What’s Something You’ve Learned This Summer That Has Improved Your Quality Of Life?

Sunny Side Updates with TBIN week 44

I’ve been using Slack probably since the dawn of time for research-related purposes, but only casually. Though we had some conversations on Slack to coordinate events, we still did most of our corresponding via meetings and emails.

It wasn’t until this year, when everything went online, that I joined 5 or 6 Slack channels (not to mention several Discord servers).

And it was this year, likely year 5 of using Slack as a platform, that I finally found an efficient way of managing notifications. Specifically, I didn’t even realize until this year that you can have a one-stop-shop for all notifications, sorted by recency:

I’d been checking every slack channel that was bolded. Manually. As if I had infinite time. 👀🤡

I’m so glad I figured the features out!

This brings me to this week’s shortform prompt! What’s something you learned this summer that has improved your quality of life, no matter how incremental?

Can’t wait to see new directions for things I could start learning to make my life just a tiny bit easier!

Until next week,

Lucy 🍳 EIC of The Brain is a Noodle* Podcast || Twitter || Instagram || Redbubble || Newsletter *This is factually incorrect. Please absolutely do not go out and eat brains.

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This week’s shortform prompt
What's something you've learned this summer that has improved your quality of life? 

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🍜 Piping Hot New(dle) Pieces of the Week

Challenge: *highlight* the ones you bookmarked/ read and make sure everyone gets highlighted at least once! ❤

🧠🍜 [1] You Are a Creator of Your Reality by Ruchi Thalwal ‘So tiny you can’t grasp But so mighty you can’t stop so strong you can’t interfere So minuscule, you can’t even get a hint of its presence’

🧠🍜 [2] The Day Before Friday by Michael Hollifield ‘it is a day before my third favorite day of the week,’

🧠🍜 [3] There Once Was A Dick-less Dude by Jennifer McDougall ‘A response to Michael Burg, MD (AKA Medium Michael Burg)’s Medium rant’

🧠🍜 [4] Melodic anchors by Medomfo Owusu ‘I am the fruition of sounds, I started as a seed of creativity, I was planted in a soil of gospel music and hymns, I was helped by the sun of songs,’

🧠🍜 [5] They Ran Out by America Zed ‘He threw the chair and stumbled on the consequences.’

🧠🍜 [6] Light of a Fire Glow by Warren Brown ‘a tiny poem that you should check out! ‘

🧠🍜 [7] All We Need Is… To Float by Sharing Randomly ‘Have you ever gone into a pool, Into the sea?’

🧠🍜 [8] Aussie Crocodile Smile by Alex Godley ‘Australia is a Place where you can go swim with’

🧠🍜 [9] About Me — Addendum by Barbara Dalton ‘I have a whole brain-full of foodie-type stories to write but just haven’t got around to it. From my childhood days and my mother’s fabulous baking to food traditions and travel memories. We can learn a lot about a culture, a person — life, just from food.’

🧠🍜 [10] Be A Cat And Reach Out by Yan Huang ‘Like the soil-covered seed Going through germination Reaching out to the sun.’

🧠🍜 [11] Like the soil-covered seed Going through germination Reaching out to the sun. by Yan Huang ‘Author’s note: Place is a kind of space. We tend to seek spaces and places where we can find respite and protection.’

🧠🍜 [12] One Moment of Planning Can Protect from Stress by Rachella Angel Page ‘Every morning after waking up, I do three tasks before taking on my day. I pour coffee, clear my mind using my bullet journal and write a list of my top three things to do that day.’

🧠🍜 [13] Shinrinyoku by Somsubhra Banerjee ‘I need a bath, a shinrinyoku rejuvenation, where my noses would soak in a lungful, of clean, cold, fresh air,’

🧠🍜 [14] This Dizain Hurts My Brain by Betsy Denson ‘No problem I thought, like to rhyme I do But the rules of this prompt made me think twice’

🧠🍜 [15] The Painted Rocks by CARMEN F MICSA ‘An Easter basket in the middle of summer? I blurted out after my friend Bryn spotted them in the front lawn of a house towards the end of our run.’

🧠🍜 [16] Water Therapy by Rachella Angel Page ‘As I’m lowered into the pool, the water feels soothing, warm, my legs feel weightless where they normally feel like tree trunks.’

🧠🍜 [17] If Your Body Towels Wrote a Tell-all Diary by Obinna Uruakpa ‘None treats us with some respect though we take care of your bodies even some of the very delicate parts; we get to do all the rounds and dry clean head to toe, even spots that smell different’

🧠🍜 [18] Daily Reminder by Thalia Dunn ‘Sitting on my desk is a Christmas card from Tokyo linking me to memories of visiting gorgeous Shinto shrines in Japan.’

🧠🍜 [19] Thursday by Suman Sandhu ‘Prepping you for yay-day The weekend a whisper away It’s the new Friday!’

🧠🍜 [20] A Morning by Kyomi O'Connor ‘A Palm spike A newly developing frond folded like a magic wand, this color of Shamrock,’

🧠🍜 [21] Review Your Family’s Summer Plan by Kate Lynch ‘There are some things we can’t control. (Thanks, Delta!) What we CAN do is review our summer mission statement.’

🧠🍜 [22] #poetry: Review Your Family’s Summer Plan by Kate Lynch https://link.medium.com/tmXgAtsCFib by Sharing Randomly ‘Fortunately, I’m already one of the members in this partnership but…have only 14 followers. This new term requires every writer to have at least 100 followers. ‘

🧠🍜 [23] About Rules of Thumb by Maggie LaFae ‘Did you know that rules of thumb were said to be based on the rule that measured the tool a man could use to beat his wife?’

🧠🍜 [24] Being Open to Reaching Out by Thalia Dunn ‘Being a loner is a choice, happening at odd moments over the days and months until it hardens into a lifestyle where it feels comfortable or familiar.’

🧠🍜 [25] See the Light at the End of the Tunnel by JF ‘My fragile branches blowing in the wind. Soaked by the clouds tears slipping me into despair. Across the path a trunk stands tall. Sun shines illuminating its shiny colourful coat.’

🧠🍜 [26] Chronicles Of A Cucumber Plant by Paola Perez ‘The soil was good where I planted you I watered you daily and fed you too You were growing so quickly it was insane You would have taken over if you had no restrain’

🧠🍜 [27] Hope Is a Bitch by Roselyn Violet ‘After eight hours of sleeping, I should wake up fresh. But, I wake up with a ruinous headache. After twenty years of living, my life should be sorted, But all of my problems are getting more tangled.’

🧠🍜 [28] Jealousy Versus Envy by VV Valentine ‘Envy and jealousy Some might argue there is no difference But I used Merriam-Webster as a reference Interchangeable these words seem to be’

🧠🍜 [29] The Frustration of Losing Something Invisible to the Naked Eye by Caroline de Braganza ‘In search of my sanity I wade through inanity Decry my vanity’

🧠🍜 [30] Home Blaze by America Zed ‘I tried to take the power out of you’

🧠🍜 [31] a safe space to be by Warren Brown ‘A safe place to be, Is it near the river, The ocean or the sea? Could your safe place, Be away in outer space?’

🧠🍜 [32] Pottery: The Latest, Hottest Workout Sensation? by Earl Grey Sea ‘I did pottery, and the next day my arms were completely aching, my abs were somehow hurt, and my legs were slightly sore as well. No kidding, that felt like a whole-body workout (which I haven’t gotten to in a while). The lactic acid is giving me post-workout satisfaction, minus the actual hard work.’

🧠🍜 [33] My Safe Space by Rachella Angel Page ‘Hidden in the stacks, there are galaxies, universes and worlds gathered at my feet, surrounding me, within reach. I separate what I think could be pearls and rubies from ones that seem like solid bronze.’

🧠🍜 [34] “You’ll lose so much weight traveling!” by Sh*t Happens - Lost Girl Travel ‘I envisioned myself transforming into a graceful, slim, tanned boho goddess once I went traveling.’

🔊 Voices to Amplify

We don’t have to leave it to the algorithm to suggest our favourite pieces! Here are some of my archived faves!

Thank you to Jennifer McDougall, James G Brennan, Dr. Fatima Imam, Brajendra Kumar and Baye Amina for writing these pieces!

🧠🍜 Thank you to the Noodle Team!

challenge: pick 3 writers you haven’t met yet and get acquainted with their pieces!

New writers: Kate Lynch | Assumpta Nalubowa

Caroline de Braganza | Lisa Gerard Braun | Nes Laidler | Reanna Szeszol | The Positive Journal | Medomfo Owusu | Sh*t Happens — Lost Girl Travel | Obinna Uruakpa | Sean Peck | Susan Alison | Kevin Alexander | Sharing Randomly | Brenda Covarrubias | Jimmy Misner Jr. | Stevie Wright | Disha Choksi | Roselyn Violet | Dazzling Shene | Jennifer Leth | John Gobins | Karen Falcon | America Zed | CARMEN F MICSA | Karen Schwartz | MIGHTY MISCELLANY | Ajah Hales | Gisel La Fleur | Roselyn Violet | Marcus Chan | Jennifer Dunne | Cameron Sidhe | Earl Grey Sea | Rakshita Upadhyay | O.M. Fernandes | Beth Nintzel | Barbara Dalton | George Cloake | Nhi Diep | Tarun Gupta | HerPrivateLife | Sohrab Khandelwal | Nerissa Talique | Gracia Kleijnen | Betsy Denson | KSHernandez | Luke DeLalio | Rachella Angel Page | Teressa P. | VV Valentine | Bhavya Mehta | Suntonu Bhadra | Noah Levy | Suzy Hazelwood | Ashlea Morgan | LS | Jessie Waddell | Dave Logan | Candy Marie | Himanshi B | Zihan | Elle How | K.S. | Sherry McGuinn | Diana Dee | Rambling Rose | Doran Lamb | Avi Kotzer | A.M. Radulescu | Laurie Perez | Paul Mansfield | B.R. Shenoy | Nada Chehade| Coco Joan | Bingz Huang | Shreya Badonia | Kimberly Carter | Las siete y más | Warren Brown | Trista Signe Ainswort | Kyomi O’Connor | Kay Bee | MaggieLaFae | Alex Godley | Haider Jamal | Josie Elbiry | Anthony Jackson | Hannah M. Moore | Michael Hollifield | Yana Bostongirl | TC Hails | Orla Kenny | Samedra Carter | Tatum Hamernik | Thalia Dunn | Nia Simone McLeod | Josie Elbiry | Keegan Roembke | Noorain Hassan, BMS | Humaira Iqbal | Zachary Burg | Bob Pepe | Will Hull | Jason | Courtenay S. Gray | Sahil Patel | Meenal Gupta | Amy Lee Kite | Evan Wildstein | Hilda Carroll | Chloe Hill | Paola Perez | Matt Ray | Wolfie Bain | Dena Ogden | Tasneem Kagalwalla | Yan Huang | Tree Langdon | Stuart Englander | Jennifer McDougall | Aaron Kemp | Rachel Ramkaran (she/her) | LS | Lori Welch Brown | Nicole Jiang | Crystalclearcandace | Em Unravelling | Jupiter Grant | Elle Beau ❇︎ | Suman Sandhu | Adam Deitsch | Mia Z. Edwards | David Majister | JF | Zach Neuman | Chris Mooney-Singh | Toya Qualls-Barnette | Karen Lappa Haas | Alan Henley | Michelle Bonfils | Zach Klebaner | Anna | Deepshikha Bhagat | Carlos Garbiras | Katrina Bos | Lisa Bolin | Sohaib Roomi | The Dozen | Malik Bellamy | Olivia Th | Shaista Malik | Emily Wilcox | Brajendra | Eva Rotolo | Bhavna Narula | Shannon Hugman | Ryan DeJonghe | Ryan DeJonghe | Dennett | Swagat Choudhury | Vivian | Mark Tulin | Arslan Mirza | Amber Carlson | Urfa | Whatsinanaim | Amy Pierovich, Ed.D. | Carolyn Riker | Tally | Shivangi Patel | Giulia | ScienceDuuude | Rachael Ann Sand | Divina Grey | Sarah Paris | DISHA GARG | Jen Kleinknecht | janny’s heart | Penofgold | Blank Voice | Kele Mogotsi | Jessie London | Indubala Kachhawa | Radhika Ghose | Mil H. | Zeno Faber | Maziar Ghaderi | Julia Appa | Campbell Christensen | Allison Gaines | Lori Lamothe | Tima Loku | Kim McKinney | Baye Amina | Tom Fenske | Johannes Mudi | Kasun Ranasinghe | Just a Slytherin hissing | Dr. Fatima Imam | Ntathu Allen | Somsubhra Banerjee | Veronica Georgieva | Life is Amazing with Books and Writers | Dandy Lioness 🌻 | Mindsmatter | Michael Ranjitsingh | Anjali Samaraweera | Krupesh Raikar | Rusty Alderson | Dr. Preeti Singh | Punch Drunk Cola | Melissa Speed | Ntathu Allen | Denise G | Carolyn Hastings | Tej | Vijini Mallawaarachchi | Amy Marley | Jac Gautreau | Erivaldo Ricardo | Roz Warren | Melissa Bee | Pretheesh Presannan | Daniel A. Teo | Anuradha Wickramarachchi | Niru | Priyanka Mane | Em Hoccane | Synthia S. | Alexandra Forsyth | R. Rangan PhD | Jacobo the First | Connie Song | Fathiyah Zb | Not quite Steve Fisher | Amna Asif | Aimée Gramblin | A Fresh Pot of Coffee | Rebecca Stevens A. | Imad | James G Brennan | Mary Keating | Jay Avery | h.a wadi | Pablo Pereyra | Isaac | jenine bsharah baines | Rochelle Silva | Jade-Ceres Violet D. Munoz | Ruchi Thalwal | Clare Almand | Dana Sanford | Naomi Leilani Acosta | Dr. Jackie Greenwood | Fathiyah Zb |

Ps, if any of these links are outdated, please leave a note to let me know!