1. Wisdom from Tulku Thondup,

In order to help others, first we must make ourselves into a proper tool for serving others by improving our own qualities. If our mind is filled with negative emotions, whatever we do will be the expression of those emotions, and therefore, in whomever we reach we could cause ill effects. If we are equipped with loving-kindness, however, even our mere presence could bring authentic peace and joy to those around us. So we must improve our own mental state first, through meditation training.

2. Tiny Humans Lost In The Majesty Of Nature on Bored Panda.

3. Should women shave their legs and under-arms? from The Guardian.

4. A Man With Alzheimer’s Drew Himself For 5 Years. These Photos Are Heartbreaking. on Viral Nova.

5. You Don’t Have a Purpose (Yoinks! I said it.) from Create as Folk.

6. This beautiful poem by Mary Oliver, Mindful, (thanks to Erica Staab for sharing it and reminding me).

Every day I see or hear something that more or less
kills me with delight, that leaves me like a needle
in the haystack of light. It was what I was born for – to look, to listen,
to lose myself inside this soft world – to instruct myself over and over
in joy, and acclamation. Nor am I talking about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful, the very extravagant – but of the ordinary, the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations. Oh, good scholar, I say to myself, how can you help
but grow wise with such teachings as these – the untrimmable light
of the world, the ocean’s shine, the prayers that are made out of grass?

7. Bearing witness to the journey on Visible and Real.

8. The unchangeable past from Judy Clement Wall.

9. Note from the Universe,

See, Jill? I told you everything was lining up for you; that the right people were headed your way; that the right things would be said; that you’d become a total love magnet; and that very little of this would be apparent as it was unfolding, yet in hindsight you’d see the stunning perfection. It’s just that right now, you’re mostly in the unfolding part.

10. Transforming Difficulty into Joy from Zen Psychiatry, in which Elana says, “We suffer not because there is no joy in our life; we suffer because there is joy all around us that we fail to notice.”

11. I Don’t Want to Eat this Way on Be More With Less.

12. Good stuff on Medium: I’ve been blogging for 8 freaking years. Here’s what I learned as I went along. and Behind the Till.

13. Do you wish your food and exercise was “consistent?” from Isabel Foxen Duke.

14. Motivation and bravery from Hannah Marcotti, who was able to clarify something for me in this post that I have been struggling with. Also from Hannah,
A woman’s thirst. {A 40 day *free* adventure}.

15. Little Book on Simply Celebrate.

16. Grandpa Just Lost His Dog And His Wife Of 63 Years. How His Family Surprised Him Made Me Cry. Me too. meeeee toooooo.

17. Good stuff from Anne Lamott on Facebook.

18. Don’t mind me, I’m just lost (in the existential sense, thanks) on Renegade Mothering.

19. Here’s What Happens When Your Joke Goes Massively Viral On Twitter, a really interesting article on Business Insider.

20. Wisdom from Dallas Clayton

Much as I love to soul search, there are moments when you realize that perhaps today you are further complicating life by relentlessly seeking elusive answers to profound questions. Perhaps today is a day where you take what you already know to be true and apply it. Simple things we’ve had figured out for decades like the value of exercise, of dipping your feet in the nearest body of water, or having a good laugh with a few close friends. Fruits and vegetables are obvious in that way. Not too complicated, nothing really to fuss over, but simple, delicious, and just as good for you as they’ve ever been.

21. Are You the Judging, Comparing, or Fixing Type? on Dharma Wisdom.

22. An important reminder from Brave Girls Club,

You are doing so many good things. You are going so many wonderful directions. You are spreading so much goodness and kindness and wild-happy energy. You are making goals and dreaming dreams and trying to do even better than you did yesterday. You are thinking about people you love and how you can serve them, you are a loyal friend and family member. You are making an enormous difference in the lives of all who know you, and in so many lives you don’t even know about too.

It’s time to give yourself a break…time to stop and thank your body and your soul for everything it does to keep you going. This would be a great weekend to do just that…give yourself a break. Pat yourself on the back and take a nap and a hot bath…even eat some chocolate! 🙂 Sure, there are still lots of things for you to work on…and you will get to that. You are doing great, and sometimes you just have to stop and let yourself breathe…evaluate…rest…recharge…restore. Take good care of yourself, fabulous friend…we need all of the fabulousness of you! You are loved, loved, loved.

23. Everything is Wonderful. Everything is Terrible. on Wit & Delight, shared by Susannah on her Something for the Weekend list. My favorite part is the paragraph near the end,

Some days, everything is wonderful. Some days, everything is terrible. It’s par for the course, even for those free of mental afflictions. Being human means riding these waves. If you have one or two bad days a week, you’re doing great. If you have one melt-down every few years, you’re doing spectacular. If you are having the worst year of your life, hold on to hope, because it does get better.

24. Hello Wonderful, “a deliciously free series of email love notes meant to usher us sweetly into the new season” from Mara Glatzel.

25. An artist compiled all her rejections in an ‘anti-resume.’ Here’s what can be learned from failure, (shared by Alison Luterman), which says,

So the anti-resumé remains my deceptively simple answer to the question, ‘How do you do it?’: that I persisted during all those years of rejection for no other reason than that I loved writing so much I wanted to spend all my time doing it. Writing must be its own reward, even for the most talented and hardworking writers, or they’re going to have a tough time.

26. Today I Will Do Nothing, (shared by Sandi Amorim).

27. Wisdom from Elizabeth Gilbert on Facebook.

28. I am Andrea Gibson, a queer touring poet with extreme stage fright. AMA! on Reddit. One of my favorite poets. Here’s a video of one of my favorite poems by Andrea, “A letter to my dog, exploring the human condition.”