Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

Image by Eric, from our garden

1. Start Here Now: An Introduction to Meditation. “Establish a Consistent Practice at Home with Susan Piver.” August 8 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm ET | $20.00 Susan says, “In this 3-hour program, I will share the actions you can take right now to begin your own practice and the three factors that create consistency.” They are taping the workshop, so you can do it even if you can’t attend “live.” Susan has been my primary meditation teacher for 10 years and I very much recommend this workshop, her Open Heart Project, and all her books.

2. Wild Writing 5-Day Free Series with another long time teacher of mine, Laurie Wagner. The practice she shares is essential to me, for my writing and my life.

3. Love & Rage: Lama Rod Owens, a recent CTZN podcast. “Lama Rod Owens, author of the newly released Love & Rage and Radical Dharma, which he co-authored with Rev angel Kyodo williams and Dr. Jasmine Syedullah. Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, author, activist, yoga instructor, and generational leader who is showing us a path to liberation through anger. In our conversation he says: ‘So many of us have been led into believing that the spiritual practice is something that’s supposed to be about happiness, and having fun, and going to beautiful spas, and looking beautiful, and having the right clothes, and really the spiritual path is really about the work’.”

4. Why Introverts Frequently Appear Tired.

5. 7 Things You Can Do With Far-Away Friends That Don’t Involve Screens.

6. Rep. John Lewis, A Force In The Civil Rights Movement, Dead At 80. He was a beacon of sanity and compassion, and will be greatly missed. In related news, John Lewis Risked His Life for Justice on The New York Times, and Meet the Women Behind the New Film, ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble’, and a good trouble revolution on Chookooloonks from Karen Walrond.

7. How To Talk To Parents About Racism: 7 Recommendations From Therapists. Not sure exactly why they limited this article to “Parents,” as it seems more widely applicable than that.

8. Thank You For The Symbolic Gestures But Black People Need Reparations. In related news, A teenager created an anti-racism calendar to make it easier for everyone to become an ally.

9. Your ‘Doomscrolling’ Breeds Anxiety. Here’s How To Stop The Cycle. In related news, Doom scrolling.

10. Navy Veteran Speaks Out After Being Attacked by Secret Police in Portland. In related news, Federal Agents Unleash Militarized Crackdown on Portland on The New York Times, and Oregon Attorney General Sues Against Shady Federal Arrests in Portland, Trump Administration Says More to Come, and 50 Nights of Unrest in Portland on The New York Times, and Oregon will sue federal police agencies, open criminal investigation into use of force.

11. Delicate Illustrations by Lee Me Kyeoung Detail the Small Convenience Stores Throughout South Korea.

12. Maxine Waters Saw A Black Man Being Stopped By LAPD And Got Out Of Her Car To Check On Him.

13. 10 Awesome Things You Might Not Know About Dr. Fauci. “In short, Dr. Fauci is the bright light in these uncertain, scary times, the voice of reason we turn to when we need a dose of truth, common sense, and hope.”

14. A 20 Foot-Wide Tapestry by Vanessa Barragão Recreates the World in Textural Yarn.

15. Two men charged in assault on Black man at Indiana lake.

17. Why White supremacy is actually killing White people.

18. Colorado Bans Gay and Trans “Panic” Defense in Historic Move.

19. Court Halts Dakota Access Pipeline Shutdown As Legal Fight Goes Forward.

20. Big Truck + Low Bridge = Satisfying Schadenfreude from Great Big Story.

21. History Shows That Sustained, Disruptive Protests Work.

22. Mary Trump Describes Abusive Trump Family Home, Says She Will Vote For Biden.

23. In the deliciously creepy new novel Mexican Gothic, the true evil is colonialism.

24. Viola Davis Said She “Betrayed” Herself by Starring in ‘The Help’. “She said the movie was ‘created in the filter and the cesspool of systemic racism.'” In related news, Mo’Nique’s Netflix Discrimination Case Moves Forward, and Employees from The Ellen DeGeneres Show reveal toxic workplace environment of racism, fear and intimidation.

25. Celebrated Hoop Dancer Nakotah LaRance Dies. “LaRance, 30, won nine world champion titles for hoop dance and taught classes at a nonprofit.” He was such a powerful force, moved so beautifully through the world.

26. 10 ways to step up as an ally to non-binary people.

27. Fatal Encounters: One man is tracking every officer-involved killing in the U.S. “‘The number of people killed by police is microscopically small,’ D. Brian Burghart said, but those deaths ‘symbolize systematic racism.'”

28. The 100 Most Popular Sci-Fi Books on Goodreads.

29. People are planting tiny urban forests to boost biodiversity and fight climate change.

30. Holiday Phillips, “a sociologist, coach, writer and speaker on the topics of philosophy, spirituality, culture and personal transformation… All my work is in service of this question: ‘What will it take to build a wiser, kinder world?’ To that end, I’m interested in exploring a wide range of topics that touch on soul and society – personal healing, non-violent communication, integral solutions to racial inequality, new economic models, and the practical application of ancient wisdoms to name a few! Three things guide all my work – deep compassion for others, a strong belief in our personal power to change things and the commitment to be a great ancestor to my children and future generations.”

1. I’m still here. Some days are harder than others, but so far I’m holding on.

2. Sweet Sam. I realized the other day how lucky it was that I quit my CSU job when I did, for all kinds of reasons but especially because even though I didn’t know it at the time it was Sam’s last year with us and because I wasn’t working, I got to spend way more time with him.

3. Practice. The predictable routine of it, the comfort, the ability to make space.

4. Our garden. We are getting lots of cucumbers, there are baby watermelons, and based on the number of green tomatoes, I need to start rounding up my soup and salsa recipes. Our birdbath as far as we know is still limited to hydrating yellow jackets but hopefully the birds will find it at some point. Chloe’ and I did a plant swap — I gave her some of my phlox and she gave me some of her feverfew. Then Susan (sweet Kelly’s mom) sent me some seeds from some of the flowers in her North Carolina garden. I love having little bits from the gardens of people I love in my garden.

5. Morning walks. One of them this week was foggy, which is very unusual for Colorado. It felt like we were in Oregon.

6. My tiny family. Eric is going to go back a few days a week to his “real” office to see how that feels. I selfishly like having him home all the time. Ringo is feeling better after a wonky belly and sprained ankle — fingers and paws crossed that sticks. Understandably, my ability to hold space for injury and illness in my dogs is pretty limited right now. I just need everybody to be okay for awhile.

Bonus joy: good TV (Feel Good and Dead to Me on Netflix, also Forensic Files because there’s something about a crime being solved in 20 minutes that’s very satisfying, and Antiques Roadshow which seems so innocent and sweet in light of current events), good books (almost finished with the Broken Earth trilogy, but then got Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump and got a little sidetracked — still not sure if it was a good idea to get a book that tells just how awful someone is who I already think is awful…), big salads, naan bread, naps, HIIT workouts with Eric, hanging out with Barb and Chloe’, and then Mikalina and Chloe’, and then Mikalina, texting with my mom and brother, clean sheets, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep, paying off my car (even though it was bittersweet, as that was money we were going to spend on a trip to Oregon this summer).