Link Love Friday- Christmas Edition

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Merry Christmas! For those of you taking a break from the stress of holidays and family by escaping to the web (or those of you reading this after Christmas), here are some great articles that can help you reflect. This is a day late, but worth the wait. 

Life

• Be grateful (Be grateful) This website is awesome and simple. You go to it and it gives you a reason to be grateful taken from people's posts. It definitely puts things into perspective. 
• Your iPhone is Ruining Your Posture--and Your Mood (NY Times) Important info to think about. 
• No One Gets to be a Messiah: On Quiet Acts of Kindness + The Human Reality (Sometimes Life Does Actually Suck) (Meg Worden) Truth! We need to be more kind to each other and more understanding. 
• 9 reasons why writing in a journal should be your only resolution in the new year (UP Worthy) Journaling more and writing more in general is my main resolution this year. This article shows why journaling is important and can help. 
• This superintendent has figured out how to make school work for poor kids (Washington Post) With the whole country looking at our high rates of violence and racism, it's not often that I'm proud of the education and government systems in Missouri. But this story is awesome and I hope it can inspire other school districts around the nation. 
• Family Food Feud: Relatives and Allergies (Allergic Living) I'm sharing this because it hits so close to home. I have an uncle who has said multiple times, "A little gluten won't hurt you." Now I know I can never eat anything he brings because he might "test" my allergy and make me sick for a solid week as a result. Fortunately, I have some awesome family members and great friends who do "get" it, even if some of them had to learn it the hard way seeing my allergies in action. Once you've seen the way I react to gluten, you never doubt it again. I'm a totally different person. I think one of my former students summed it up nicely when she told me she loved me but doesn't like me when I have gluten. That's okay kid, I don't either.
• If you’re 30% through your life, you’re likely 90% through your best relationships (Quartz) This one is depressing, but eye opening. It makes me want to appreciate time with the people I love so much more. 
• The Dark Side of Success and What I’m Changing in the New Year (Goins, Writer) A good reflection on the importance of looking at what we really want and the true source of our motivations. 

Simplicity/ Minimalism

• The Fall of Materialism: Why More Millennials Aspire to Have Nothing (Elite Daily) This article reflects the draw towards simplicity experienced by young people. "Although they are often called lazy or entitled by their parents, Millennials do not want to trade their lives for money. They have watched what that life did to their parents. They want something more than a comfortable life; they want meaning."

• Sell Everything: What I learned selling (almost) all of my belongings to start over — and why you should too (The Hustle) I love this reflection on the act of selling everything and the freedom that comes with it. 

• Even my Furby knows it: our love affair with shopping is over (The Guardian) "What do you get the species that has everything? Manufacturers can stave off the inevitable by building in obsolescence and selling everything as a positional good – a thing you need to prove to others that you’re 1% better than they are. But one day, the answer to that question will be: nothing."

• Between Decluttering and Minimalism (Simple Family Home) This reflection touches on the experience of moving from the decluttering stage into true minimalism. 

• How we help curb the ‘I want that!’s during the holidays (The Art of Simple) I like this article about curbing the "I want" feeling around the holidays-- and all year round. I especially appreciate the difference between I like and I want that she makes so clear for her kids. 

Spirituality/Catholicism

• Prince of Peace (America) In this great reflection on Christ's role as Prince of Peace, the writers remind us that peace cannot be found in fear. "Herod was presented with the Messiah, but fear prevented him from listening. Similarly, fear prevents us from listening today to people most in need. If perfect love drives out fear, as St. Paul said, perfect fear drives out love." 

• Massachusetts Court: Religious Liberty and Rights of LGBT People Can Co-Exist, But Not According to Right-Wing Frame (Huffington Post) Going along with the post above, we are being reminded that we must not be afraid of others who are different from ourselves.

• 8 Ways Jesuits & Jedi Are Alike, and 3 Ways They’re Not (The Jesuit Post) This made me smile and it's really interesting how close the two orders are! 

Books

• Build Your Kids' Libraries With these Wonderful, Beautiful Books  (Modern Mrs. Darcy) I love the look of some of these books as well as the story inside. 

• Literary Iceland Revels In Its Annual 'Christmas Book Flood' (NPR)  BRB, I'm moving to Iceland. (I wish)

Education:

• Why Americans can’t write (The Washington Post) I enjoyed this article, which is too true from my experiences as a teacher. 

Farming:

• Horsepower vs. Horse Power: Which Wins? (Modern Farmer) This is a fascinating article about how a lot of sustainable farmers are moving back to relying on teams of horses. I've been interested in this for a while. "Leslie believes farming with draft animals can create a “truly regenerative agriculture” that can help humans reclaim their place in the fabric of life. “Those who farm this way are engaged in relationship. At its best, this relational quality can further enhance the qualities that have made us most human; qualities such as trust, loyalty, and empathy. A relationship with a horse, even a practical working relationship, can change your way of seeing and relating to the world,” he says."
• Is Eating Lettuce Really Worse For The Environment Than Eating Bacon? (Modern Farmer) This is an interesting article about a new study from Carnegie Mellon.