Something Good

1. Philip A. Robinson Jr. Adeptly Welcomes You To Portland, Oregon Via Distinctive Sculpture, the artist and story behind the artwork pictured above.

2. we can rest our way through things: rest is required from Abigail Rose Clarke.

3. How You Can Donate and Help Support Maui Communities Right Now. “We’ve compiled a handful of community funds and nonprofits you can contribute to right now. In such dire times, truly anything can help and make a difference for those affected by the fires, and we will continue to add more donation centers to this article as the situation continues to evolve.”

4. Handsome, a new podcast from comedians Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin. “Every week, the handsome hosts field a question from a friend and attempt to answer it together, covering every subject you could think of. Along the way, Tig, Fortune and Mae tell plenty of stories and just generally have a ridiculous time.”

5. 10 Books to Read for Fat Liberation Month.

6. 8 Things We’ll Regret When We’re Older If We Don’t Stop Now from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

7. Weight-Neutral, Non-Restrictive Blood Sugar Management Strategies.

8. If you feel better near salt water, you’re not making it up. It’s called thalassotherapy.

9. A woman in Mexico City turns her apartment into a clinic for dozens of ailing hummingbirds. (video)

10. The art of Felicia Chiao on Instagram. This is the best kind of sweet + strange.

11. NPR’s Book of the Day podcast. “In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone’s talking about? NPR’s Book of the Day gives you today’s very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you’re looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we’ve got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today’s great books in 15 minutes or less.” One book they shared I’m currently reading: In ‘Soul Boom,’ Rainn Wilson calls for a spiritual revolution, and another I am going to read next: ‘Soil’ weaves together a poet’s experience of gardening, race and community.

12. Andy Grammer talks about taking grief into your own hands. (Instagram reel) Three of my other favorite Instagram reels I watched this week: Absolutely loved watching the meteors flying in the night skies, and That green color makes my heart skip a beat, and This guy is determined to keep the cuddles flowing.

13. Elaborate Flower Arrangements by Lewis Miller Design Cascade From Fixtures of New York City Streets.

14. Karen Kilgariff’s Midcentury LA Home Gives a Fresh Take to ’70s Decor. “Laun Studio brought layers of color and warmth to the My Favorite Murder host’s Studio City house.”

15. A Tiny, Weightless Thing from Karen Maezen Miller. She posted this on her Facebook page and I can’t figure out how to link to that and it’s not on her website either, so I’m going to share the full text here and hope she doesn’t mind.

“Many years ago, when my life seemed to take a radical and inexplicable turn, people would sometimes ask how I decided to make that happen. The truth is, I didn’t make anything happen except in the smallest ways. I didn’t decide to downsize, for instance, although it looked that way. I didn’t become a minimalist, although my needs diminished. I didn’t decide to pursue a spiritual path, I just put one foot in front of the other. I didn’t resist, reject, or refuse anything, I simply made different choices. They are the kind of choices we are presented with all the time.

Instead of more I chose less. Instead of that I chose this. Instead of later I chose now. And instead of me, well, I didn’t choose me.

If we are lucky, we are given a great deal of time on this earth, time enough to get a good look around. And eventually, after enough upheavals, disasters, and disappointments, we might realize the point of it all.

It’s not just to be kind, although that’s part of it. It’s not just to be tolerant or generous, although both of those will become easier. It’s not really about gratitude either, although you will be grateful for all the opportunities given to you.

We are here, together, now to serve one another. Let’s not make that complicated. It’s really simple, and a lot simpler than serving yourself. Serving yourself is an endless, exhausting, and futile endeavor. It perpetuates dissatisfaction. It multiplies desires. But serving others, helping others, and caring for others is a tiny, weightless thing. It’s instantly satisfying and gratifying. In other words, it’s good.

This is the secret to happiness. Let’s not keep it a secret.”

16. On: Why We Cry When Things Are Beautiful, a beautiful and heartbreaking post from Marlowe Padilla about losing his best friend Maria.

17. How drawing changed this artist’s life and led to a $45K paid newsletter. “Danny Gregory triumphed in the advertising world before tragedy struck. But his resilience and passion for creating helped him bounce back to scale his newsletter to 20,000 subscribers and inspire artists around the world.”

18. 3 signs you might be a toxic person, from a therapist who realized she had harmful behaviors she needed to change.

19. It starts here from Susannah Conway. This would make a great writing prompt.

20. Birthday cake box donations. I love this idea!

21. Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer & Laurie Wagner: Writing Into Paradox, from the A La Carte series from 27 Powers. I love that you can join live, and also have a video to watch as many times as you like.

22. These Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookie Bars Are Perfect for Fall.

23. 7 cheap foods that will boost your gut health faster than probiotic supplements — from a doctor who has stopped prescribing them.

24. Artist Leaves Stunning Handmade Pottery in Unexpected Places for People To Find and Keep. Check out the artist’s website to see stories of people finding her art.

25. Amazing Grace from Gretchen Schmelzer. “Our hearts break open and our mosaics, the world’s mosaics, get bigger. First, let yourself grieve. And then, let yourself grow.”

26. Meeting Suffering with Gentleness on Gentle Buddhism.

27. 64 Things I Know For Sure: Celebrating my birthday with a list. As one does. From Patti Digh.

28. How to Avoid Overscheduling Yourself as a Sensitive Introvert.

29. On My Way to the Conscious Dance Circle: Allow Yourself to Belong from Mindy Tsonas Choi.

30. The Art of Digital Minimalism: 5 Steps to Detox Your Digital Life from Tammy Strobel on Be More With Less.

31. Origin Story from Jami Attenberg. “I’m sorry this newsletter today has nothing to do with writing. It only has to do with a dog. But having a dog is part of what makes me happy and steady and alive, and those things help me to be a writer and a better participant in my community.” Amen!

32. Good stuff from Austin Kleon: Patience with everything unresolvable in your heart and Be a good date.

33. Three Songs at the End of Summer, a gorgeous poem from Jane Kenyon.

34. A Self-Care Guide For Teachers (From A Teacher).

35. Tips for Building a Writing Routine.

36. The Joy of Missing Out.

37. Choice points from Patti Digh. “Use your active voice, make a choice, change your verbs.”

38. Papier-Mâché Critters Traipse and Trot in Delighful Sculptures by Diana Parkhouse.

39. On Death and Love. “As Melanie Challenger examines the belief in human exceptionalism that has devastated life on this planet, she wonders if our desire to outrun death is hindering our capacity to love.”

1. Rising Bird Counseling. Courtney Putnam is taking new patients in Washington state, and hopes to soon be able to offer telehealth sessions to those in other locations. This is one of those times that I wish a friend wasn’t a already a friend because I KNOW what an amazing practitioner they would be, the kind I’d like for myself.

2. What Rises from the Ruins: Katherine Anne Porter on the Power of the Artist and the Function of Art in Human Life.

3. I learned to draw in ten minutes, from Danny Gregory. (video)

4. A gentle meditation on compost, love, and grief from The Rot. Also from The Rot: 101: How to Compost (The Collection).

5. Excellent Advice for Living: Kevin Kelly’s Life-Tested Wisdom He Wished He Knew Earlier.

6. These Beautiful Photos Chronicle a Search for Light and Enlightenment on Lion’s Roar. “David Gabriel Fischer’s ongoing photo journal gives viewers a glimpse into a mind and world defined by Zen.” These are so gorgeous and powerful, I almost can’t stand to look at them.

7. Good stuff from Seth Godin: The empathy of magic, The low-stakes argument, and When in doubt, look for the fear.

8. 77 Ideas to Simplify Your Life and Feel Better Today.

9. 6 Ways to Enjoy Mindful Walking. “Research shows that mindful walking in nature offers stress-busting and mood-boosting advantages, plus a welcome chance to stretch our legs. Chris Willard, PhD shares six ways to customize your next mindful stroll.”

10. Actually, ‘Bed Rotting’ Can Be a Very Legit Form of Self-Care.

11. ‘Nothing left’: Future unclear for Hawaii residents who lost it all in fire. These images are heartbreaking. In related news, Support the people of Maui by Together Rising, and an emerging guide for collective action and mutual aid (Google doc).

12. Van Gogh’s advice to a young artist. “In order to write a book, do a deed, paint a picture with some life in it, one has to be alive oneself.”

13. How To Become A Minimalist: A Little Guide To Living with Less from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.

14. Poetry from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer: The Conversation, Hurkle-durkle, Sympathetic Resonance, and In the Days Leading Up to His Death Anniversary.

15. Wisdom from Morgan Harper Nichols: “Amidst all that is unknown, there is still room to ask yourself this question: ‘What does it look like to find peace right now, even in the smallest ways?'”

16. A Different Way to Think About Screentime. “This conversation won’t necessarily make you feel better or worse about screens. But it will invite you to consider a more expansive understanding of what screens are and what they do — in our kids’ lives, but also in our own.” Also from Culture Study: The Particular Pleasure of the Internet Rec and The Workday “Dead Zone” is a Fake Problem.

17. Maggie Smith: Writing in a Way That Is Brave, Real, and True on Insights at the Edge. (podcast) “Bestselling poet Maggie Smith has a gift for embracing the complexity of our human experience—and for writing about it with piercing intensity, clarity, and beauty. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Maggie about her approach to her craft and to life, and how writing can serve as a pathway to self-discovery and release.”

18. How to Make a Writer Friend from Jami Attenberg. “Writer friends are different than other kinds of friends. That truth I treasure. How do you meet them? I can’t tell you how to, I can only tell you that they’re there. You just have to keep trying.”

19. Earth Sea Love Episode 059 – We All Already Belong with Mindy Tsonas. (podcast)

20. How To Destroy Buddhism: (and how to keep it going).

21. Maya Stein’s 10-Line Tuesday from August 1st. “This week’s ’10-line Tuesday’ poem was composed solely of 10 photographs. Prompted by a reply from reader Kristen Ambrosi, I invited readers to create their own 10-line poem in response. These poems, in the order that I received them, are below.” My friend Cynthia, a member of my precious Friday morning writing sangha, shared a poem here and it’s gorgeous.

22. Grief, And from Abigail Rose Clarke.

23. My Top Five Favorite Novels of All Time from Robert Jones, Jr. “These are the novels that have had the greatest impact on me as a reader and the biggest influence on me as a writer.” I’ve read four out of five of these and adored them, so I supposed I need to read the fifth one.

24. How Writing Is Teaching Me to Have Quiet Confidence.

25. 7 Tiny Steps To Help You Set Better Boundaries from Tammy Strobel on Be More With Less.

26. Approaching The Speed of Empathy by Patti Digh. “It takes curiosity and humility and deep listening to empathize, and those traits are in short supply.”

27. MA — The Japanese Concept of Space and Time.

28. Forgive The Writers, For We Are So Tired from Chuck Wendig on Terrible Minds.

29. 7 Introvert Habits That Could Be Hampering Your Happiness.

30. The Red Hand Files from Nick Cave. “The Red Hand Files began in September of 2018 as a simple idea – a place where I would answer questions from my fans. Over the years, The Red Hand Files has burst the boundaries of its original concept to become a strange exercise in communal vulnerability and transparency. Hundreds of letters come in each week, asking an extraordinarily diverse array of questions, from the playful to the profound, the deeply personal to the flat-out nutty. I read them all and try my best to answer a question each week.” I found this site because Patti Digh shared a link to this Q & A on how to understand the experience of loss.

31. When walking isn’t about walking. I love what Hugh has to say here about starting over. This post is part of his Life Is So Beautiful series, “Every Monday since 2015, Hugh wakes up, makes coffee, sits down, and writes an email to thousands of folks in at least five different countries. There’s an original blog-length reflection on where he sees beauty in the world right then and links to five things he saw that week that struck him as beautiful. Because the world is beautiful, but sometimes it’s hard to notice.”

32. How Much Do You Need to Earn to Afford a Modest Apartment in Your State?

33. Fans waited 31 years for his next novel. It’s finally here. “‘Sun House,’ the third novel by David James Duncan, author of ‘The River Why’ and ‘The Brothers K,’ is a spiritual epic about seekers who end up living on a large commune in western Montana.”

34. This Aging Filter Is Going Viral On TikTok — And It Seems We’re All Missing The Point. “I’m not really thinking about the aesthetics of wrinkles — I’m thinking about the older faces that I’ll never get to see.”

35. Worry Lines on Instagram, “Mildly Uplifting Daily Drawings.” This one about sad is one of my favorites.