1. Don’t Talk to Me About ‘Civility.’ On Tuesday Morning Those Children Were Alive. by Roxane Gay on The New York Times. “When politicians talk about civility and public discourse, what they’re really saying is that they would prefer for people to remain silent in the face of injustice. They want marginalized people to accept that the conditions of oppression are unalterable facts of life. They want to luxuriate in the power they hold, where they never have to compromise, never have to confront their consciences or lack thereof, never have to face the consequences of their inaction.”
6. Guy Fieri, Elder Statesman of Flavortownon The New York Times. “Mr. Fieri has emerged as one of the most influential food philanthropists of the Covid age, helping to raise more than $20 million for restaurant workers. He has established himself as an industry mentor among chefs who may or may not admire his cooking but recognize his gifts as a messenger, which have boosted business for the hundreds of restaurants featured on his show. He has won the blessing of the white-tablecloth set through sheer force of charisma and relentlessness, coaxing a reconsideration of how the food establishment treated him in the first place.”
10. Recipe I want to try: The Best Apple Crisp. I have a bunch of granny smith apples I need to do something with, so I will most likely try this sooner rather than later.
11. Andy Fletcher obituary. “Keyboard player and business brain of Depeche Mode who pushed the electronic band to long-lasting success.”
17. How Equanimity Powers Loveon Lion’s Roar. “True equanimity, says Kaira Jewel Lingo, is not in any way detached or uncaring—it’s inclusive, and loving, and the foundation for spiritual courage.”
19. Hybrid Bharatham (video). “#HybridBharatham is my way of switching between Hip-Hop and Bharathanatyam, 2 dances that I love, learn and respect. My aim is to keep the essence of each dance and create something that does justice to who I am.”
20. Things That Don’t Suck (Part 2) (video) from Andrea Gibson. “Last month I reached out to the premium subscribers of this newsletter and asked folks to share some ‘things that don’t suck.’ I’ve edited the list down but included something by everyone who shared. This was so much fun to put together. I’ve read it several times and know I will keep doing so as it fills me with so much gratitude. I’m overwhelmed by the loveliness here.”
P.S. This will be my last post for a bit, kind and gentle reader. I’m taking a break from blogging and social media for the next three weeks to visit family and see the ocean, to rest my heart and reset my brain. Take good care and I’ll “see” you soon!
1. If you’ve ever wanted to take a break from the internet, try these tips. “If you ever feel nostalgic for the pre-internet era (or wonder what it was like), Pamela Paul, author of 100 Things We’ve Lost To The Internet, reveals a few ways you can reconnect with an analog way of life.”
2. How to overcome FOMO. “Worrying about whether we’re missing out on new experiences, content, trends and even investments can make us feel like we’re falling behind. But we can actually overcome that feeling and be present with what we have. Here’s why we experience FOMO in the first place, how to know when that feeling is serving us and how to move past it when it gets in the way.”
7. Trusting our Deepest Intuition in a Crisisfrom Jeff Foster on Facebook. “Let your own deepest inner wisdom be your guide. And you shall gather around you wise friends and healers, kind and skilled experts, and those who truly have your best interests at heart.”
8. Blue Atlasby Steven Church. A beautiful short piece about a tree (but so much more).
14. 20 of the coolest holiday cabins in Europe. “From Scandinavian rustic-luxe to floating eco-cabins in the south of France, we pick cosy and stylish hideaways in forests and lakeland.”
19. Karine Jean-Pierre’s Unlikely Rise to the White House Lecternon The New York Times. “The first Black and first openly gay press secretary was raised in an immigrant family with ‘so many secrets.’ Now she occupies one of the most scrutinized jobs in American politics.”
22. What Do Most Mass Shooters Have in Common? They Bought Their Guns Legally. on The New York Times. “From 1966 to 2019, 77 percent of mass shooters obtained the weapons they used in their crimes through legal purchases, according to a comprehensive survey of law enforcement data, academic papers and news accounts compiled by the National Institute of Justice, the research wing of the Justice Department.”
40. The Normalization of “Working Through Covid”.“We have worked through so much these last two years — intermittent or nonexistent childcare, abject terror, a contested election, an attempted coup, ongoing climate catastrophes that have made it dangerous to go outside, ongoing and targeted racial violence — that somehow working through fatigue, or brain fog, or what might initially feel like a mildly elevated cold feels….normal? Like the right thing to do? And that taking time off when so many others don’t have the ability to do so is somehow insulting? And I mean what else are you going to do?
But I am here to say — to myself as much as any of you faced with this decision — that this is line of thinking is morally bankrupt. It has productivity culture brainworms. It is evidence of the most toxic scarcity mindset, and one of the most pernicious side-effects of the spread of ‘flexible’ work. And if you’re reading these sentences and immediately coming up with justifications for why you worked or would work through Covid, it’s worth thinking about why.”
49. We need a hope machine. Anyone know how to build one?“Don’t kick yourself for feeling lousy. You have every right to feel that way. But let me say something else as clearly as I can. I’ve been at this fight a very long time, and right now I find lots of reasons for hope. Ten, to be exact.”
52. These 90-Year-Old Runners Have Some Advice for Youon The New York Times. “Runners at the National Senior Games in Miramar, Fla., competed in events ranging from the 50 meters to 1,500 meters. Their secret? ‘You’ve got to keep moving.'”
P.S. I know the last two lists have been LONG, kind and gentle readers, but I will be taking a break from making lists the first three Mondays of June, so take your time, pace yourself!
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 