Category Archives: Something Good

Something Good

1. Seven Ways to Have a Healthier Relationship With Stress“A new book by renowned stress researcher Elissa Epel explains how stress affects our bodies at the cellular level and how to manage it better.”

2. 7 Writing Hacks Every Writer Must Know“Want to write better and quicker? These tips and tricks from the pros will help make the process much easier.”

3. Imagine being loved anyway“I am convinced more than ever that trust is built not because you are loved, but because someone loved you anyway. They loved you when you were angry, or messy, or cranky or a total and complete pain in the ass. They loved you when you forgot, or remembered—when you said it or when you didn’t say it. They didn’t love you because you could do it—they loved you anyway, even when you couldn’t.”

4. Bruce’s Beach Was Hailed as a Reparations Model. Then the Family Sold Iton The New York Times. “The Bruce family won the return of oceanfront land near Los Angeles seized nearly a century ago. Their decision to sell for $20 million set off a different debate about reparations.”

5. I Was Interviewed While Nearly Naked: And that wasn’t the most vulnerable part! from Andrea Gibson. Even if you don’t read the article, watch the video: How Cancer Transformed My Crushing Anxiety Into Boundless Bliss | Andrea Gibson | What’s Underneath. And if you’ve never seen one of these interviews before, check out the whole series. It’s really great.

6. On Being with Krista Tippett: Ada Limón “To Be Made Whole”“An electric conversation with Ada Limón‘s wisdom and her poetry — a refreshing, full-body experience of how this way with words and sound and silence teaches us about being human at all times, but especially now. With an unexpected and exuberant mix of gravity and laughter — laughter of delight, and of blessed relief — this conversation holds not only what we have traversed these last years, but how we live forward.”

7. This Black Cemetery Was Left In Ruins–And It’s Not The Only One“In Potomac, MD., a 150-year-old Black cemetery for former slaves and freed Black people became a dumping ground.”

8. Michelle Yeoh on her Oscar-nominated performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. “The film with the most Oscar nominations this year, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ became a surprise, breakout hit for audiences and critics. The movie’s star, Michelle Yeoh, has already nabbed a Golden Globe and now has a chance to make history as the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress.”

9. Registered dietitian shares 5 common myths about nutrition and food“These popular nutrition myths may be misguiding your food choices. Here are five bogus myths to ditch immediately for a healthier diet, according to an expert.”

10. I Had One Month Of Bliss After My Daughter’s Birth. Then My Husband’s Health Began To Deteriorate — Rapidly.

11. Your Body Knows You’re Burned Out on The New York Times. “Here’s how to recognize the physical symptoms of work-related stress — and what to do about them.”

12. Rest Before Worry a comic from Connie Sun.

13. My horses absolutely love to go on adventure walks with me(video)

14. The week I spent with our son Henry after he died“Grief makes you do some seemingly weird things. Or maybe grief makes us behave in a way that is our truest self, because every impulse I had felt completely organic.”

15. America, Right-Wing Censors and the ‘Battle for the Next Century’ on The New York Times. “This is the New Right’s strategic plan: a relentless push to re-establish and strengthen the straight, cis, patriarchal, white supremacist power structure.”

16. The Best Fruit for Your Gut Health, According to a Gastroenterologist.

17. Photos capture rare snowfall on the Oregon coastIn related news, Drone Footage of Tractor Trailers Stuck on I-5 North.

18. Some Of The Most Iconic Photographs Ever Taken.

19. Boulder fox inspires new album by Leftover Salmon’s Andy Thorn.

20. Mom asks if 10-year-old’s first composition can be played, then musicians around the world give their take.

21. The Death Of A Pet Should Be Taken More Seriously By Counselors“Disregarding the severity of pet bereavement can represent a barrier in the healing process.”

22. A Photographer Who Found Instagram Fame for His Striking Portraits Has Confessed His Images Were Actually A.I.-Generated.

23. High-Profile Art Couple Offers Worst Job Ever on The New York Times. “Wanted: Caretaker for child, dogs, chef, nannies, landscapers, housekeeper and guests. A detailed rundown of irritating tasks is the talk of the art-world underclass.”

24. How Long Is Writing Supposed to Take? “Some books take years to write, others months. Can we learn to accept the inefficiency and unpredictability of writing?”

25. Dense Ecosystems with Flowing Water Sources Packed in Vintage Luggage by Kathleen Vance.

26. Newspapers have dropped the ‘Dilbert’ comic strip after a racist rant by its creator“Well hello, consequences to my actions.” What an idiot.

27. How to help young people limit screen time — and feel better about how they look.

28. Buddhism’s “Five Remembrances” Are Wake-Up Calls for Us All on Lion’s Roar. “Perfectly clear, compassionate, and concise, the ‘Five Remembrances’ are Buddhism at its very best. Koun Franz explains.”

29. Bear: A Soulful Illustrated Meditation on Life with and Liberation from Depression.

30. Running With Hank“How my daughter’s rambunctious mutt saved my sanity while she was lost to the darkness.” Some day I will have a dog named Hank.

31. Good stuff from Seth Godin: The reality of chasing pop, and Promo creep, and Checking the date.

32. Writer’s Block: Fact or Fiction? “What we mean when we say we can’t write, and what to do when it happens” from Summer Brennan.

33. How to Get Rid of Negative Thoughts on Be More With Less by Tammy Strobel.

34. Loud Quitting from Lisa Congdon on Instagram.

35. The Tyranny of Faux Self-Care“A bath bomb will not cure….pretty much anything.”

36. 9 Ways Introverts Can Improve Their Emotional Health.

37. 21 Plants That Are Safe for Cats and Dogs.

38. How To Be More Present & Live In The Moment, From Experts“Practicing mindful awareness in the present moment is a skill. Not only are we navigating our neurobiology, but we also have obstacles in the form of social media, difficult emotions, and other distractions that can pull us out of the present. The good news is that we have research-backed ways to help us become more present with ourselves and each other. The benefits of being more present in our lives are enormous and worth every try.”

39. 50 Little Rituals That Will Keep You Happy, Healthy, and Inspired.

40. Beauty and Terror“It’s hard to hold both when you are healing—both the beauty and the terror. There are some moments of healing that are so difficult. So massive. Those giant cloud domes filled with lightening. All the pain you experience lighting up as you bring your attention to it.”

Something Good

Image by Eric

1. Ebb and Flow: Writing woes, the Monet-Mitchell exhibition, and Yann Tiersen on the Metro from Summer Brennan, which led to Essay Discussion: The Smoker by Ottessa Moshfegh (“A close reading of that essay you loved/hated/thought was just okay”) and Jailbait.

2. The Work is Not Enough: A Real Laundry Apocalypse of a Week from Anne Helen Petersen. “When your life is this precariously balanced, weekends aren’t for rest or reflection, not really. They’re for cramming in the things you had no time for during the week …then catching up or setting up or meal planning or doing enough laundry in preparation for the week to come.”

3. The only good coffee is bad coffee“An incomplete list of some versions I love.”

4. Recipe I want to try: Pizza Beans.

5. Gorgeous poetry from Rosemerry Wathola Trommer: To Those Who Are Comforting a Woman Who Lost a Child Today, and Hearth, and Eternity in an Hour, and Though I Respond to My Name, I Am Aware.

6. Loneliness and Social Isolation — Tips for Staying ConnectedIn related news, Politics And America’s Loneliness Epidemic.

7. For My Mother Who Means To Feel Everything from Laurie Wagner.

8. 5 (Incorrect) Assumptions People Make About Introverts Because They’re ‘Quiet’.

9. 25 Reasons Why You Should Write a Book from Alexandra Franzen. (pdf)

10. Dinner Parties, Diet Culture and Social Control with Virginia Sole-Smith. “If you are hosting an event, make your home a safe space where people don’t have to apologize or explain or justify how they eat. I think that is a pretty radical and powerful way to build community.”

11. Here for This from Jena Schwartz. Also from Jena, Social Media, the Trees, and Reclaiming My Life.

12. Why Do So Many Men Destroy What They Can’t Control? “And why do so many people support them?”

13. Banning ideas and authors is not a ‘culture war’ – it’s fascism“The media’s framing of measures like Florida’s African American studies ban is a dangerous falsification of reality.”

14. Life After the Ohio Train Derailment: Trouble Breathing, Dying Animals, and Saying Goodbye“After a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, leaked noxious chemicals, residents in the area are still trying to recover.”

15. A.I. and the Fetishization Of Ideas from Chuck Wendig on Terrible Minds. “And herein lies the problem with the sudden surge and interest in artificial intelligence. AI-generated creativity isn’t creativity. It is all hat, no cowboy: all idea, no execution.” In related news on The New York Times, A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled. “A very strange conversation with the chatbot built into Microsoft’s search engine led to it declaring its love for me.”

16. SZA’s Ruination Brought Her Everything on The New York Times. “Her moody, enigmatic music made her a megastar. Can she learn to live with success?”

17. How to find your voice from Austin Kleon.

18. Marie Kondo is messy now—and it’s actually expanding her brand“Admitting her flaws endeared Kondo to fans, and made her brand about more than cleanliness.”

19. “There’s No Story to Tell About Swimming.” Madeleine Watts on How to Quiet the Mind“Introducing When I’m Not Writing, a Series About Writers and Their Hobbies.”

20. How to Survive a Busy Season.

21. How to offer help when you don’t know what to say.

22. 60 Monthly Journaling Prompts to Help You Make the Most of 2023.

23. 6 things people do around the world to slow down.

24. 37 Practices of BodhisattvasI’m currently reading Reflections on Silver River: Tokme Zongpo’s Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva by Ken I McLeod and it is SO good.

25. This is our world(Instagram reel) “Here’s a short compilation of some of the wild animals that I have seen [in Sweden] the last two years.”

26. A new song from The Bengsons(Facebook video) “May we come back from the other place – that nightland of pain and fear and anger, the underworld of ourselves- with our fists full of flowers and stars on our cheeks.”

27. Three New Stand-Up Specials, Three Very Different Approaches on The New York Times. “In the mix this month are hour sets from a maturing Marc Maron, a very funny Nathan Macintosh and a pandering Roseanne Barr.” In related news, After tragic loss, Marc Maron finds joy amidst grief with ‘From Bleak to Dark’.

28. The Repatriation of a Massive Collection of Native Ancestors and Artifacts by the FBI May Be A Model for NAGPRA’s Future.

29. RAIN and Grieving, with Tara Brach. (video) “When we have losses that have not been fully grieved, it can be helpful to be guided by the mindfulness and self-compassion of RAIN. As this guided meditation is brief you may need to take more time with each of the steps…approaching grieving with a patient, gentle and curious heart.” In related news and also from Tara Brach, Grieving and Timeless Love. (video)

30. Building Beauty: A Reflection With Spy Boy Walter

31. Syrian baby born in earthquake adopted by aunt and uncleThey named her Afraa, after her mother. “This girl means so much to us because there’s no-one left of her family besides this baby.”

32. Jimmy Carter, 39th US president, enters hospice care at home“‘I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,’ he said in 2015. ‘I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.'”

33. Sprawling, Color-Coded Arrangements Expose the Intricate Underbellies of Mushrooms.

34. What Dentists Wish You Knew on The New York Times.

35. A Love Letter to Libraries, Long Overdue on The New York Times. “The New York Times sent photographers to seven states to document the thrum and buzz in buildings once known for silence.”

36. Covid-19 infection offers strong protection against reinfection for about 10 months, study finds.

37. Laura Pritchett: Hughes Stadium tract should become protected open space“Fort Collins can seize the chance to save it from development and overuse, while honoring its past and preserving it for future generations.”

38. Musk’s Twitter is getting worse“The broken Twitter everyone warned us about is finally here.”

39. Museum of Lost Memories helps reunite misplaced family mementos with their owners.

40. 10 Simple Ways to Get Back on Track from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.