We all need nourishment of one sort or another to thrive. With that in mind, check out this month’s recommended ways to feed the mind, body, and soul.
If you have a recommendation you think we should check out, send it our way – we’re always looking for new and interesting recommendations to share with our community.
This recipe for Mango Salsa from Lena Abraham on Delish is a delightful addition to your summer table. It packs a big flavour punch using some of the freshest summertime ingredients – mango, lime, cilantro, jalapeño, onion, and grape tomatoes. It’s simultaneously sweet, salty, and spicy, and a delicious accompaniment at a summer potluck, as an appetizer, or as a topper for tacos, fajitas, burgers or nearly any summer dish. It’s also a breeze to prepare, and takes only minutes to assemble.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a must-read. A mix of science and indigenous wisdom, it’s a beautiful book poetically rendered. Kimmerer – a botanist by training and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation – looks at plants and animals as our oldest teachers. She writes about how understanding the abundance and generosity inherent in the natural world can teach us much about ecological stewardship, reciprocity, connection, and community.
In 2021, the New York Times published “Whale Eyes,” an Opinion video from Maine filmmaker James Robinson about what it’s like to live with disabling eye conditions that subjects him to the discomfort of others who don’t know how to look at his misaligned eyes. As Robinson says, “I don’t have a problem with the way that I see,” he says. “My only problem is with the way that I’m seen.” Following on the reception of “Whale Eyes,” the NYTimes then last year published a fascinating Opinion video series by Robinson called “Adapt-Ability” which spotlights 3 other stories of people living with disabilities with the goal of teaching us all how to we can adapt to better connect with and support those with disabilities.
Hidden Brain is a podcast series hosted by Shankar Vedantam. According to Vedantam, “every episode of Hidden Brain aims to help people get to know themselves a little better, to think of their inner worlds with less judgment and more curiosity.” Episodes include conversations about what drives human behaviour, how the brain works, how to find happiness and purpose in life, and what we can understand about human relationships and connection. Hidden Brain also runs an annual series called You 2.0, which seeks to find wisdom in the chaos of everyday life.
