Waylon & Elephant Journal

As an editor, I will never, ever find a better barometer for "good" writing than crying while I'm reading and editing a submission. Tears are true human connection. If the words touch me in such a profound, personal way...I can only hope they will touch our Readers, too. ~ Molly, ed.

When life is hard, we tend to resist, to fight, to react with fear or frustration. But if we can learn to ride the waves, and find our own path over them, then stress subsides—and in its place, both joy and success may flow. ~ Waylon Lewis

“Everybody needs beauty…places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.” ~ John Muir

Donald Trump's FEMA has a message to Americans during hurricane season and ahead of a historic El Niño: DROP DEAD.

BREAKING: Trump's head of FEMA just told states to prepare to handle disasters on their own. The Trump admin's disaster chief told state officials they must increase their financial reserves and emergency capabilities to handle most disasters on their own — without federal help.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” ~ John Milton, Paradise Lost

“The days are getting shorter & colder, but I ask you to remember: even as the winter comes in, there is hope and there is light." ~ Seamus Heaney Hope ain't passive. Vote. It’s not enough to post pretty photos on Instagram right now. It’s not enough to say “I don’t get into politics."

“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

So many in the spiritual and yoga and eco and farming communities are using AI for their events and posters. Please don't. We can't be against data centers and using AI. They're two wings of the same foul bird.

Ossoff: "What worries me right now is complacency about this race in Georgia, overconfidence about this race in Georgia. There's no such thing as a landslide victory in the state of Georgia. This remains the crucial battleground state."

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who's spent $100M+ against California's Prop 40, spent the weekend dining with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. These billionaires keep accidentally proving why we need a billionaire wealth tax.

Texas Republican voter on data centers: Trump doesn't care about us. I'm angry. Like, I voted for you and you don't care about me?

Talarico: "We just found out that [Elon Musk] is almost single-handedly bankrolling this effort to install Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate and defeat this movement...Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas."

I’d be honored if you read my latest article in @elephantjournal.com. It’s filled with realism, personal struggles, the healing tools I use, and how to maintain hope. www.elephantjournal.com/2026/10/the-...

If we love dogs and cats but eat other animals, we have to realize that our love for dogs and cats is about us, not them. And that's not love. www.facebook.com/reel/1016137...

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We can live a flourishing life on a joyful planet, but only if we acknowledge our problems and heal from the roots, up.

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Navigating Life with AuDHD: Finding Balance Amidst the Waves. New published article on @elephantjournal.com elejrnl.com?p=4239570 #elephantjournal #audhd #adhd #findingbalance #wellness #mentalhealth #blogger #writer #embracetheunseen

"There's more beauty in the truth even if it is a dreadful beauty. The storytellers at the city gate twist life so that it looks sweet to the lazy & the stupid & the weak, & this only strengthens their infirmities & teaches nothing, cures nothing, nor does it let the heart soar." ~ John Stein

The Amazon I love is the forests, creating air for all of us to breathe, not Bezos’ automatized click-happy greed. Give me treehouses and books and wingbacked armchairs and Stickley and slippers and Persian rugs made of wool and natural dyes the old-way. Give me...

102..! Rest in Peace, Eva Marie Saint. "'North by Northwest’ Star and Oscar Winner for 'On the Waterfront', Dies at 102."

“In the entire New Testament, there are just under 1,000 mentions of Jesus. In the first half of the Epstein files, there are 38,000 mentions of Trump, his family, and private club. 38,000. What is he hiding?” ~ Robert De Niro

“Don’t walk in front of me…I may not follow Don’t walk behind me…I may not lead Walk beside me…just be my friend.” ~ Albert Camus

"When we're stressed, it's good to remember to connect with that which you love. Start by touching your own heart. Extend that soft warmth out—to a hot coffee, to a tree, to a dog, to your children or friends. Your love is the helpful path forward." ~ Waylon Lewis

@elephantjournal.com

I’m a man and here’s how I feel about the Cornell 7 case: www.elephantjournal.com/2026/09/im-a...

"The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it." ~ Barry Commoner

"Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect [us]." ~ Stewart Udall

porta potties are so woke

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Buddhist rule re: Worrying. www.elephantjournal.com/2009/08/budd...

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." - Oscar Wilde

"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ~ Lao Tzu

"pretending he's not into politics is a lie given his support for Trump from 2016 - to earlier this year. {He} doesn't get credit for {} struggles when supporting a rapist. Shame on him, & shame on the interviewer for letting him pretend to be above politics."

A Grounding Prayer for the Autumn Equinox: www.elephantjournal.com/2015/09/a-gr...

Inspired to subscribe to Elephant & read unlimited? elephantjournal.com/subscribe If you’re not quite inspired or able to pay, we offer 95% of our reads free, 2/week to every reader—& your reading & sharing is a huge help.

"We gotta leave it all on the field. Now is not the moment for cynicism. We do not give up. Cynicism is not just unproductive...it's actively harmful." ~ AOC

​"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald.

wholesome

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." ~ Rabindranath Tagore

#ikigai #rightlivelihood

Life in an American city, even a city like Boulder that claims to be green, is a constant symphony of roaring trucks, scooters, idling autos, leaf blowers, and weed whackers.