Something Good

1. “Thank You,” a poem by Ross Gay.

If you find yourself half naked
and barefoot in the frosty grass, hearing,
again, the earth’s great, sonorous moan that says
you are the air of the now and gone, that says
all you love will turn to dust,
and will meet you there, do not
raise your fist. Do not raise
your small voice against it. And do not
take cover. Instead, curl your toes
into the grass, watch the cloud
ascending from your lips. Walk
through the garden’s dormant splendor.
Say only, thank you.
Thank you.

2. 12 Things to Remember When You are Feeling Overwhelmed from Be More With Less.

3. Updated: Former aides describe abuse and sexual misconduct by Shambhala leader on Lion’s Roar. The update includes links to letters from Diana J. Mukpo, Shambhala Acharyas, and the Sakyong.

4. Jaden Smith’s Foundation Teams Up With Local Church To Help Bring Clean Water To Flint.

5. Review: The Grand, Exhausting Life of Pamela Adlon’s ‘Better Things’ on The New York Times.

6. Here are 24 cognitive biases that are warping your perception of reality.

7. Inside The Rabid Fandom Community That Keeps ‘90 Day Fiancé’ On Air.

8. President Trump’s proposed border wall could cut through a butterfly sanctuary, historical sites and Carrizo/Comecrudo Indigenous territory. “Meet the people who’ve joined forces to defend these places.” (video)

9. 11-year-old girl granting wishes to nursing home residents.

10. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wants the Country to Think Big. “The Democratic socialist star came to D.C. to ‘swing for the fences’ and fix America.”

11. “A year ago, I couldn’t even swim…”: Meet the 24-year-old who stunned coaches and is now training for the Olympics. (video)

12. Rampant Abuses in Immigration Detention Prove ICE Is Rotten to the Core.

13. Meet Dog Park Diane: White Woman Calls Police to Dog Park After Black Man’s Dog Humps Hers.

14. Toni Morrison: First Lady of Letters on The New York Times.

15. Ep. 14 of The Road Home Podcast: The Four Noble Truths of Love with Susan Piver.

16. Sometimes the morning OM’s are just too good. (video)

17. Cheryl’s Good Vibe Tribe is still accepting donations.

18. Emma would love a letter from your dog. “Emma Mertens, a 7-year-old girl from Hartland who was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, has requested ‘letters from dogs.'”

19. I Photographed Foxes In My Studio And Fell In Love With Their Characters.

20. Michael Cohen’s parting shot: I fear what happens if Trump loses in 2020.

21. Oprah Winfrey loses $58 million on Weight Watchers investment as stock plunges. In related news, Victoria’s Secret will close 53 stores as struggles mount.

22. The True Story Behind Legendary Jazz Pianist Don Shirley And Green Book. “Don Shirley was a piano prodigy and his passion was for classical music. But because of his race, 1950s America wanted him to stick to pop music.”

23. Illinois native is first African American woman to summit Mount Everest.

24. Meet the Baltimore Yogi Helping Black Men ‘Heal’ Through Yoga: ‘It’s Okay to Love Yourself.’

25. 30 Adorable ‘Employees Of The Week’ That This Contractor Met At The Houses He Works At.

26. This 13-year-old is the only women’s figure skater to land two triple axels in competition. (video)

27. This Super Cool Subscription Box Teaches Kids Black History All Year Round.

28. House Votes to Block Trump’s National Emergency Declaration About the Border on The New York Times.

29. Dad Mics Up His 4-Year-Old At Hockey Practice To “Finally Understand What The Heck He Was Doing Out There.”

Gratitude Friday

1. Morning walks. Right now is my favorite time of year to walk. We get to the river just as the sun starts to rise and the sky lights up, so I get to take lots of good pictures.

2. 9.5 weeks of work left at CSU!!! It is going by so fast now! And I have so much work to do, I’m going to be busy right up until the final day. My hope was to save at least two weeks to clear off my computer, tie up loose ends, and clear out my office at a reasonable pace, but I’m not sure if that’s going to work out. I might have to go full speed right up until the end.

3. Practice. Meditation, writing, and yoga. The three together keep me sane.

4. My tiny family. Eric, Sam, and Ringo. The three together keep me sane.

5. My new to me car that’s not new or mine. I know I already mentioned it last week, but I’m still enjoying the freedom of having my own car, even though it’s not really mine.

Bonus joy: writing with Mikalina and Chloe’, making and eating good food, pay day, Pilates, aqua aerobics, sitting in the sauna, sunshine, things starting to bloom, snow, good books, good TV, good music, the technology I need to do the things I want, my three interns, slowly and surely letting go, sleeping in, napping, reading when I get in bed at night while my three boys sleep, talking to my mom, texting my brother.