Sunday Edition | June 29, 2025

Because life is more than politics — and kindness still matters.

This Week: Peace

Hi everyone,

This week, let’s talk about something I think we all crave—peace.

Not the kind of peace that comes from pretending everything is fine, or avoiding the hard parts of life. But the kind that lets us face them without losing ourselves.

True peace is about building habits, boundaries, and self-knowledge that steady us even when life is stormy.

Think of it as a superhero toolkit you carry with you: calm, clarity, resilience.

This week’s newsletter keeps it simple and straightforward—no endless chatter, just real, usable ways to fill your peace toolkit.

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But first, as we always do, let’s take a look at what happened in culture this week.

🎭 CULTURE SNAPSHOT

Television

• FX’s The Bear is back with Season 4, earning raves for its relentless kitchen drama and emotional performances. If you’re catching up, find recaps here.

  
  

FX’s The Bear, only on Hulu

• Squid Game returns, likely for its final round—still as cutthroat and unsettling as ever.

• Stand-up comic Shane Gillis, who once faced cancellation, is making a mainstream leap with his new Netflix sitcom Tires.

Film

• M3GAN 2.0 (the killer-doll sequel) leans even more into camp, while slyly satirizing A.I. fears.

• Director Denis Villeneuve (Dune) was just confirmed to direct the next James Bond film, sending franchise fans into speculation overdrive.

• A new documentary follows Mariska Hargitay as she explores the life of her mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, through intimate family interviews.

  
  

Music

• Lorde released her new album Virgin, her first in four years. It’s raw, sharp, and a bit angrier, reflecting on leaving “good girl” expectations behind. Lead single: What Was That?

  
  

  

  Lorde appears in this image for her new album, "Virgin"; Thistle Brown

• British indie band Wet Leg continue their rocket ride toward stardom, with witty, biting lyrics and sold-out shows.

• Dr. Demento, the cult radio DJ who championed novelty songs and launched “Weird Al” Yankovic, announced his retirement after 50+ years.

• Mick Ralphs, guitarist and songwriter of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, has died at 81—a farewell to a 1970s rock legend.

Art & Design

• The Frick Collection in NYC reopened in its expanded form—one of this year’s big cultural moments.

• The Met’s Rockefeller Wing also reopened, showcasing newly reinstalled art from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.

• LA’s Getty Villa reopened after surviving recent wildfires. Strikingly, the museum kept the blackened tree stumps on the grounds as a living memorial to what nearly happened.

  
  

Getty Villa

• “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” is among the year’s most talked-about solo shows—Sherald’s portraits center Black life in her signature, striking style.

🧠 HEALTH & LONGEVITY

What Is Peace?

Peace isn’t just silence or rest.

It’s being able to sit with yourself without fear. It’s having compassion for your mess. It’s accepting what you can’t control—and acting on what you can. It’s knowing yourself well enough to know what soothes you.

Reflection question:

When did you last feel truly at peace? What did it feel like in your body?

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A Meal to Make at Peace: Lemon-Herb Risotto

Cooking can be meditation in motion. Risotto is perfect for this because it asks you to slow down, pay attention, and stir gently.

Here’s an exact recipe you can try:

Ingredients:

✅ 1 cup Arborio rice

✅ 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (keep warm)

✅ 2 tbsp olive oil or butter

✅ 1 small onion, finely diced

✅ 2 cloves garlic, minced

✅ Zest of 1 lemon

✅ Juice of half a lemon

✅ 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (optional)

✅ Fresh herbs: parsley, basil, or thyme (chopped)

✅ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1️⃣ Warm the broth in a saucepan over low heat.

2️⃣ In a large pan, heat olive oil or butter over medium heat.

3️⃣ Add onion and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).

4️⃣ Add garlic, stir for 30 seconds.

5️⃣ Add rice, stirring to coat with oil/butter. Toast for 1–2 minutes.

6️⃣ Add a ladle of warm broth. Stir slowly until absorbed.

7️⃣ Repeat, adding broth a ladle at a time, stirring gently until each addition is absorbed.

8️⃣ After 18–20 minutes, rice should be creamy but with a slight bite.

9️⃣ Add lemon zest, juice, Parmesan, and herbs. Stir to combine.

🔟 Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm. Eat slowly. Let it nourish you.

🎨 HOBBIES

A Hobby to Feel Peaceful: Watercolor Painting

Watercolor is about letting go. You can’t fully control how the color spreads—and that’s the lesson.

How to Start (Beginner-Friendly):

• Get a small watercolor set (even a children’s kit works)

• Use thick paper or a sketchbook

• Lightly sketch a shape (leaf, flower, wave) in pencil

• Add water to your brush first, then color

• Let colors blend naturally—watch them flow

No rules. No mistakes. Just watch what happens.

Other ideas for peaceful hobbies:

🌱 Gardening (even one potted herb)

🧶 Knitting or crochet (slow, rhythmic)

🖋️ Journaling (pour your thoughts out)

📷 Slow photography (walk and look for beauty)

🫶 TAKE CARE OF YOU

Sleep is an essential part of our well-being. Here, we’ll explore how to prepare for bed, sleep peacefully, and wake up with calm.

What to Add to Your Bath (DIY Lavender Soak)

A bath can be your sanctuary. This homemade soak is easy and calming.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Epsom salts (relax muscles)

• 1/2 cup baking soda (softens skin)

• 0–15 drops lavender essential oil (calms mind)

• Optional: 2 tbsp dried lavender buds

Instructions:

1️⃣ Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

2️⃣ Store in a jar with a lid.

3️⃣ When ready to use, add 1/2–1 cup to warm bath water.

4️⃣ Swirl to dissolve.

Soak for 20 minutes. Breathe deeply. Feel the tension leave your body.

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How to Sleep at Peace

Sleep is when you repair—so make it sacred.

Evening Ritual Ideas:

🌙 Dim lights 30–60 minutes before bed

🕯️ Light a candle (blow it out before sleep)

📵 Put phone on airplane mode or in another room

🧘‍♀️ 4–7–8 breathing: inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8

📝 Gratitude list: 3 things you’re thankful for today

📖 Read 5–10 pages of a calming book

Tell your mind: it’s safe to rest.

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How to Wake Up at Peace

How you start the day shapes its tone.

Here are some ideas to explore for a calm morning:

• Don’t grab your phone right away

• Lie in bed for 2–3 minutes, take 5 deep breaths

• Gently stretch arms, legs, neck

• Drink a full glass of water

• Set an intention: “Today, I choose calm.”

• Listen to peaceful music or affirmations

Let your mind arrive slowly.

DID YOU KNOW?

Know Your Inner Clock to Find Your Best Morning Schedule

We all have an inner clock (circadian rhythm) that affects energy, focus, and mood.

Let's explore some suggestions on how to find your best morning routine. Here is what I found:

• For a week, note when you feel sleepy / alert

• Track natural wake-up times without an alarm on weekends

• Notice what disrupts your sleep (screens? late meals? stress?)

• Try small shifts: 15 min earlier/later bedtime

• Get morning sunlight exposure for 10–15 minutes daily (resets clock)

Your “best” schedule is unique. Don’t copy someone else’s miracle morning—design your own.

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How to Socialize While Keeping Your Peace

Boundaries are the shield that protects your inner calm.

I’m an extroverted introvert, so socializing can either make or break my day. If that feels familiar to you, here are some strategies for socializing while prioritizing your peace.

• Give yourself freedom to decide when to leave without setting any strict expectations

• Communicate honestly: “I need to leave by 9.”

• Surround yourself with people who respect you

• If conversation turns toxic, excuse yourself politely

• Don’t overshare if it feels unsafe

• Remember: It’s okay to say no, even to people you love

Connection should enrich you, not drain you.

😀 HAPPY MOMENTS

Videos guaranteed to make you smile.

🎶 MOMENT OF ZEN

Something to Listen To: Ambient Peaceful Piano

A beautiful, gentle soundtrack for cooking, reading, or winding down:

Let the notes be a reminder to breathe.

Something to Read

📖 “The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down” by Haemin Sunim

A Korean Buddhist teacher’s reflections on mindfulness, compassion, and accepting life’s pace.

Each short chapter is a meditation.

Favorite line:

“When you let go of your need to control everything, you begin to feel at peace.”

📺 WHAT'S STREAMING IN JULY

I know—I can hardly believe it’s already (almost) July. Maybe this month’s streaming menu will help us slow down or pick up the pace—it’s your choice.

Below, find a straightforward roundup of new titles landing on Netflix this month. Mark your calendar, make your popcorn, and pick what suits your mood:

July 1

• Attack on London: Hunting The 7/7 Bombers

• Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel

• 17 Again

• Annie (1982)

• Blow

• Born on the Fourth of July

• Captain Phillips

• The Deer Hunter

• Friday Night Lights

• Here Comes the Boom

• The Hitman’s Bodyguard / The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

• Horrible Bosses

• The Karate Kid (I, II, III)

• Mission: Impossible (I–Rogue Nation)

• Mom: Seasons 1–8

• The Notebook

• Pacific Rim

• PAW Patrol: Seasons 2–3

• Portlandia: Seasons 1–8

• The Sweetest Thing

• Tangerine

• V for Vendetta

• White Chicks

• Yellowjackets: Season 2

• Zathura: A Space Adventure

July 2

• The Old Guard 2

• Tour de France: Unchained: Season 3

July 3

• Countdown: Taylor vs. Serrano

• Mr. Robot: Seasons 1–4

• The Sandman: Season 2, Volume 1

July 4

• All the Sharks

July 5

• The Summer Hikaru Died

July 8

• A Star Is Born (2018)

• Better Late Than Single

• Nate Jackson: Super Funny

• Quarterback: Season 2

• Sullivan’s Crossing: Seasons 1–2

• Trainwreck: The Real Project X

July 9

• Building The Band

• The Gringo Hunters

• Mad Max: Fury Road

• Under a Dark Sun

• Ziam

July 10

• 7 Bears

• Brick

• Leviathan

• Off Road

• Sneaky Pete: Seasons 1–3

• Too Much (Lena Dunham & Luis Felber’s new series)

July 11

• Aap Jaisa Koi

• Almost Cops

• Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3

• Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Destination Wedding

July 14

• Apocalypse in the Tropics

• SAKAMOTO DAYS: Season 1, Part 2

July 15

• Entitled: Season 1

• Jaws (all four films!)

• Trainwreck: Balloon Boy

July 16

• Amy Bradley Is Missing

• Mamma Mia!

• Wanted

July 17

• Catalog

• Community Squad: Season 2

• UNTAMED

July 18

• Almost Family

• Delirium

• I’m Still a Superstar

• Superstar

• Vir Das: Fool Volume

• Wall to Wall

July 19

• Eight for Silver

July 21

• The Hunting Wives: Season 1

• The Steve Harvey Show: Seasons 1–6

July 22

• Trainwreck: P.I. Moms

July 23

• Critical: Between Life and Death

• Hightown: Seasons 1–3

• House of Lies: Seasons 1–5

• Letters From The Past (TR)

July 24

• A Normal Woman

• Hitmakers

• My Melody & Kuromi

• The Sandman: Season 2, Volume 2

July 25

• Happy Gilmore 2 (Yes, really!)

• Trigger

• The Winning Try (KR)

July 28

• The Lazarus Project: Seasons 1–2

July 29

• Dusty Slay: Wet Heat

• Trainwreck: Storm Area 51

• WWE: Unreal

July 30

• Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes

• Unspeakable Sins

July 31

• An Honest Life

• Glass Heart

• Leanne

• Marked

• The Sandman: Season 2 Special Episode

🎥 What to Watch For

Too Much – Lena Dunham & Luis Felber’s new relationship series. Happy Gilmore 2 – A sequel decades in the making. The Sandman: Season 2 – Split into multiple volumes this month. Jaws marathon – All four shark-filled classics. The Old Guard 2 – Charlize Theron returns.

Whether you’re slowing down with comfort favorites or chasing thrills, there’s something for every mood this July.

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🕊️ CLOSING WORDS

Peace is not the absence of conflict.

It is the existence of a superhero toolkit: a steady schedule, respecting boundaries, knowing yourself and what brings you calm.

These are the tools that help you navigate the waters, no matter how stormy they get.

“Nothing can sink a boat unless it has a hole.”

Make yourself WHOLE, ready to face what comes.

Signing off in peace,

O.N.

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Happy Sunday —And remember, life is more than politics.

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