1. When Facing Significant Life Challenges, Is It Even Possible to Look at the Bright Side? on The Gurdeep Magazine. “A positive outlook doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It’s about finding ways to cope and maintain hope while facing challenges.”

2. Ambition & Fear, “& Samarra Khaja on reclaiming joy” on The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad.

3. Why we need help doesn’t matter, “All that matters is that we do” from Rita Ott Ramstad on Rootsie. (Thanks for linking to my lists, Rita 💛. The kitchen cabinets are gorgeous.)

4. Good stuff from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less: Ditch These 5 Habits Today If You Need More Ease and 10 Little Reflections About Simplifying My Life.

5. This Is What It’s Like to Live in Asheville After Hurricane Helene from Outside. “Our national-parks columnist, a 20-year resident of Asheville, was there when Hurricane Helene’s floods wiped out entire towns in western North Carolina. Nobody expected a storm like this.” In related news, How You Can Support Communities Hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

6. Reason for Living #4: Time is Beans, “guest essay by Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing and Saving Time.”

7. ‘I’ve dealt with anti-hillbilly bigotry all my life’: Barbara Kingsolver on JD Vance, the real Appalachia and why Demon Copperhead was such a hit. “As the Pulitzer-winning author’s little-known debut – about the 1983 Arizona miners’ strike – is published in the UK, she discusses the roots of division in the US, her wild childhood, and putting the story straight about where she’s from.”

8. Heaven, Hell, & Holy Body Norms, “The Christian church’s obsession with thinness, and how it impacts all of us.”

9. Can Staying in Your Comfort Zone Actually Be Healthy for an Introvert?

10. Poems from Julie Barton: Reincarnate, Ghosting the Publisher, Failed Revolution in the Grocery Store, and Overfilled.

11. A vessel, “…the sea is so big and my boat is so small” from
Pádraig Ó Tuama.

12. Good People Won’t Be Voting for Donald Trump, “I’m sorry, that’s just how this is” from The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz.

13. 8 Self Editing Tips, “….and how to let your younger writer self into the world from Laura Lentz.

14. Who I am and how I got here, “Welcome to Play is the Opposite of Survival Mode, a newsletter by Britchida.”

15. Decisions as effort from Seth Godin.

16. Shut Up, Inner Reviewer from Jami Attenberg.

17. The joy of clutter. “The world sees Japan as a paragon of minimalism. But its hidden clutter culture shows that ‘more’ can be as magical as ‘less’.”

18. Five Essential Books For Understanding Native American History.

19. Elizabeth Strout on Complicated People.

20. What Happened to Kmart? (Incompetence, Fraud and Greed). In related news, Kmart through the years, in pictures. I was a Kmart kid.

21. ‘Horrifying’ mistake to take organs from a living person was averted, witnesses say.

22. I Studied Queer Pornography in Law School and Was Told the Subject Would Ruin My Career on Open Secrets. “‘Because Fat Girl’ author Lauren Marie Fleming on pursuing her career passions despite the naysayers.”

23. Son writes humor-filled obituary for his dad: ‘He is God’s problem now.’
“The obituary of the Texas man who died at 74 lampooned his eccentric life and mishaps.”

24. 18 Simple Habits That Will Make You Happier and Healthier.

25. How To Pursue Mindful Engagement This Election Cycle.

26. Science-backed mood boosters to (almost instantly) snap you out of a funk.

27. How to Detangle Your Productivity and Self-Worth.

28. How to Stop Checking Your Phone Every 10 Seconds.

29. 4 Things That Are Not Your Responsibility — Even If Your Anxiety Says They Are.

30. The Cure To Stream Only 2024 Concert Live On YouTube.

31. Cliff Cash: The Long Road. (video) “Cliff Cash titled his first special ‘THE LONG ROAD’ because it reflects his 13-year comedy journey, filled with twists and turns…’The Long Road’ is, in essence, a love story—a road comic who has fallen deeply in love with life’s journey: the challenges, the next adventure, the sound of laughter, the pull to say something meaningful, to do something that matters.”

32. ‘Modern Love Podcast’: Amelia Dimoldenberg Can Teach You How to Flirt on The New York Times. (gift link) “The YouTube host who has perfected the art of charming celebrities on her popular show, ‘Chicken Shop Date,’ thinks dating should be way more fun.” 

33. ‘I was on the way to a funeral when the idea came to me’: 2024’s Booker-shortlisted authors on the moment inspiration struck.

34. Bird Divinations: Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, a gorgeous print and poem from Maria Popova.

35. It Took Me 7 Years To Bury My Husband. Here’s What I Learned About Grief During That Time. “I have no real memory of the months after his passing. … I’d ‘wake’ to find myself at the grocery store holding a box of his favorite cereal with no idea how I got there.”

36. For the Grieving, the Global ‘Wind Phone’ Movement Is a Lifeline.

37. And finally, this random collection of things I saved on my phone this week.

1. Supporting WNC. “A hub for community-driven change in Western North Carolina. Centralize your giving and find volunteer opportunities to make a difference. Join others in supporting local causes, donating to nonprofits, or signing up to lend a helping hand.” In related news, How to help Appalachia recover from Patti Digh, and Hurricane Milton relief: How to help, donate & volunteer.

2. Seven Ways to Love Better on The New York Times. (gift link) “Reading some 200,000 love stories has taught me a few lessons about love and life. Here are the ones that help me most.”

3. See the Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners.

4. “Nothing Else Matters” – Oona & Gage Brown skate to Metallica and Marlisa. (video) “Oona and Gage Brown are Team USA Ice Dancers. We filmed their 2020-21 Free Dance in Bryant Park’s Winter Village ice rink at 6:45 in the morning over the Thanksgiving holiday.”

5. Kate McKinnon Moved to the Woods, Grows Her Own Food, Got Into Carpentry and Wrote You a Book.

6. Andrew Garfield Wants to Crack Open Your Heart on The New York Times Modern Love podcast. (gift link) “In this episode, Garfield reads the Modern Love essay ‘Learning to Measure Time in Love and Loss,’ by Chris Huntington. His reading was unlike any other in the history of this show. Mr. Garfield was so moved by Mr. Huntington’s essay that he spoke in a surprisingly raw way with the host Anna Martin about the need for art to crack us all open, including himself.”

7. Jami Attenberg Can’t Wait to Find a Book She’s Inscribed at a Yard Sale on The New York Times. (gift link) “‘I am kind of living for that moment,’ says the prolific writer. ‘Who will betray me first?’ Her new novel is ‘A Reason to See You Again.'”

8. Han Kang Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature on The New York Times. (gift link) “The South Korean author, best known for “The Vegetarian,” is the first writer from her country to receive the prestigious award.” In related news, The Guardian view on Han Kang: a bold outsider has been rewarded. “This year’s winner of the Nobel prize for literature is another triumph for South Korean culture.” And finally, Han Kang becomes the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

9. ‘Will & Harper’ navigate transition and friendship in a cross-country road trip.

10. Stephen King: ‘I loved Lord of the Flies the way kids love Harry Potter.’ “The horror author on Dr Seuss, the radicalism of Earl Thompson, and the perfect whodunnit.”

11. Lisa Agnetun’s Miniature Ceramic Spirits Sport a Variety of Looks.

12. Nature and Geometry Merge in Yulia Brodskaya’s Meticulously Quilled Paper Birds.

13. Why have the northern lights been so visible lately? An expert explains why “we’re in for a ride.”

14. On being an introvert. (Instagram reel)

15. Joy Comes Back, a poem from the very lovely Donna Ashworth read by The Wandering Paddy. (Instagram reel)

16. For When the Heart is Breaking from Abigail Rose Clarke.

17. The Post About The Election from Chuck Wendig on Terrible Minds.

18. Wisdom from Martín Prechtel: “When you can’t remember what to do, what to say, or what the real teachings are, when all else escapes you, just remember: Always feed what needs feeding. Always make beauty.”

19. It’s pantoum time, “What object is important to you?” on Poetry Unbound by Pádraig Ó Tuama.

20. Prompt 307. Slow Living & Rachel Schwartzmann on how light moves us on The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad.

21. Coming out of the fog on How I Live Now from Instructions for Living.

22. Good stuff from Jamie Attenberg on Craft Talk: We Are All Still Here and Incidentals.

23. ‘I think, boy, I’m a part of all this’: how local heroes reforested Rio’s green heart. “A restoration project to revitalise the Atlantic forest is making the city a much more liveable place in the face of increasingly frequent heatwaves.”

24. Nicer Things from Out With Lanterns, a daily poetry practice from Julie Barton.

25. Wave me on my way. “A good-bye letter from my younger body to my older self” from Rita Ott Ramstad on Rootsie.

26. As the crow flies, “A summer spent with Rae” on The Earth House from Jo.

27. What I’ve learnt about toast & being happy from Satya Robyn on Going Gently.

28. Stare in the mirror by Patti Digh.

29. Facing the future from Seth Godin.

30. To Make A Snow Angel On a Stranger’s Grave, “And other things on my bucket list” from Andrea Gibson.

31. Cicada, a poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

32. Relic Radio, “Classic entertainment from radio’s golden age. Relic Radio features eight podcasts offering old time radio from a variety of genres. Subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app, download and play on your computer, or listen right here on the website.”

33. On the Quest for a Better Life, “Real talk about Overwork with author Brigid Schulte.”

34. Salmon swim freely in Klamath River for first time in more than 100 years. “News comes after Iron Gate dam was removed to let river near California-Oregon border return to natural flow.”

35. How to put your phone down and get back into habit of reading books. “After an English academic at Oxford complained about students’ attention spans, we get experts’ tips on enjoying the written word.”

36. How to Slow Down: 7 Ways I’m Slowing Down in a Busy Season of Life.

37. How to Change Your Mind-Set About Aging on The New York Times. (gift link) “People who think positively about getting older often live longer, healthier lives. Here is how to reconsider your perspective.”‘

38. Awe Can Do Wonders for Your Well-Being—If You Know Where to Look for It. “It’s the closest feeling we have to magic, and it can have profound effects on your mind and body.”

39. Junk Food, High Art on The New York Times. (gift link) “Noah Verrier’s oil painting of an Uncrustables sandwich sold for $4,999. It looks delicious.”

40. And finally, some random stuff I saved on my phone last week.