Tag Archives: Zen Habits

Something Good

Horsetooth Reservoir, image by Eric

Horsetooth Reservoir, image by Eric

So great to be partnering with Wanderlust to share this list with a larger audience.

1. Leap Day! A whole extra day! What are you doing with yours, kind and gentle reader?

2. Kids reading to shelter dogs. I’m glad they are doing this, because I’m not allowed in the shelter — I would want to bring all the dogs home.

3. Author and poet Mahogany L. Browne gives her #BriefButSpectacular take on “Black Girl Magic.” So beautiful, so important.

4. I want to try these recipes: Chocolate Guinness Cake, Everyday Chocolate Cake, and Vidalia Onion Upside Down Cornbread, and Ayurvedic Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Soup.

5. Wisdom from Pema Chödrön,

If we want there to be peace in the world, then we have to take responsibility when our own hearts and minds harden and close. We have to be brave enough to soften what is rigid, to find the soft spot and stay with it. We have to have that kind of courage and take that kind of responsibility. That’s true spiritual warriorship. That’s the true practice of peace.

6. From mailboxes to super soakers, check out these 10 items you never knew were invented by black Americans. #blackhistorymonth

7. In related news, 100 Years of Beauty – Episode 18: USA Men 2 (Lester). Every time I watch one of these videos, I am so appreciative of the effort it must have taken to put it together. (And btw, I don’t think the 90s was a good era in fashion for anyone). And while you are at it, check out the other videos on WatchCut Video’s YouTube channel. They’ve got lots of cools stuff, such as this video One Word – Episode 32: Binge Eating (Eating Disorders).

8. What They Did With These Shower Curtain Rods Might just Be The Most Secretly Genius Idea Ever.

9. Snow Day. A cheetah and dog pair have their first snowy experience.

10. The moment of truth: We must stop Trump.

11. A love letter from your fat friend: It’s okay. You’re fat.

12. None of this matters when you’re dead, “Or why I don’t care that my decade worth of blog content has been lost.” I don’t think I’d be so cool about it if this happened to me.

13. Beginner-Friendly Meditation Retreats in Some of the World’s Most Beautiful Settings. #3 is one of my favorite places on the planet, (so much so that I kinda wish they hadn’t included it cause I want to keep it my own little secret).

14. Interview with Emily Brown, from BodyLove on Light Folly.

15. Why Kale May Kill Us, So I’m Getting a Divorce. In related news, Greens, Kale & Thyroid Problems. I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and I didn’t know this.

16. Quirky New Chalk Characters on the Streets of Ann Arbor by David Zinn. Super cute. I love it that there are people in the world that take the time to do this, to practice their art, to surprise people with the joy of it.

17. Writing Down The Bones: 30 Years Later. One of my favorite writing teachers. And I am constantly amazed — this was her FIRST book. One of the most important writing books ever, in my humble opinion, and it was the first one she wrote.

18. Michelle Nijhuis’s Brief Guide to Writing Reported Essays.

19. 6 Illustrations That Show What It’s Like in an Introvert’s Head.

20. Simplicity is the Way Back to Love from Be More With Less.

21. Art at Altitude: Watch Artist Simon Beck Trample Calculated Murals onto Snowy Mountaintops. So much effort for something that’s just going to melt — and yet, it all melts eventually, doesn’t it?

22. Tips and Myths About Extending Smartphone Battery Life. I don’t know about you, but the state of my cellphone charge gives me such anxiety, so this was very helpful.

23. Wisdom from Tulku Thondup, “Unless one is omniscient or at least enjoys some degree of clairvoyance, no one can judge others. One can see how others appear and how they are behaving, but not who they are or why they are behaving in a particular manner.” During this season of politics, I’ve had to remind myself of this again and again.

24. How to make peanut butter toast. This seems to be about more than just peanut butter toast.

25. That Time I Stole an Atkin’s Diet Book From Bj’s from Mara Glatzel. I love everything about this.

26. The life that’s left from Jamie Greenwood. This is such a good reminder. “The only thing I was ever promised at birth was life and THIS, this loss wrapped in pain wrapped in sweet remembrance wrapped in joy, is all part of the package.”

27. 5 Reasons to Meditate by Pema Chödrön. “Yes, it’s a strange thing to do — just sit there and do basically nothing. Yet the simple act of stopping, says Pema Chödrön, is the best way to cultivate our good qualities. Here are five ways it makes us better people.”

28. Wisdom from Brave Girls Club,

There really is no one on this entire planet who knows every single thing that you have lived through, that you have learned, that you have endured, that you have overcome, that you have feared, that you have loved, that you have grieved, that you have built, that you have dreamed up, that you have worked toward. This is why, incredible soul, it is so important to hold yourself to be as sacred as you truly are.

You are a whole lot of beautifulness, in little things and in big things. You are a whole lot of colorfulness woven together in a way that has never ever ever been woven. Don’t let others try to define you, sweet friend. Don’t let others minimize you or try to squeeze you tight into a box that makes them comfortable. You are you and you are too wild and sparkling to fit inside of ANY box. You are meant to shine your light. When you need to feel 100% understood, turn to the source of truth and light. And turn to that beautiful soul inside of you — she is so so so wise.

And remember that we can never know every single thing about others, either. We are all very complicated souls, and we would all be a lot happier if we gave everyone a little bit of grace and focus on the good things we DO know.

29. Women and Body Image with Isabel Foxen Duke, an interview. “On women and body image with the fabulous Isabel Foxen Duke as well as helpful tips and tactics to free yourself from body worries.”

30. How To Deal With Haters. Unfortunately in this age of social media, this is something we all face at one time or another, and this is really sound advice.

31. Reactions: Not everything in life is Likable. This is a really great article that talks about how the new Facebook reaction options were developed.

32. Manny Selfie Cat, one of the best accounts on Instagram.

33. Fatphobic Nurse Makes Me Say F*ck Seven Times and 11 Reasons Why I Focus On Health and Not Weight from Dances with Fat.

34. A Mother’s Confession: A Song with Footnotes from Amanda Palmer. Trigger alert: if you are a mom, this might just wreck you.

35. Wisdom from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, “If we don’t develop contentment, we can never have what we want or enjoy what we have.” Oh, snap!

36. Exquisite Curiosity and Food from Geneen Roth.

37. One of my new favorite songs, ATTLAS – Parallel Lines.

38. Magic Tricks from Jena Schwartz. So beautiful. Writers like Jena raise the bar for my writing in the best possible way.

39. The Hunger for Rest, an important reminder from the amazing Rachel Cole, because this, “If you find yourself eating as a way to avoid the rest you’re craving or as a way to silence your inner critic who bashes you for your laziness, consider embracing your unique needs for rest and see what happens.”

40. Our Everloving Quest to Control Our Lives from Zen Habits. This is such an important read. We should all probably just memorize it, recite it in the mirror every morning. We’d all be so much happier if we could “get” just this one thing.

41. Five Ways To Love Yourself Courageously on Life is Limitless. This is also so important. Caroline starts by saying, “I’ve been focused on personal growth quite intensely now for many years, I’ve read countless books, taken various courses, spent years in therapy, worked with a number of coaches and the number one thing that I learnt from it all is this: If you don’t love yourself deeply and completely, then you can’t ever be truly happy.”

Something Good

Arthur's Rock, Lory State Park, image by Eric

Arthur’s Rock, Lory State Park, image by Eric

So great to be partnering with Wanderlust to share this list with a larger audience.

1. Two really great classes with two amazing teachers starting on Leap Day: Brave Blogging with Andrea Scher, 30 days of creative prompts and blogging lessons, and Leaping into Leap Year: What’s Your Leap? with Patti Digh, “What’s the leap forward you want to make? Let’s define it, set up conditions for success, and leap on February 29th!”

2. A Caring Chorus. “We all have a voice inside, and the best teachers help us find it. One group of students took the time to recognize their chorus teacher with a performance she’ll never forget.” Her response when they start singing is precious.

3. This boy and his family just met his bone marrow donor for the first time. Not a dry eye in sight. Such a great video. We have the capacity for so much good.

4. The Master Body Positive Resource List from the Militant Baker. This.

5. After Becoming A Mom, I Couldn’t Find Time To Paint, So I Started Doing One Tiny Drawing A Day. Sometimes small can be HUGE.

6. WATCH: “This veterinarian knew he had to get this starving rescued puppy to eat something, so he did an experiment. He got in the cage along with her, put his breakfast in a metal bowl just like hers, and showed her that they are equals – both deserving a good meal, and a little love.” I can’t even…

7. What I Learn on the Orange Couch: Creating Boundaries for the First Time from Patti Digh. Ever since her heart attack, Patti’s writing has been on fire.

8. Wisdom from L.R. Knost, “Taking care of myself doesn’t mean ‘me first.’ It means ‘me, too.'” Mind blown.

9. Watch these big cats react to cardboard for the first time! No matter how big, kitties are still kitties.

10. I Documented Two Years of Travel By Painting In My Moleskine Notebook. Amazing.

11. Recipes I want to try: Sweet Potato Black Bean Hash and No-Knead Bread and Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers and Pistachio-Lemon Bars.

12. One Big Reason Your Life Is Harder (And Busier) Than It Has To Be from Marc and Angel Hack Life. *Spoiler Alert* “Here’s the thing: Busyness is NOT a badge of honor. There’s zero honor at all in endless busyness. Busyness is just an illness that makes everything harder than it has to be.”

13. Don’t forget this about eating… from Isabel Foxen Duke.

14. Don’t Fall into the Self-Esteem Trap: Try a Little Self-Kindness by Kristin Neff, who just so happens to be an expert on the subject of self-compassion. “Striving for self-esteem is about trying hard to feel special, above average. It’s absurd. We don’t need to feel extra-special or over the top. We need to touch who we really are in any given moment.”

15. Before You Blow Up Your Life, Do This from Jonathan Fields. “What if, instead of blowing up what lies outside, we broke open what lies within?” Is it utterly horrible to believe that he wrote this just for me?

16. Wisdom from Brave Girls Club, “Rest does not need to hold hands with guilt. We do not have to pay for rest when the rest is over.”

17. Why We Struggle with Change on Zen Habits.

18. Dog Adopts Orphaned Opossums, Gives Them Awesome Rides On Her Back. How am I ever going to hold on to my belief that opossums are gross when people keep sharing stories like this?!

19. I’ve spent years trying to get skinny. Oprah’s Weight Watchers ads convinced me to stop. Because this,

My epiphany was this: Oprah is one of the most accomplished, admired, able people in the world. She has an Oscar to keep all her Emmy Awards company. She creates magic for other people and herself on the regular. So if Oprah can’t do permanent lifelong weight loss, maybe it can’t be done. Oprah is also crazy rich. If Oprah can’t buy permanent lifelong weight loss, maybe it can’t be bought. And that sucks.

But it is also incredibly freeing if you, like me, have thought about your weight so many times throughout every day of your life that it becomes as maddening and distracting as if you’d stowed a beating telltale heart beneath your floorboards.

20. Female Friendships and Online Literary Sexism on The Rumpus.

21. (How To) Get Over Comparing Yourself To Other Creatives from Adam Kurtz. Such good advice. In related news, Sentimentalizing Everything.

22. Killing Us Softly 4 – Trailer [Featuring Jean Kilbourne]. *sigh*

23. 21 Hilarious Tweets That Perfectly Sum Up Your Relationship With Your Co-Workers. *gigglesnort*

24. 10 Best Yoga Tunes of the Year, from Yoga Journal. “Early ballots for the 2016 Grammy Awards included nearly two dozen albums inspired by bhakti yoga. We listened to them all to choose our favorite yoga music for the year.” I haven’t listened to any of these yet, but I’m excited for some new music.

25. Watch Hozier’s Haunting New Music Video About Domestic Abuse. The song is so beautiful, so sweet, that without the video I might not have realized what it was about.

26. Nigella Lawson: “Women should eat what they want. Not what they think they should.” Word.

27. Having It All Kinda Sucks. “Only women would sign up for this much crap.” An important read.

28. Syd Rocks. At 10 years old, Sydney was diagnosed with LCH, Langerhan’s Cell Histiocytosis, a rare blood disorder. The cause of the disease is unknown and it is estimated that Histiocytosis affects one in 200,000 children each year in the U.S. After treatment (not fun), Sydney is doing better, but she’s committed to donating 100% of the profit earned from her Syd Rocks necklaces to medical research to find a cure for LCH and pediatric cancer. She’ll have a booth at Wanderlust 108 Chicago on May 16th, or you can shop at her website.

29. Sia Carpool Karaoke. I love this series so much.

30. Lip-Reading Software Brings Hitler’s Most Intimate Words Alive In His Silent Home Movies. Interesting and creepy.

31. Wisdom from Pema Chödrön,

The power of the paramita of patience is that it is the antidote to anger, a way to learn to love and care for whatever we meet on the path. By patience, we do not mean enduring — grin and bear it. In any situation, instead of reacting suddenly, we could chew it, smell it, look at it, and open ourselves to seeing what’s there. The opposite of patience is aggression — the desire to jump and move, to push against our lives, to try to fill up space. The journey of patience involves relaxing, opening to what’s happening, experiencing a sense of wonder.

31. Growing Together by Thich Nhat Hanh on Lion’s Roar. “In his introduction to the book, Love’s Garden: A Guide to Mindful Relationships, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how we can use loving relationships to cultivate the seeds of buddhahood inside us.”

32. Deepak Chopra Wants Us To Meditate Our Fat Away from Dances with Fat. Just no, everything about this no.

33. High rent is forcing Las Vegas families to take to the sewers. In related news, check out the Seeker Stories YouTube channel.

34. On the Submerged World from Dani Shapiro. This is why I practice, why I keep showing up.

35. Troops betrayed as Army dumps hundreds of heroic war dogs. To be honest, I couldn’t even finish reading this, it just hurt too much. We need to do better, by ALL our vets.

36. In Memory of David R. Tolstrup, D.O. My friend Jim’s brother died unexpectedly last week. “He was a much loved son, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend and will be very much missed by many. He was also a dedicated and compassionate physician who believed in healing the whole person and who often worked with underserved populations in his medical career. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you donate to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that works tirelessly around the world to see that some of the most vulnerable among us receive life saving care regardless of their means.”

37. Kickstarter: The Tiny Book Show. “The Tiny Book Show is a mobile museum of miniature books traveling across the US this summer in our 1965 Covered Wagon caravan.” One of my favorite projects by two of my favorite poets.

38. This Cat Has Been Reunited With The Refugee Family He Lost In Greece. All the feels…