1. More reasons why I love living in Colorado: Juneteenth is officially a state holiday in Colorado and Colorado braces to become refuge for abortion access if ‘Roe’ is weakened.

2. What I Wish I Knew About Grooming: India Oxenberg Reflects on Her Experience in Nxivm. This is an older post but gives a list of seven warning signs that are super important to watch out for, whether it’s a relationship with a single person or a whole group.

3. It’s Time to Rage on The New York Times by Roxane Gay. “Without the right to abortion, women are forced to make terrible choices. These burdens disproportionately fall upon poor and working-class women without the means to travel across state lines to receive the care they need. Despite promises from the anti-abortion movement to support pregnant women and children, the ‘pro-life’ lobby appears to be invested only in the unborn. The same mostly male politicians who oppose abortion so often do everything in their power to oppose rights to paid parental leave, subsidized child care, single-payer health care or any kind of social safety net that could improve family life.” In related news, Here’s how Americans can fight back to protect abortion rights by Rebecca Solnit. Also, this site is helpful for directing your help: Abortion Funds in Every State. And, check out this Twitter feed that gives some answers to the questions “what do we do now/how do I help?”

4. The U.S. now says Russia is wrongfully detaining WNBA star Brittney Griner. 

5. Woman adopts two dogs who have perfect panda markings — then she finds a homeless puppy who does too! (video)

6. Recipes I want to try: Wonton Soup, Gilgeori Toast (Korean Street Toast), and Cinnamon Butterflake Rolls.

7. Watch hilarious turtle courting ritual. (video) “Why is this turtle slapping another turtle? CNN’s Jeanne Moos reports on hilarious turtle foreplay that went viral.” In related news, a video of a flipped over turtle getting help from his friends.

8. Memoirs with Benefits: A Reading List of Hybrid Narratives. “Courtney Maum Recommends Memoirs That Seesaw from Past to Present, Personal to Universal.”

9. Curious Squirrels and Rambunctious Hares Form a Miniature Menagerie of Felted Wildlife.

10. 30 Of The Most Spine-Chilling Things Kids Have Ever Said, As Shared In This Viral Twitter Thread.

11. Roxane Gay Brief But Spectacular take on effective ways of being heard. “Roxane Gay has used writing as a means to untangle and communicate her own trauma since childhood. Now a successful author, professor and mentor to many, she advises young women and aspiring writers on how to harness their voices. Gay shares her Brief But Spectacular take on effective ways of being heard.”

12. Karine Jean-Pierre will become White House’s 1st Black press secretary. “She will be the first Black press secretary in White House history and the first openly gay person in this high-profile role, speaking for both the president and the U.S. government in press briefings that are watched by the world.”

13. New Study Shows Trans Youth Are Extremely Unlikely to Detransition. “94% of trans youth in the sample identified as trans five years later.” Compare that to the “success” of dieting: “In a meta-analysis of 29 long-term weight loss studies, more than half of the lost weight was regained within two years, and by five years more than 80% of lost weight was regained.”

14. Ada Limón Makes Poems for a Living on The New York Times. “On tour for her sixth book, Limón talks about how poetry, in the end, is ‘just telling somebody something.'” In related news, In her new poems, Ada Limón argues for turning a delicate attention to the world.

15. The end of Bitch Media and the paradox of mission-oriented media. “Between money and mission, one will always win.”

16. American Bluebird builds nest. (video)

17. How Native Americans Are Keeping The Bees Alive.

18. Dementia Made a New Man Out of My Dad. “Raised in Apartheid-era South Africa, my mixed-race father had no shortage of scars. But as dementia overpowered his brain, I met a man I never knew existed.”

19. ALOK on stand-up comedy, love as ‘daily practice’ and non-binary joy.

20. In Grief Is How We Live Now on The New York Times. “Any therapist will tell you that death is not the only occasion for grief. We can mourn the loss of anything to which we have become attached: a pet, a job, a home, a way of life. In bereavement, what is best about us — our ability to love — becomes the source of our suffering. It’s a wonder that all grief isn’t prolonged and that anyone is able to love again rather than wander through life stunned by its cruelty. And it’s surprising that anyone actually believes that there are stages and time limits to grief or that we know enough about how it works to know what to expect of it.”

21. Goodwill Sold a Bust for $34.99. It’s an Ancient Roman Relic. on The New York Times. “Its 2,000-year journey to Texas remains a mystery, but the buyer is returning it to the German state of Bavaria, its pre-World War II home.”

22. Poetry FAQ on McSweeney’s.

23. New Report: The global decline in democracy has accelerated. “Freedom in the World 2021 finds that the annual gap between losses and gains widened in 2020, and fewer than a fifth of the world’s people now live in fully Free countries.”

24. A Week Into The Lindo-pocalypse.

25. Detox Your Mind: 5 Practices to Purify the 3 Poisons on Lion’s Roar. “Five Buddhist teachers share practices to clear away the poisons that cause suffering and obscure your natural enlightenment. Introduction by Lion’s Roar’s editor-in-chief Melvin Mcleod.”

26. “Don’t Let Anyone Say I Was The Best At Anything” from Andrea Gibson.

27. Color Story: Lilac Season on SFGirl.

28. 200 Years of Great Writers and Artists on the Creative and Spiritual Rewards of Gardening. “Here, drawn from a lifetime of marginalia on great writers’ and artists’ letters and diaries, essays and novels, is a florilegium of my favorite exultations in the rewards and nourishments of gardens.”

29. Houseplants as a Means of Black Joy and Queer Resistance.

30. 103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known. “Today is my birthday. I turn 70. I’ve learned a few things so far that might be helpful to others. For the past few years, I’ve jotted down bits of unsolicited advice each year and much to my surprise I have more to add this year. So here is my birthday gift to you all: 103 bits of wisdom I wish I had known when I was young.”

31. Watering the garden from Austin Kleon.

32. The ones who didn’t help from Seth Godin.

1. Scott Van Pelt’s emotional tribute to his late dog Otis was beautiful. This. Yes and amen.

2. Hidden in a Fire Island House, the Soundtrack of Love and Loss on The New York Times. “In tragedy, music provided solace during the AIDS epidemic, and newly discovered cassette tapes captured two decades of parties and pain.”

3. Donkey That Was Rejected by Mother Finds Special Bond With Humans That Raised Him.

4. People are sharing the ‘one question’ they’d ask God if they could and the responses are deep.

5. What I’ve learned from 10 years of therapy – and why it’s time to stop. “Therapy was like finding a key for a door that had been locked my whole life. Here are the nine things it’s taught me.”

6. Learn How to Practice Healthier Rhythms of Rest. “If you’re tired of going with the flow of this burned-out culture we live in, learn to come aside and rest a while.”

7. Holding Lindo Bacon Accountable for Repeated Harm in the Fat Liberation & HAES® Communities. In related news, Open Letter to: the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) and Speaking My Truth.

8. Timelapse Montages of Different Echinopsis Cacti in Bloom.

9. Recipes I want to try: Creamy Spinach Orzo, and Skillet Parmesan Cheese Toast, and chilaquiles brunch casserole.

10. An Illustrated Tour of Some of North America’s Beloved, Diverse Indie Bookstores.

11. Phoebe Bridgers-Friday I’m In Love (The Cure Cover), (video).

12. 70 Days Post-Arrest, Brittney Griner’s Family Are Still Searching for Answers. “The WNBA star is still imprisoned in one of the world’s most homophobic countries.”

13. Your dog is a good boy, but that’s not necessarily because of its breed. “Researchers surveyed the owners of more than 18,000 dogs and analyzed the DNA of about 2,100 animals to see if physical traits and behaviors can be correlated with dog breeds. Overall, the study found that about 9% of the variation in an individual dog’s behavior can be explained by its breed.” This is causing some controversy in the dog world.

14. What the Fitness Industry Doesn’t Understand. “A new generation of fitness instructors teaches simple skills that make a difference. Why is beginner-level exercise treated like a niche?”

15. Your Kids Can Handle Dangerous Ideas on The New York Times. “Parents — or at least the parents who seem to win media attention — are freaking out over everything their kids see, read and do.”

16. Here’s why Dr. Fauci says the U.S. is ‘out of the pandemic phase’. “‘The United States and the entire world is still experiencing a pandemic, but there are different phases of the pandemic,’ he said. ‘And what we are in right now is somewhat of a transitional phase, out of the accelerated component into hopefully a more controlled component.'”

17. Sam Smith – Love Me More (Official Video). He’s like George Michael’s younger brother or cousin.

18. Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse. “A meditation on small joys & a poem by Nikita Gill.”

19. 24 Hours in the Creative Life on The New York Times Style Magazine. “In our 2022 Culture issue, out April 24, T followed a group of artists — musicians, chefs, designers, writers and others — throughout the course of a day, exploring the intimate moments of their lives that contribute, in ways small and large, to their creative process.”

20. 12 Ways To Support A Friend Going Through A Tough Time.

21. We Have to Stop Thinking of Being ‘Healthy’ as Being Morally Better. “Enthusiasm for wellness can curdle into healthism and concern trolling.” This was posted two years ago, but it is still worth reading and sharing, again and again.

22. Loving Those Whose Lifespans Are Far Shorter Than Our Own: Late Night at the Emergency Vet from Andrea Gibson.

23. Elon Musk Says He Wants Free Speech on Twitter. But for Whom? In related news, We Have To Talk About Twitter.

24. “The Body is Trustworthy”: Decolonizing Wellness with Dalia Kinsey. “Dalia Kinsey, author of Decolonizing Wellness: A QTBIPOC-Centered Guide to Escape the Diet Trap, Heal Your Self-Image, and Achieve Body Liberation, is a queer Black registered dietician whose work focuses on the layered ways in which fatphobia, racism, homophobia, and misogny both show up in the wellness movement and cause real, measurable harm to marginalized bodies.”

25. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”

26. how 2 not be overwhelmed on Sluggish.

27. A letter to that man who emailed me to correct my grammar from Damon Young.

28. Would I do it tomorrow? from Austin Kleon.

29. How a Debut Graphic Memoir Became the Most Banned Book in the Country on The New York Times. “Maia Kobabe’s book ‘Gender Queer,’ about coming out as nonbinary, landed the author at the center of a battle over which books belong in schools, and who gets to make that decision.” In related news, The education culture war is raging. But for most parents, it’s background noise. “It’s definitely an incredibly small minority that’s being amplified with this large, well-funded infrastructure to appear larger and to appear to have more well-founded concerns than they do.”

30. He Came Out of Nowhere and Humbled Amazon. Is Chris Smalls the Future of Labor? “Experts say that the activism of the past few years—from #MeToo to Black Lives Matter to walkouts at major tech companies— has seeped into organized labor. The new model is ‘young people organizing young people, it’s non-white people organizing majority non-white workforces,’ says Wilma Liebman, who served as chair of the National Labor Relations Board under President Obama. ‘Unions clearly have to adapt to the changing demographic of the workforces.'”