Last summer at Twin Cities Pride, my wife and I handed out glitter blessings at a UU booth. I went in treating it like a tech-conference table, trying to say each one right. Then people started to cry. Yoga rests on three supports: practice, community, and service. The last one is the easiest to skip.

https://matthewtift.com/blog/glitter-blessings-practicing-seva-pride

#LGBTQRights #Generosity #KripaluYoga #UnitarianUniversalism

A Drupal project migration from Lando to DDEV replaced complex shell scripts with Drainpipe tasks, creating a more standardized, documented, and maintainable developer workflow.

https://matthewtift.com/blog/lando-ddev-replacing-custom-shell-scripts-drainpipe

#Drupal #DrupalDevelopment

Stuck waiting for the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge to rise, my first thought was "Dang, now we have to wait." The man who pulled up beside me jumped out with his camera, thrilled. Same bridge, two different experiences. Seeing the pure joy on his face reminded me of beginner's mind, the trees I don't own, and the opinions I'd be better off setting down.

https://matthewtift.com/blog/wonderful-and-amazing-duluth-aerial-lift-bridge

#Buddhism #Mindfulness #Minnesota #LettingGo #Attention

Shunryu Suzuki: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."

After decades of professional experience building websites, I frequently think about this quote from Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. In tech, it’s so easy to let our accumulated knowledge become a fixed identity, clinging to specific tools, patterns, or "the right way" to build something. But the web changes, and so do the needs of the people using it.

Amazing!

https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/solar-overtakes-coal-in-us-electricity-for-the-first-month-on-record/

Douglas Adams (via @pluralistic) on tech (paraphrased):

1. Born with it? Normal.
2. Invented age 15-35? Exciting, a career!
3. Invented after 35? Against the natural order.

The mind loves to draw lines and call it "reality." Inside is normal and outside is a threat. In yoga and meditation circles, we’d say the tech isn't the problem, it’s the attachment.

Judson Brewer: "Think of awareness and kindness like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich — one provides the protein packed punch while the other sweetens every bite."

#Mindfulness #Alertness #Metta

Cleaning the basement, I found an old Boy Scout photo with a Wind Chill Thriller badge. It's a badge you get for camping in -50° wind chills, and I earned it three times. It got me thinking about how those brutal winter trips resemble monastic life: sangha, simplicity, and the only four things a monk needs.

https://matthewtift.com/blog/winter-camping-and-four-requisites

#Buddhism #SpiritualFriends #BoyScouts #Minnesota

Kakuzō Okakura: "One cannot listen to different pieces of music at the same time"

What a great reminder from The Book of Tea that attention is indivisible. Just as you can't truly hear two songs at once, you can't really settle into savāsana if your mind is replaying the morning meeting. A yoga class invites you to show up fully. Basically a tea ceremony with more sweating.

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/okakura-kakuzo/the-book-of-tea

#Attention