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

Colorado wildflowers, image by Eric Salahub

Next week I’m going to be in Oregon, so there won’t be a Something Good post — I’m taking a week off! As there are currently 288 of these posts, even one that has a whopping 100 items on it, maybe you could spend your time going back through the archives? Or just get off your computer altogether, go outside and stare at your toes or something. 🙂

1. Two Ears, wisdom from Rachel Cole. “This is just to say we have two ears. One for listening to our own hearts and one for listening to the hearts of others.”

2. Ways To Stay Motivated In This Shit-Shellacked Era Of Epic Stupid, wisdom from Chuck Wendig. I needed to hear this, especially this, “If you’re making the words dance or you’re snapping photos or drawing pictures, and you worry that what you’re doing is somehow shallow or insignificant, fuck that right in the banana-pipe.”

3. The Best of bell hooks: Life, Writings, Quotes, and Books on Lion’s Roar.

4. Baratunde Thurston. “Selected as Noteworthy for cutting through political noise with razor-sharp wit, Baratunde shows us how to be active citizens.”

5. Need something to read? Then this list is for you, 101 books to dive into this summer: a massive reading list.

6. My Grandmother’s Desperate Choice on The New Yorker.

If I couldn’t immediately explain to my daughter how Win died, I decided, I could at least explain why. “She needed help really badly and no one would help her so she died,” I told her. Then I added a reassurance that I’m not sure I’d feel confident offering today. “It’s not a thing that would happen to us now,” I said. “If we ever needed that kind of help, we would get it and we would be safe.”

7. Why Sexism and Homophobia in Old TV Shows Is Such a Big Problem Today. In related news, Horrible True Stories Left Out Of Biopics To Make The Person Look Better.

8. Roxane Gay: ‘My body is a cage of my own making.’

9. 14 of the Best Bundt Cake Recipes. I’ve got my eye on the coconut one.

10. Stunning Video Captures A Year In The Life Of A Very Busy Tree.

11. I Don’t Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People. “Our disagreement is not merely political, but a fundamental divide on what it means to live in a society.”

12. 5 secrets to a strong marriage by Dani Shapiro.

13. This group takes stories written by little kids and turns them into into theater. (Video)

14. This amazing library has tens of thousands of sketchbooks from around the world. (Video)

15. Save Free Speech From Trolls on The New York Times.

16. The Same MotherFlippin’ 10 Pounds on The Salty Olive.

17. Let America Be America Again.

America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!

Road closed

Y’all, I’m on summer vacation. This means my internal clock and calendar are a little “off.” Which means on a Friday, I might remember to go to yoga and aqua aerobics and even to be home in time for a play date for Ringo and his buddy Pancho, but it also means that even though I think about it a few times throughout the day, I might forget to do this post.

1. Hiking with Eric and the dogs. I haven’t been hiking since I hurt my knee this winter, which lead to months of physical therapy and the eventual diagnosis of osteoarthritis, which limited my activity, had me on a “Floor to 5k” program because “Couch to 5k” was too advanced. This week, I went on a 5.5 mile hike with Eric and the dogs without any pain in my knees, and I am beyond grateful.

2. Aqua aerobics, Pilates, yoga, careful weight lifting, physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, and massage. These are all keeping my body feeling strong and relatively pain free.

3. Three new swimming suits, and the confidence to wear them in public. Shopping for them was shockingly easy as well.

To see any of them in full, you’ll have to meet me at aqua aerobics. I’m confident, not out of my mind.

4. Summer vacation. I’ll be flying to Oregon for a short visit next week, and have spent the last two weeks doing just what I want: moving my body, resting, reading, watching tv, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with my tiny family and friends. When I get back, there are some chores to get done, but I think I’ll be ready for the work by then.

5. My tiny family. I’ve loved getting to spend so much more time with them.

Bonus joy: good documentaries (I’m kind of obsessed right now, especially those involving mysteries and/or crime), good books, pay day, a few cool days to break up the heat, wearing pajamas more than regular clothes, Downward Dog the TV show (which I have to watch when the dogs aren’t around because they think our TV is just a big window and the dogs on TV are real and trying to get us), sour cherry juice, berry pie, cabbage rolls, a big salad, fresh eggs, meditation, a hot shower with clean water and a clean towel, sunflowers, wildflowers, bees and ladybugs.