1. The Ten Commitments from The American Humanist Center for Education. “Each one of us is responsible for the collective welfare of humanity, other beings, and the resources of our shared planet…The Ten Commitments represents our shared humanistic values and principles that promote a democratic world in which every individual’s worth and dignity is respected, nurtured, and supported, and where human freedom and ethical responsibility are natural aspirations for everyone.”

2. 12 little acts of kindness: what friends and strangers did for each other in their hour of need. “From hot meals and thoughtful surprises to strangers who took the time to listen, you shared the ways people brought you light in your darkest hour.”

3. Give a Girl by Brittany Moore. (Facebook video) This is my new favorite song, and I just found out the specific dog she wrote the song about is a BLUE HEELER. 

4. For the HSPs: 15 Simple Things That Make Highly Sensitive People Happy, and The Science of Calming the Heck Down (And Why We HSPs Can Struggle With It), and How Social Media Affects a Highly Sensitive Person’s Brain.

5. A Manifesto by Roxane Gay — 10 rules for loving and being loved well. “For Roxane Gay, love has no rules, but there are ways of loving well. A relationship is to be nurtured, worked on and appreciated; and contrary to common wisdom, it’s something to find joy in, not suffering. Here, the writer gives us a gentle guide—hand-drawn by her wife, the artist, writer and educator Debbie Millman—on how to navigate this most delicate of emotions.” I’m not sure I agree that love is “this most delicate of emotions.” I’d call it fierce if anything.

6. For the Love of Dogs…and All Beings with Tara Brach. “The focus of this conversation is on our relationships with dogs, and more broadly, all beings. We look at what Thich Nhat Hanh called interbeing, and what happens when we shift our attention from self to who are we together. Tara is joined by Mark Drucker, an animal lover who works in digital media and is founder of lovedog.com, and Drew Webster, a dog behavior consultant par excellence.”

7. Will The Rock’s Red One be the worst Christmas movie ever? “The trailer for Amazon’s reportedly troubled $250m action-comedy shows that it might just be weightless action mush.” I watched the trailer and it’s so ridiculous. I was cringing as hard as I was laughing.

8. How Much of This is True? On the Subtle Nuances of Memoir and Autofiction. “Everything is, on some level, fiction. Especially after it’s been filtered through individual experience. We are all unreliable narrators, recounting our stories through the filters of perception and memory. Mostly, whether someone believes you only has to do with how well you can tell your story.”

9. The paradox of self skepticism from Seth Godin.

10. To the People I’ve Lost Over Politics and Religion on The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz. “I know you may believe this disconnection is about politics or religion, but I want you to know that this simply isn’t true. It’s nothing that small or inconsequential, or this space between us wouldn’t be necessary. This is about fundamental differences in the ways in which we view the world and believe other people should be treated. It’s not political stuff, it’s human being stuff—which is why finding compromise and seeing a way forward is so difficult.”

11. Good stuff on Be More With Less from Courtney Carver: 8 Mistakes We Make Over and Over that Make Us Feel Unhappy and 10 Little Tips To Help You Keep Your Cool.

12. 6 Common Fears About Starting Therapy on Psychology Today. “Going to therapy for the first time is a bold step and it might elicit some strong feelings. These apprehensions are expected, and they accompany the process of entering therapy.”

13. Our Mistaken Ideas About What Makes Us Happy on Zen Habits.

14. Ditch These 5 Unhealthy Habits to Unlock Your Best Life.

15. Feeling exhausted? Here’s how to fight the weariness. “Try these top tips for managing your energy more wisely.”

16. Grief Guides: Among the death doulas. “What it takes to become a death doula, someone who guides the dying and their loved ones through grief—from the logistics of closing a social media account to the experience of holding their hand as they pass.”

17. The poetry of Finn Butler. Such as “I know the heart is a heavy thing” and “Saltwater” and “What is the shape of your loneliness today?”

18. Abe Lincoln wax sculpture melts in brutal DC heat. Seems to be a metaphor for something in there somewhere.

19. Wednesday Poetry from Patti Digh: “Epitaph” by Merrit Malloy.

20. Pair of Sleeping Bees Wins Insect Photography Contest. I love how this title seems to imply that the pair of sleeping bees are the ones who took the winning photo.

21. Free to be you and me from Rita on Rootsie. “Or, what if you actually are creating what you need to be, right now?”

22. Embracing Mortality: The Conversation Live on Death, Dying, and Finding Peace on The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet. “In a recent InstaLive session, I had the pleasure of discussing one of life’s most profound experiences – death – with hospice nurse Julie. Known fondly as Hospice Nurse Julie, she has recently authored a book titled ‘Nothing to Fear,’ which has already made it onto the New York Times bestseller list. Our shared objective is importance of normalizing death and the significant impact it has on how we live our lives.”

1. Vanishing Rock Art: The Art of Letting Go from 60 Second Docs. (video)

2. Indigenous artist Jeffrey Gibson, on view at the Venice Biennale on CBS Sunday Morning. “Jeffrey Gibson, a member of the Mississippi band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, is the first Indigenous artist to be chosen to represent the United States with a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale, which is considered the Olympics of the art world. Correspondent Seth Doane visits the site of the Biennale, and meets with Gibson at his studio in Upstate New York, where he created his exhibition titled ‘the space in which to place me.'”

3. What does it mean that Barnes & Noble is buying Denver indie Tattered Cover? In related news, Barnes & Noble Just Bought a Beloved Indie Bookstore. Now What?

4. On Change and Denial. “Often, we feel the tectonic tremors of change long before it erupts to alter the landscape of life; often, we tune them out or invent a thousand alternative explanations for them. But we know, we know, deep in the marrow of the soul, when something must change — and when it is about to.”

5. Grass: America’s Thirstiest Addiction. (video) “Step into the world of manicured lawns and desert golf courses to discover the surprising reality behind turf grass: America’s most resource-intensive plant, yet one of its least productive crops. Shane Campbell-Staton, host of Human Footprint, visits Palm Springs and examines the environmental impact of our fixation on lawns, which historically symbolized as power and status. This episode also examines Palm Springs’ golf courses, beautiful but thirsty artificial oases, and the impressive engineering needed to keep their lush greens, well, lush and green. Grass may be all around us, but the cultural and resource costs might be more than you’ve ever realized.”

6. The Slow Healing Movement from Gretchen Schmelzer. “I have found that during times of repair or growth that I crave slowness like a nutrient. And I have found that when I can be brave enough, in a culture of speed, to give in to this craving, the mending really does happen. The emotional bones knit back together, grief recedes, my capacity expands. I get more sturdy, I grow into new places in myself. Slowness becomes the wonderful and supportive cast that wraps itself around my broken places and allows some things inside of me to knit back together.”

7. Do Less. It’s Good for You.

8. Good stuff on Lion’s Roar: Pema Chödrön’s 3 Ways to Transform Your Emotions (“At the root of our suffering are the destructive emotions that Buddhism calls the kleshas, or poisons. Pema Chödrön teaches us a three-step practice to transform their energy from a cause of suffering into a path to awakening”) and How 3 Buddhist Teachers Work with Difficult Emotions (“Working with difficult emotions is a lifelong practice. Three Buddhist teachers open up about their own struggles”).

9. The 2024 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions.

10. Craft Talk Friday Thread: Where Do We Get Inspired? from Jami Attenberg. “So I’m curious today: When you feel out of ideas, what are the physical places you go to in the world to get your inspiration?”

11. Practice, a poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. “Always, the bindweed comes back.” Yes, yes it does.

12. Some days are harder than others (but it will get better) from Jenny Lawson.

13. Can We Overcome Overconsumption? on Commons’ new sustainability podcast. “How do we deconsume in a consumerist world? When we buy less, we save money, cut down on clutter, and lower our emissions. And this collective shift has another big impact — helping us to steer the economy away from disposable, poorly made products, and dangerous supply chains. Becoming more conscious consumers is a pivotal step in building a more sustainable economy.”

14. Amy Feigley-Lee Plays with Perception in Vintage Wallpaper Sculptures.

15. 10 Things We’ll Regret When We’re Older If We Don’t Stop Now from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

16. How I Kept My Spirit From Breaking from Andrea Gibson. If love could keep a person alive, Andrea would be immortal.

17. A Piece of My Soul from Frederick Joseph. “An intimate exploration of love, grief, and hope in this life.” 

18. Juneteenth: A Visual History.

19. wrestling w/ coherence: starting a waste book.

20. Natalie Goldberg has a new book coming out. Do I need another book on writing? No. Am I going to get this one anyway? Probably.

21. How Spending Can Make You Happier, “Fascinating insights from author Abby Davisson.”

22. 2024 Milky Way Photographer of the Year. Wow…