Come for the cool finds, stay for the thought-provoking content! 😉
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The Latest
• After a commercial hiatus that felt like the Ice King tragedy from Adventure Time, this bulletin is back (sort of). I, Rose, have had to find ways to make life work after being diagnosed with a painful condition called lateral epicondylitis. Now, what the heck is that? (Stay until the end to find out. No pressure.)
• Enjoy issue #29! Don't hesitate to share it. Remember, sharing is caring.
Word of Mouth
Cultivate (verb) /ˈkʌl.tə.veɪt/
To cultivate is to nurture and help grow. Farmers cultivate crops, teachers cultivate an excitement for learning, and musicians cultivate multiple musical skills.
When you cultivate something, you work to make it better. Originally, the word referred only to crops that required tilling, but the meaning has widened. No matter what is being cultivated, the word implies a level of care that is reminiscent of gardening. Sometimes friendships come naturally and sometimes you have to cultivate them.
How Cultivating Self-Love Supports Social Justice
"The practice of turning towards our critical voice with curiosity and kindness is the foundation of social justice work. Why? If we can become aware of how our aggression towards ourselves comes from allowing our fears to motivate our actions, we can choose to kindly nourish the parts of ourselves that are afraid. This allows us the freedom to choose self-care instead of self-harm. It works the same way in larger social spheres…" – thebodypositive
True to Shelf
"Learning about the dangers of systemic racism often leads people to ask: What can I do personally to make a difference?
Layla Saad, an East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim woman living in Qatar, came up with an impressive answer — a 28-day process that she calls a "personal anti-racism tool" designed to teach those with white privilege how systemic racism works and how they can stop contributing to white supremacy in the world." – NPR
Dice & Games
"Back in the Wii and DS era, Nintendo tried something new: telling its players to take breaks.
Cozy Grove is an extension of that ethos: it really, really wants to make sure you're not playing video games all day. It cares about you. As the CEO of developer Spry Fox puts it: 'Cozy Grove doesn't make you feel like you need to play for 8 hours in a single sitting to "maximize" your experience.' To put it succinctly, Cozy Grove respects your time." – nintendolife
Cool Finds
• "I wrote this song for anyone who feels different, anyone who has to stop themselves every day from saying unkind things to themselves, in their head, all the time.
I felt like that for the longest time and slowly I’m learning how to just be nice to myself. I wanted to share that because I captured it in this song. Over the last two years, music has been my therapy more than ever. So I hope this song can be your friend." – Sam Smith
• "Can a person’s name impact their professional outcomes? Is swearing good for you? Is Jason Momoa speaking a real language on Game of Thrones?
If you’re a language nerd like us, these are the kinds of questions that keep you up at night. (And even if you’re not, you’ve gotta admit you’re interested, right?)
To answer them, we launched a whole new podcast in partnership with Crooked Media: Radiolingo, a series that explores all the invisible ways that language shapes our world, and vice versa." – Duolingo
What's up, Bean?
Lateral epicondylitis is an overuse and muscle strain injury. The cause is repeated contraction of the forearm muscles that you use to straighten and raise your hand and wrist.
It took about a month to get one arm diagnosed and then the other. I went weeks without being able to do small things and big things too, the pain was too debilitating. I've been trying different treatments and while some have worked better than others, I'm still navigating pain and its complexities, one day at a time.
The Bean-Sized Bulletin is curated with 💛 by Rose Cortijo.