Features:
1. Blueprints to feeling befriended 2. Tools of the Trade: Catalogs of choices 3. Books make great friends!
It’s catalog season — the virtual kind, the snail-mail kind, the nuggets & sound bytes kind. And We Build Better Humans has lists of lists for you to get lost in today (if that’s your thing).
I remember hours of fun in the 1980s, lying on my belly in the living room, feet kicked up in the air behind me, using whatever ink pen, colorful crayon or gnawed pencil I could find to circle ad nauseam all of the baubles & goodies that looked so appealing in the Family-Bible-thick J.C. Penney catalog. Certain that this would be the year Santa brought me *everything* on my wish list, I wouldn’t hold back.
If, like me, you’ve traded in at least a portion of that old materialism for the gifts of experience, this newsletter issue will fill both buckets for you.
If you don’t already read Yung Pueblo’s Notes here at Substack, you can easily troll his IG account (or do both, like I do, haha) for bon mots like the above. He has a video series, too, called “Committed to the Journey” that teaches meditation as a process.
If listening is more your thing, consider this amazing list by Nick Wolfe of Substack’s SEL in 5 newsletter: 10 Podcasts for SEL Leaders. (I personally can’t wait to dive into a binge-listen of #9 - The Adult SEL Podcast.)
And, just for fun — not to mention the timeliness of the topic — check out Substack contributor Cara Goodwin’s recent issue of The Parenting Translator. Her article, “How to Handle Ungrateful Children,” gives us parents an easy catalog of choices for how to respond to those “ungrateful child” moments … that can admittedly be more embarrassing around (older) extended family members or the general public during shopping season.
I have some winter reading goals, myself (see my stack in the picture). Luckily, Scholastic Books is having a 72% clearance sale THIS WEEK (Cyber Week only) for teachers. Consider creating or contributing to your own classroom list á la this.
Spotify released the 2023 “Wrapped” data — where I learned my most-listened-to episode of Tune In was the interview with Dr. Kelly Pryde on Giftedness & Mindfulness. It’s a not-to-miss conversation on a different type of “gift” this season.
I like the picture of the books in your stack. "The Myth of Normal" especially interests me. I hope you'll write a review of it after you read it!