1. Wisdom from Susan Piver,

Meditation is not a life-hack intended for self-improvement nor is it about stress-reduction. It is a discipline. There are no short cuts. It is the opposite of an escape. Practice leads, not to peace, but to clarity, fierceness, and gentleness.(These are not necessarily synonymous with ease. However, they are awesome.) PS I’m still not very good at it. Fortunately, being good at it is not the objective.

2. Funny Husky videos. This made me laugh, and miss my Obi, (our first dog, a Husky mix).

3. A Bank Wouldn’t Cash This Woman’s Paycheck Because They Didn’t Believe She Was An Architect. Seriously?! Blergh.

4. Elizabeth Plank on the latest from Donald Trump. “After more than a year of the Donald J. Trump campaign, should the recent audio leaks of Trump describing boorish behavior towards women really surprise anyone?” In related news, Women Across America Respond To Trump’s Groping Comments (TWEETS).

5. 7 Surprising Reasons Your Dog Should Sleep On Your Bed Every Night. As someone who has had a dog in her bed almost every night for the past 15 years, I am not surprised at all.

6. This musician helps NYC’s homeless get enough money to eat just by playing next to them.

7. Teachers Tell Individual Students How Special They Are, Tears Ensue.

8. An amazing Dad builds an incredible backyard Ninja Warrior course for his daughter.

10. Recipes I want to try: Slow Cooker Corn Chowder and Roasted Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts.

11. Renegade Healing with Dr. Vickie. “A modern day medicine woman for women who are in spiritual and health transitions.” A beautiful thing offered by a beautiful human.

12. Self-Doubt Is A Jerk, So You Should Stop Listening To It, wisdom from Chuck Wendig.

13. Don’t Fall For the New H&M Campaign. In what seems like related news to me, Looks Like “No Excuses” Mom, Maria Kang, Found Some Excuses.

14. The Birds of Fear from Jena Schwartz. There’s a particular magic to Jena’s writing — the detail, stuck to the present moment, tiny moments that call in the power of larger ones, reality that feels like the ordinary magic of a dream, the weaving together of multiple voices but so clearly her own.

15. Humans of New York and the Cavalier Consumption of Others. This makes me sad, because Humans of New York is one of my favorite things, and Stories is one of my “go to” gifts, a book I have given to so many people. I can’t figure out if this article means I’m stupid or confused, or if it’s just another perspective.

16. Changing Beliefs vs. Changing Ideologies (the core of the Non-Diet Approach).

17. A Letter to the Doctors and Nurses Who Cared for My Wife.

18. Why Black lives matter from Ben & Jerry.

19. 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

20. How Libraries Save Lives. “One woman’s story of how a bookmobile transported her away from a deadly life and toward her human potential.”

21. Wisdom from Brave Girls Club,

You are a human being with a body and a mind and a soul…and all parts of us need rest just like we need food and water. It’s not a luxury…it’s not selfish. And it’s not something you can deprive yourself of day after day and week after week without becoming a tired and diluted version of yourself who has too much to do to ever do her best at ANYTHING. When you don’t stop to rest, to think, to recharge, to remember, to restore…you end up grouchy, tired, uncreative, angry, and numb to lots of life. And that’s not who you are, is it? Don’t lose yourself while you are trying to be everything to everyone. So STOP today and make a list, prioritize it, be realistic. Say no to at least three things today.

22. The Science of Meditation, another great (FREE!) offering from Shambhala Mountain Center. This is an amazing group of teachers, and the videos are available for 48 hours after their initial airing.

22. Guy offers to help strangers with anything.

23. Our future doesn’t have to be dismal. “Scientists analyzed sustainability projects around the world and identified overarching trends that can potentially help create a more sustainable future.”

24. How To Help Haiti Recover From Hurricane Matthew.

25. Female Chief Terminates 850 Child Marriages in Malawi and Sends Girls Back to School.

1. Twitter Reveals How God Created Animals. Thanks to Eric, this might just be the best thing I’ve ever shared. My favorite, of course, is the one about dogs.

2. When to Go Out and When to Stay In, a really helpful infographic.

3. I Am From, from Jena Schwartz, who said about it, “You know those ‘I Am From’ poems kids write in elementary school? Well, I used it as a prompt and here’s what happened.” One of my favorite writing prompts.

4. The Lenny Interview: Lidia Yuknavitch. “I think if you want to write, you should write. What path or what form that takes is incredibly individual. If you’re an artist and you’re searching for forms of self-expression, you have to invent your own path. My life experiences, if you wrote them down on a list, look a little crooked, and who cares?”

5. Yes, There Is Such a Thing as an ‘Introvert’ Hangover. In related news, Introvert Hangovers Can Be Really Rough.

6. 18 Books Every White Ally Should Read.

7. Good stuff from Alexandra Franzen: If you want to be a professional writer… and Try to stay here if you can.

8. The Lenny Interview: Sarah McLachlan, in which the interviewer says, “In 2016, we’re still arguing about whether you can elevate women without hating men” and Sarah responds,

I think you can, but there’s always going to be people who feel emasculated by that. Over the past 50 or 60 years, women have gone from being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen to CEOs of corporations and presidents of countries — which is amazing, but it’s a massive, seismic shift in culture. There’s been very little work done to help men come around to that. They have thousands of years of caveman dominance in their genes. That’s a hard shift, to go from “I’m in charge” to “Oh, I’m supposed to stay home and change diapers, and you’re going to run the company?”

I see a lot of young men who really are egalitarian, and I think that’s because mothers and fathers are teaching their children that this is how it should be. But it takes many generations for that change to penetrate. Look at Trump. Look at the bigots and the racists and the hatred that was simmering underneath the surface. He’s given them all a voice. As much as I’m horrified by Trump, it’s good that he’s done this because it’s brought everything to a boil. We need to talk about that and try and fix it.

9. Head, heart, hands, and hustle from Austin Kleon.

10. Dropping the Narrative, good advice from Seth Godin.

11. Just F*cking Journal ClassOctober 17th-22nd, with Jamie Greenwood. “6 days. 6 fresh prompts. 6 ways to reconnect with YOU.” FREE.

12. A Short Guide to Starting, if You’re Struggling from Zen Habits.

13. Why Body Image Work Hasn’t Worked from Be Nourished. “Healing body dissatisfaction/loathing is not necessarily about liking the image of your body. It’s not solely about changing the way you see your body. It is very much about turning toward and unraveling the internalized body loathing, shame and oppression that have turned your body into a thing needing to be altered and improved. This cultural stuff was never yours, though you may feel overrun by it.”

14. Mind of Autumn, a podcast from Upaya with Natalie Goldberg & Wendy Johnson. In this dharma talk, Natalie Goldberg and Wendy Johnson begin their writing retreat Mind of Autumn where they set the tone by stating, “Autumn calls us to a still and silent place, and beckons us to sit back and observe a little deeper.” During the first part of the talk, Natalie Goldberg says, “Forget everything else and become an English major.” Word.

15. The View From Here from Laurie Wagner. “I’m not standing under a chuppah, I’m not embarking on the beginning of a shared domestic life with another, but I am standing somewhere, I know it, I just haven’t begun to string the words together yet.”

16. The Secret Ingredient You Should Add to Roasted Vegetables. Tis’ the season.

17. The Undeniable Rape Culture Of Donald Trump. In related news, If you don’t vote against Donald Trump, we may all soon regret it.

18. A White Helmet Volunteer’s Emotional Rescue Of A Baby Girl.

19. Everybody Wants To Rule the World with special guests, Curt Smith and drummer Jamie Wollam.

20. 10 Photos Represent The 67% Of Women We Don’t See Enough.

21. A story from Ashley Owens. “This story is MY OWN personal experience. THIS IS NOT A PARODY, and I AM NOT AN AUTHOR.” This is what racism looks like. If this doesn’t make you angry, I don’t know what else to tell you.

22. Stay Beautiful: Ugly Truth In Beauty Magazines.

23. This House Costs Just $20,000—But It’s Nicer Than Yours.

24. Will & Grace, and Jack & Karen, Are Back With a New Scene About the 2016 Election.

25. US Navy Veteran, Al Woolum, a grandfather, took a knee during the Star Spangled Banner.

26. Yes, I’ve Gained Weight. “I’ve gained weight because it’s actually a totally normal thing bodies do and it’s absolutely none of your fucking business. If my weight in any way impacts how you see me as a person, a friend, a colleague or lover, then I would like to terminate that relationship immediately, because that is not the kind of bigoted prejudice I want in my life.”

27. A Purple Post, a new one from Mikalina.

28. Two fun October things, that have already started but it’s not too late to join: Booktoberfest, a “books and writing Instagram challenge” hosted by Jenny Bravo with daily prompts, and 10Q, “10 days, 10 questions” (you get the question, log in and answer it, and it’s sent to a “secret vault” where it waits until next year, when they send your responses back to you).

29. 10 Ways White Liberals Perpetuate Racism. In related news, The People’s Guide To Navigating Racial Awkwardness.