1. Thich Nhat Hanh, Monk, Zen Master and Activist, Dies at 95 on The New York Times. “A monk with global influence and an ally of Martin Luther King, he championed what he called ‘engaged Buddhism,’ applying its principles in pressing for peace.” In related news The Life of Thich Nhat Hanh on Lion’s Roar. “Lindsay Kyte tells the story of what is perhaps Thich Nhat Hanh’s greatest teaching — his courageous life.”

2. We asked how you are finding joy in the pandemic. Here are 12 surprising ideas.

3. 100 Millionaires And Billionaires Sign Open Letter Pleading For Higher Taxes. Yes, please. I’m not sure how anyone who cares about other people, wants to ease suffering, is even able to accumulate that kind of wealth, especially when helping feels SO much better than hoarding.

4. Animal shelters flooded with donations in honor of Betty White’s birthday. You know she would have loved this so much.

5. 20 Famous Writers on Being Rejected. Rejection isn’t a failure. It’s part of the process. Rejection also doesn’t necessarily mean what you submitted isn’t good. It might only mean it’s not the right fit for that particular spot. Try again.

6. The Rest Principle: On the Necessity of Recovery, in Fitness and Writing.

7. You’ve heard of Wordle — now get ready for Sweardle and Absurdle. In related news, Meet Lewdle – the dirty version of the viral word-guessing game Wordle, and Play This Autostraddle-Themed Spinoff of Wordle for a Good, Gay Time, and The Rot of Candy Crush and The Rest of Wordle.

8. The 3 things you learn after your mother dies.

9. Life, in Dog Years. “My father always pampered his pets. So when he fell ill and moved in with us, it was no surprise that his corgi came to rule our home. What I didn’t expect was for Trilby to care for me after Dad was gone.”

10. How you can help—or get help—after the Marshall Fire.

11. How to Reuse N95, KN95, and Other Disposable Masks. Also, in case you hadn’t seen this yet, The Postal Service is now taking orders for free COVID-19 test kits.

12. Losing a Father to the Mountains. “In a new documentary, ‘Torn,’ Max Lowe grapples with the death of his dad, and the presence of the man who replaced him.”

13. People Are Hiding That Their Unvaccinated Loved Ones Died of COVID. “It’s a classic control mechanism, like our knee-jerk desire to know if someone who died of lung cancer smoked, or if someone with liver disease drank: If so, we can believe they were responsible for their own fate, and because we’re making a different choice, that fate won’t befall us. But of course that belief comes at the price of blaming and even vilifying the deceased … As a result, survivors might sacrifice honesty in order to protect the loved one’s image, at potential cost to their own emotional needs.”

14. 22 tips for 2022: Get creative, even if you aren’t feeling inspired.

15. 11 Podcasts for Poetry Lovers. I think they forgot one: Poetry Unbound with Pádraig Ó Tuama.

16. With Somebody Somewhere, Comedian Bridget Everett Finally Gets Her Breakout Moment. “After years of stealing scenes as a foul-mouthed sidekick, in ‘Somebody Somewhere’ Everett finally has a vehicle that takes full advantage of her talents.”

17. Before Macro Photography, This Scientist Used to Illustrate His Microscopic Findings.

18. 40 Movies People Praise As Great But Too “Emotionally Traumatizing” To Be Watched Again. I think it says a lot about me that I’ve seen all of these (some more than once), except for Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, which I KNOW I couldn’t watch even one single time.

19. Aspiring Neurosurgeon to Have his Medical Illustrations Showing Black People Published. Representation absolutely matters.

20. Tender Embroidered Portraits by Ruth Miller Are Tinged with Expressive Colors. The amount of hours, effort, and patience it would take to finish just one of these is mind boggling.

21. How I Freed Up Time to Daydream on The New York Times.

22. What Is Love? A Tender and Poetic Illustrated Celebration of the Elemental Human Quest.

23. 42 Comfort Food Vegetarian Recipes.

1. Things worth considering on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Dear White People, Before You Post Dr. King Quotes To Make Yourself Feel Good…, and Before you share an MLK quote, understand that you’re quoting a proud political radical, and 5 MLK Quotes That Remain Incredibly Relevant Today, and Before you post that MLK quote, do at least one of these four things.

2. Terry Gross and the Art of Opening Up on The New York Times. “The ‘Fresh Air’ host’s 40-year, 13,000-interview master class in conversation.”

3. Forget hygge, it’s time for uitwaaien. Uitwaaien is “a Dutch word that translates literally as ‘out blowing’ but is perhaps better understood as ‘to walk in the wind.’ Typically used as a noun, it describes the act of undertaking some sort of outdoor physical activity in windy conditions. Wind, as local wisdom goes, refreshes and recalibrates you.”

4. Sidney Poitier was an icon of racial reassurance. But his genius lay in his rage. “Poitier is understandably being celebrated as an icon of cinematic representation and reassurance. But we ignore at our peril the fact that those values coexisted with a rage that feels as palpable and galvanizing today as it did half a century ago.”

5. Good stuff from Lion’s Roar: Three Methods for Working with Chaos (“Times of chaos and challenge can be the most spiritually powerful… if we are brave enough to rest in their space of uncertainty. Pema Chödrön describes three ways to use our problems as the path to awakening and joy: go to the places that scare you, use poison as medicine, and regard what arises as awakened energy”), and Voices and Visions (“‘When the spirit moves into writing, shaping its direction, that is a moment of pure mystery. It is a visitation of the sacred that I cannot call forth at will.’ bell hooks shares how writing becomes a way into the realm of the sacred”), and The Many Faces of Cultural Appropriation (“What does cultural appropriation mean in a Buddhist context? According to Chenxing Han and Trent Walker, the answer is not as simple as we might like it to be”).

6. Wisdom from Seth Godin: Who’s responsible? “Freedom without consequences is a myth. Our actions always have consequences. The question is: who will bear them?”

7. The Other Big Lie. “There are variations of this Big Lie of Defeat. The lie that democracy is irrevocably wounded and can’t be defended or strengthened. The lie that the anti-democracy right is marching across America unopposed. The lie that that we can’t protect each other from COVID. The lie that discussing racism in schools is dangerous or harmful to people who are white.”

8. ‘Self-Care’ Isn’t the Fix for Late-Pandemic Malaise. “What we need is to take care of others.”

9. Worden’s Tasks of Mourning: A Spiritual Exercise. “J. W. Worden identifies four tasks in grieving: accept the loss, acknowledge the pain of the loss, adjust to a new environment and reinvest in the reality of a new life. The tasks of grief are not states of achievement but a fluctuating process to accommodate a new normal lifestyle without what was lost.”

10. I Used to Be a Human Being. “An endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts. It broke me. It might break you, too.”

11. Adulting in Times of #covid19. This is a great list, but also a bit overwhelming, especially the implication that the author and her partner complete the list in the final few weeks of the year when I feel like it would take me ALL year to finish.

12. Two great Twitter threads from Austin Kleon: Are their any books you recommend to someone who’s just lost a loved one? and another 10 books with important lessons that didn’t make my top 21, for whatever reason.

13. ‘I just want to ride my bike:’ An honest talk about racial bias in transportation.

14. Want to get omicron and just get it over with? Here’s why that’s a bad idea.

15. ‘The House’ Is a Mysterious Animated Trilogy Following Three Generations of Stop-Motion Characters. “A destitute family, an uneasy property developer, and an unrealistic landlady clinging to the past all find themselves grappling with control when they inhabit The House. The mysterious dwelling is the titular character of Netflix’s new three-part series that brings some of the most promising names of stop-motion animation to the major television platform.”

16. Stay alive in the meantime: Notes at the top of 2022. “To be completely honest, I thought this year would begin not with questions but with resolutions.”

17. Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore on Writing on Your Own Terms. “When the publishing industry decides, our work suffers.”

18. Teeming with Leaves and Grasses, Oil Paintings Cloaked in Lush Foliage Evoke the Forest Floor.

19. 3 Ways to Ditch Diet Culture and Forge a Deeper Connection With Your Body. In related news, The Commodification of the Wellness Industry and 5 nutrition goals that are better than weight loss.

20. Photo Essay: The Dignity of Custodians.

21. For Retail Workers, Omicron Disruptions Aren’t Just About Health on The New York Times. “Stores are shortening hours, fitting rooms are being closed and some employees can’t go on break. ‘Morale could not be lower,’ one retail worker said.”

22. Omicron Means Parents Are Doing It All Again, Except This Time Dead Inside. In related news, How Much Should We Lie To Our Kids About Everything Being OK?

23. The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When They Start a Journaling Practice.

24. Using poetry to understand grief during a very difficult year. “It’s been a difficult year for many people. NPR’s Elissa Nadworny talks with poet Danez Smith about using poetry to understand and process complex emotions like grief.”

25. After learning her ‘favorite’ patient’s dog was taken to the pound, amazing nurse adopts him.

26. No social media, no email, no website. And she’s a business success.

27. Creativity can’t be forced. Take breaks and zone out to find new inspiration.

28. After 2.5-Week ‘War’ With 3 Cats, Woman Contacts Vitamix Asking For Empty Boxes To Replace The One Her Cats Took Over With New Blender Inside.