shop forever, with a new zero-waste platform.

36. Dog discovers a clam. (video)

37. Dad creates interactive sheets for kids in hospitals. (video) “After visiting a friend’s child in the hospital, Kevin Gatlin was inspired to make interactive sheets to bring a little joy to sick children.”

38. My boyfriend Roman makes a smoothie. (video)

1. The Super Bloom in Pictures on The New York Times.

2. Together Rising. “Together Rising transforms collective heartbreak into effective action…100% of what Together Rising receives from every personal donation goes directly to an individual, family, or cause in need – not one penny we receive from individual donation goes to administration costs, unless a donor specifically authorizes that use.” A recent project was to find 90 families who’d been separated from their children when they came to the U.S. seeking asylum and reunite them. Here’s a video of a recent reunion they were able to facilitate. In related news, After Hours at the Border, 29 Parents Separated From Their Kids and Deported Take Step Toward Asylum, and Hundreds of migrant children are taken from families despite rollback of separation policy.

3. 30 Of The Best Responses To #Trashtag Challenge. “People are challenged to take a before photo of an area that is in need of intense trash clean-up, followed by an after photo of the beautified area.”

4. Wabi-Sabi for Writers, “A Weekend Writing Workshop with Laurie Wagner and Maya Stein, May 3-5, 2019 | Nutley, New Jersey…a weekend writing workshop that will engage participants to discover and celebrate the wobbly journey of embracing the stories that want to be told, and telling them truthfully. We will write and we will read. Led by seasoned facilitators and frequent writing partners Laurie Wagner and Maya Stein, we’ll dive into the troubled waters of the writing practice, and learn how to loosen our process – rather than confine it – to take deeper risks with our voice and give our work new clarity and strength.”

5. Between Two Pines, Upaya Podcast with Natalie Goldberg.

6. Is sugar (un)healthy? It depends.

7. So you care about white supremacy? Do something. An older post, but still so relevant.

8. Mini Trucks in Japan Are Being Transformed Into Enchanting Tiny Gardens.

9. Deep down I’m enormously lazy from Austin Kleon, which links to this great excerpt from Ross Gay’s new book.

10. It’s Not All Love and Light: Why We Can’t Ignore the Dark and Just “Be Positive.”

11. Rethinking Food Addiction.

12. Our Bodies are Basically Good, “Non-diet dietician Jenna Hollenstein’s new book Eat to Love paves a Buddhist path toward transforming our often troubled relationship with food and body. Lilly Greenblatt spoke with Hollenstein about how her revolutionary approach can guide us away from chronic dieting, food anxiety, and disordered eating with mindfulness and compassion.”

13. 4 Ways To Reduce Plastics And Other Single-Use Disposables In Your Kitchen.

14. Sorry, I’m Back My Letter to the Mipham.

15. Hard Pill Talk: What White People Must Do to Fight Racism. (video)

16. Bow Down! 65 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved The Way.

17. 60 Stunning Photos Of Girls Going To School Around The Globe.

18. Why I Won’t be Pursuing Weight Loss as a Solution to my Chronic Pain.

19. Go Fund Me: Marcia’s fight against Cervical cancer. I was just saying to someone this morning that every middle class family in the United States is just one medical emergency event away from losing everything.

20. This woman created the Free Black Women’s Library to foster a space that celebrates the work and incredible lives of Black women. (video) Check out their Tumblr site to see how to help.

21. The Dharma of the Princess Bride, “In The Princess Bride, outcasts and loners find true friendship. Drawing on the classic film, Ethan Nichtern offers Buddhist teachings on how to make friends with yourself and others.”

22. The Drop: Amanda Palmer Tackles The Long Walk To Abortion in “A Voicemail For Jill.” I’ve never had to make this decision but I’m pretty sure no woman ever WANTS to have an abortion. And if you think things wouldn’t be different if men got pregnant, open your eyes. Open your heart.

23. Fans Rally to Save Netflix’s LGBT-Inclusive Sitcom One Day at a Time. This show covers important topics, is high quality writing and acting, and makes me laugh — what more do you want from a TV show?!

24. 2,000 MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) Getting Started in March: Enroll Today.

25. Grief Becomes You call for submissions from Maya Stein, “I am very pleased to announce an open call for your stories and images around the subject of grief. I am asking for submissions by May 15.” I really, really want to submit something to this, but I’m afraid I’m too busy to do it.

26. This Woman Set Up A Photo Booth For Birds In Her Yard, And The Results Are Extraordinary.

27. Colorado Police Hold Black Student At Gunpoint As He Picks Up Trash On His Own Property.

28. University Dean Resigns Over Chick-fil-A Campus Ban.

29. New Hampshire Republicans Wear Pearls To Mock Moms Who Oppose Gun Violence.

30. Is this the fastest 7-year-old in the world? (video) “Meet Rudolph ‘Blaze’ Ingram — one day he hopes to smash Usain Bolt’s 100m World Record.”

31. This world-class chef won a $250,000 lottery prize — he’s using the money to hire people off the street and feed the homeless. (video)

32. How to Cope with a Toxic and Estranged Family Relationship.

33. Detroit man sues three white women who called police on him for ‘gardening while black.’

34. 5 Documentaries to Watch for Women’s History Month (or Any Month).

35. The Politics of Productivity: 7 Ways to Undo Societal Pressure to Constantly Perform.

1. “Thank You,” a poem by Ross Gay.

If you find yourself half naked
and barefoot in the frosty grass, hearing,
again, the earth’s great, sonorous moan that says
you are the air of the now and gone, that says
all you love will turn to dust,
and will meet you there, do not
raise your fist. Do not raise
your small voice against it. And do not
take cover. Instead, curl your toes
into the grass, watch the cloud
ascending from your lips. Walk
through the garden’s dormant splendor.
Say only, thank you.
Thank you.

2. 12 Things to Remember When You are Feeling Overwhelmed from Be More With Less.

3. Updated: Former aides describe abuse and sexual misconduct by Shambhala leader on Lion’s Roar. The update includes links to letters from Diana J. Mukpo, Shambhala Acharyas, and the Sakyong.

4. Jaden Smith’s Foundation Teams Up With Local Church To Help Bring Clean Water To Flint.

5. Review: The Grand, Exhausting Life of Pamela Adlon’s ‘Better Things’ on The New York Times.

6. Here are 24 cognitive biases that are warping your perception of reality.

7. Inside The Rabid Fandom Community That Keeps ‘90 Day Fiancé’ On Air.

8. President Trump’s proposed border wall could cut through a butterfly sanctuary, historical sites and Carrizo/Comecrudo Indigenous territory. “Meet the people who’ve joined forces to defend these places.” (video)

9. 11-year-old girl granting wishes to nursing home residents.

10. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wants the Country to Think Big. “The Democratic socialist star came to D.C. to ‘swing for the fences’ and fix America.”

11. “A year ago, I couldn’t even swim…”: Meet the 24-year-old who stunned coaches and is now training for the Olympics. (video)

12. Rampant Abuses in Immigration Detention Prove ICE Is Rotten to the Core.

13. Meet Dog Park Diane: White Woman Calls Police to Dog Park After Black Man’s Dog Humps Hers.

14. Toni Morrison: First Lady of Letters on The New York Times.

15. Ep. 14 of The Road Home Podcast: The Four Noble Truths of Love with Susan Piver.

16. Sometimes the morning OM’s are just too good. (video)

17. Cheryl’s Good Vibe Tribe is still accepting donations.

18. Emma would love a letter from your dog. “Emma Mertens, a 7-year-old girl from Hartland who was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, has requested ‘letters from dogs.'”

19. I Photographed Foxes In My Studio And Fell In Love With Their Characters.

20. Michael Cohen’s parting shot: I fear what happens if Trump loses in 2020.

21. Oprah Winfrey loses $58 million on Weight Watchers investment as stock plunges. In related news, Victoria’s Secret will close 53 stores as struggles mount.

22. The True Story Behind Legendary Jazz Pianist Don Shirley And Green Book. “Don Shirley was a piano prodigy and his passion was for classical music. But because of his race, 1950s America wanted him to stick to pop music.”

23. Illinois native is first African American woman to summit Mount Everest.

24. Meet the Baltimore Yogi Helping Black Men ‘Heal’ Through Yoga: ‘It’s Okay to Love Yourself.’

25. 30 Adorable ‘Employees Of The Week’ That This Contractor Met At The Houses He Works At.

26. This 13-year-old is the only women’s figure skater to land two triple axels in competition. (video)

27. This Super Cool Subscription Box Teaches Kids Black History All Year Round.

28. House Votes to Block Trump’s National Emergency Declaration About the Border on The New York Times.

29. Dad Mics Up His 4-Year-Old At Hockey Practice To “Finally Understand What The Heck He Was Doing Out There.”

1. What do you want your life and work to look and feel like? A great question offered in one of Jamie Ridler‘s recent newsletters.

2. Colorful Quilts by Bisa Butler use African Fabrics to Form Nuanced Portraits.

3. Clever Photos of Animals Made Out of Food.

4. How To Market Your New Business On A $0 Budget. “The 51 tools you should get to know (and love) if you’re starting something with nothing.”

5. What I say when I don’t know what to say from Austin Kleon.

6. How Mary Oliver Helped Me to Breathe Again.

7. Glennon Doyle Is Trying To Wake Up White Women. Is It Working? “The author, activist, and former mommy blogger has been encouraging her mostly white fans to speak up and empower themselves. What happens when her new advice is to shut up, listen, and let women of color lead the way?”

8. 8 Women on Choosing Not to Have Kids.

9. Why Writing Matters in the Age of Despair.

10. Hallucinations Kidnap The Senses In ‘The Collected Schizophrenias.’

11. This mic’d up 4-year old playing hockey is everything. (video) This kid is the story of my life.

12. Yoruba Richen’s Green Book Documentary Centers Black Joy, Not White Ignorance. “Victor Green’s guide for Black motorists saved lives and made travel possible for many Americans. This movie is about THAT story.” In related news, Oscars 2019: ‘Green Book’ is the worst best picture winner since ‘Crash’, and SNL “White Savior” Movie Trailer (video).

13. Meet Mama Posseh, a surrogate mom of orphaned baby chimpanzees in Sierra Leone. (video)

14. R. Kelly’s Bond Set At $1 Million After Being Charged With 10 Counts Of Sex Abuse.

15. ‘Black Panther’ Costume Designer Draws On ‘The Sacred Geometry Of Africa.’

16. 10 Books About Race To Read Instead Of Asking A Person Of Color To Explain Things To You.

17. Attempting to battle rap my son. (video) This is SO cute.

18. These animals are helping other animals. (video)

19. Dog had never wagged her tail until she met her foster dad. (video)

20. Dad sings “Tennessee Whiskey” to his baby. (video) I watched this more than once. His voice is gorgeous, reminds me of Leon Bridges.

21. Elaborate Paper Origami Tessellations and Kusudamas by Ekaterina Lukasheva.

22. Me when I see a dog. (video)

23. “I’m unapologetically black and I’m unapologetically a feminist,” says Brittney C Cooper, Ph.D., the author of “Eloquent Rage.” (video) “She explains why ‘being both those things is the thing that will save us.'”

24. 50 Amazing Books By Black Authors From The Past 5 Years.

25. The Most Hilarious Pictures Taken By Real Estate Agents. Hilarious, and creepy.

26. Five Things I Wish I’d Known Before My Chronic Illness on The New York Times. “Chronically ill people research their diseases ad nauseam. They try more treatments than they can count. In many cases, great scientific minds can’t crack a cause or cure. So unless someone asks for your advice, don’t offer it.”

27. Dream Job Alert: Humane Society of Tampa Bay Is Searching For Dog Snugglers. Yes, please!

28. Spirit Rock, Jack Kornfield, withdraw Noah Levine’s authorization to teach. In related news, Former aides describe abuse and sexual misconduct by Shambhala leader.

29. Little dude dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. (video)

30. Rocketman (2019) – Extended Full Trailer. This looks SO good!

31. More Than 50 Years In, Mavis Staples Is Still Delivering Messages Of Hope And Justice.

32. A Star Wars Is Born – “Shallow” Parody. (video)

33. Arrested Coast Guard Officer Allegedly Planned Attack ‘On A Scale Rarely Seen.’ Remind me again why we are building a wall?!

34. Covington Catholic student’s family hits the Washington Post with $250 million lawsuit. And surprise, surprise, DT tweeted his support.

35. Slim people should thank genes not ‘moral superiority’ for weight, study suggests.

36. White Woman Claims to Confront Racism by Creating Racist Yoga Event; Clearly Doesn’t Understand How Racism Works.

37. Karl Lagerfeld’s long history of disparaging fat women.

38. Publisher Of An Alabama Newspaper Calls For The KKK To ‘Clean Out’ Washington.

39. You ever see something so cute it literally hurts? (video) Hint: baby elephants are super cute.

40. Here’s why first responders are turning to yoga to improve their performance on the job. (video)

41. A whole community learns sign language to be able to chat with a two year old. (video)

42. What do we do when the art we love was created by a monster? In related news, What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?

43. My boyfriend Roman makes rice crispy treats. (video)

1. Wisdom from Desmond Tutu, “Discovering more joy does not, save us from the inevitability of hardship and heartbreak. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreaks without being broken.”

2. Recipe I want to try: Sweet Potato Black Bean Hash. This is actually one I shared a year ago and never made, but saw it in my Facebook memories this morning and decided to make it for dinner this week. Pretty much anything with sweet potatoes, spinach, black beans and cumin is something I’m going to like.

3. An Interview With Bryan Stevenson on Institutional Racism and Changing the Narrative..

4. Power & Heart: Black and Buddhist in America on Lion’s Roar. “At the first-ever gathering of Buddhist teachers of black African descent, held at New York’s Union Theological Seminary, two panels of leading Buddhist teachers took questions about what it means to be a black Buddhist in America today.”

5. Wisdom from Michelle Obama (by way of A Design So Vast), “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”

6. I Wish I’d Had A ‘Late-Term Abortion’ Instead Of Having My Daughter.

7. Trapped, with no end in sight: A detained mother’s struggle to get home.

8. 4 Surprising Ways to Use a Yoga Bolster. There’s one of these I wouldn’t try or recommend, but there are two core ones that look worth trying.

9. Mexican-American novelist Sandra Cisneros wins international literary prize from PEN America.

10. Artwork (sculpture) by Thomas Deininger. (video) There’s a metaphor in there somewhere.

11. First Listen: Yola, ‘Walk Through Fire.’ It took me a few songs to get into this album, and when I did, I wanted to curl up in her lap for the rest of the day while she sang to me.

12. So, feeding baby manatees looks like the BEST JOB EVER. (video)

13. Kitten tries to copy momma cat bathing. (video)

14. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. (video) “America’s obsession with and fear of obesity is putting fat people’s lives at risk. As a reminder: don’t worry, you can laugh! This segment was written by fat people! Featuring the thicc and fabulous Kristen Bartlett and Ashley Nicole Black.”

15. NFL star Shaquem Griffin shared an adorable moment with a little boy who has 1 hand, just like him. (video) To be honest, the real reason I’m sharing this video is I had no idea there was a professional football player with only ONE HAND! So cool.

16. “It’s easier to talk about gang rape than your body”: Roxane Gay on body positivity, trans rights, and 2020 In related news, Roxane Gay Would Prefer Not to Have to Be Exceptional.

17. The Denver teachers strike is over. They won.

18. A Border Agent Detained Two Americans Speaking Spanish. Now They Have Sued.

19. Rare, Elusive Black Leopard Caught On Camera In The Wild.

20. “Pen15” Is The Must Watch Show That Tackles The Awkwardness Of Middle School From A Female Perspective. I really, really liked this show.

21. Dazzling Gradients and Geometric Designs Baked into New Pies and Tarts by Lauren Ko. I think this is cool, but honestly it’s more important to me what they taste like.

22. Butterflies Vs. Border Wall: National Butterfly Center Seeks Restraining Order.

23. Dozens of polar bears invaded these Russian islands, prompting them to declare a state of emergency. (video)

24. This woman dropped everything to keep her granddaughter out of the foster care system. (video)

25. North Carolina A&T’s Kayla White Becomes the Fastest 200-Meter Runner…in the WORLD. In related news, Watch this 15-year-old girl bench press 360 pounds, breaking a state record, (video).

26. Five Essay Collections by Women of Color.

27. 9 Brutally Honest Confessions Of An INFJ.

28. Chimpanzees Build Makeshift Ladder, Break Free From Zoo Enclosure.

29. At first glance, the works of Ruth Miller look like paintings. (video) “They are embroidered tapestry portraits hand stitched with care. She explains why she continues her art.”

30. This 390-year-old tree survived the bombing of Hiroshima.

31. Who won this lip sync battle? (video)

32. Sweet Photo Series Reveals What’s In A Preschooler’s Pockets.

33. Fox News host who doesn’t wash his hands because germs aren’t real sums up Fox News.

34. The Aurora shooter had a history of domestic violence and assault. He never should have had a gun.

35. Accounts of sexual misconduct and abuse from several people who were very close to the Sakyong. This is a particularly difficult read, but it’s important to know the truth.