Mindful Mondays #31: Memorial Day Edition
Format changes, mindful photography, and catching up on some great reads
Good morning, and welcome to Mindful Mondays. Today’s edition will be a short one, as I’m hoping to spend some quality time with friends and family today—preferably outdoors, if the weather clears up!
Today is Memorial Day in the U.S., a federal holiday honoring those who died while serving in the armed forces. I’d like to take a moment here to acknowledge all those who have fought and died in wars throughout history, not only from this country, but all countries. May all beings know peace.
Format Changes
In the coming weeks, I’m going to be changing up the format of this newsletter. Going forward, I’ll focus on publishing an original essay each week. Every 4 weeks or so, instead of an essay I’ll share an update like this one, curating great articles I’ve read, podcasts I’ve listened to, and so on.
Essays
I’m working on a longer essay for next week. For now, here’s a review of the four pieces I’ve published in the last month or so:
A little personal history of how I chose my career, and the surprising role that my dreams and personal experiences in therapy played in guiding me down this path.
The one thing that has allowed me to keep my phone time down to 80 minutes per day, and how you can do it, too.
How my personal experience with burnout showed me that self-care isn’t enough, and how our cultural narrative about self-care unfairly shifts the burden from companies to individual employees.
How reading poetry can be a mindfulness practice, and greatly enrich your life—as it has mine!
Articles of Interest
This week, I’m going to feature a few recent articles by friends I’ve made in Write of Passage. These writers are all doing outstanding work here on Substack and have something interesting to share about living mindfully and creatively.
is a young naturalist studying at Ashoka Univeristy in India. Ishan is obsessed with wildlife, but he also recently completed a personal project, photographing ordinary people on the street in India. I love these portraits and how they highlight the beauty and humanity of the people we see everyday, but perhaps might not truly notice or appreciate. I encourage you to check it out!The Honest Alchemist: A meditative, personal introduction to the work of photographer and philosopher
, by my friend . This essay turned me on to Sarris’s work, while also making me think more deeply about taking pictures and how photography can be a mindfulness practice.Good Reply Game is Good Life Game:
shares what social media strategy taught her about life, and how we can be better citizens of both the internet and humanity by playing pro-social games, supporting each other, and focusing on what we want to see more of. This essay is also a great introduction to the work of , , and .Podcast of the Week
Universe, Adorned: Ornament in Culture, Cosmos, and Consciousness: My friend Liam recently turned me on to The Emerald podcast, which I’m now unapologetically binging every time I’m in my car. In this episode, the first I listened to, Joshua Michael Schrei explores the anthropology, mythology, and spirituality of how we humans adorn ourselves—from prehistoric shell necklaces to the latest fashions—and asks, “of what are your adornments?” Listening to this may be the closest I’ve come to having a psychedelic experience while sober. Apple | Spotify | Josh’s Patreon
Quote of the Week
"Practice any art.... no matter how well or how badly. Not to get money or fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow."
—Kurt Vonnegut
That’s all for this week! As always, I appreciate your feedback on Mindful Mondays. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to read more about? Just reply to this email or leave a comment on Substack or Notes to let me know.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Cordry, LMFT
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What an honour it is to be featured in another person's newsletter. It's my first time getting this kind of shout out, and it means a lot to me. I have been having some unusual traffic on that piece from inexplicable pieces and this newsletter helps me see why. Thank you. <3 I'm so glad you pointed me to Steven's piece as well, I nearly missed it!
I love the Vonnegut quote. To dethrone ideas of doing something "well" or "poorly", or for success and prestige outcomes, and to recenter *experiencing* what's inside each of us, and that too in a state of transformation!
I read it three times over to let it just sink in. What a privilege it is to get to even experience what's inside us, and then the further possibility of witnessing that in evolution... I never thought about it like this. I am putting it up on a post-it note at my desk. It's a nice reminder not to get lost in all the head-things I get up to often with work, to keep open the window to stay with my soul more.
Hey Chris. I'm excited to see this new format!
Thanks for the shout out buddy. I really appreciate it. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the project :)
Love the articles you've curated man.Your essay on why we should read poetry was one banger piece. Steven's and Malavika's work was also great :)