Ric Chollar

Connection. Compassion. Liberation. Retired social worker & campus LGBTQ Resources director. Aspiring to be the change.. peace... love that I (we) seek.

[Rudy @theneonrequiem]

I love married gay men in monogamous relationships.

I love gay dads raising kids.

I love gay men in happy/healthy open relationships.

I love single gay men who responsibly engage in casual sex.

I love gay men who are celibate or largely disinterested in sex.

I love gay men.

[chart data @chartdata]

Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" has entered the top 10 on US iTunes following Alysa Liu's Olympic Gold Medal win.

[Saturday Night Live @nbcsnl]

mom has something she needs to get off her chest

[The Shallow State @OurShallowState]

Yesterday's Saturday Night Live was really good. THIS skit was hilarious - I recommend everyone watch it.

[Bedroom Fitness @BedroomFitnes]

99% of people don't know these 6 moves heal your spine naturally

[Brian Allen @allenanalysis]

Remember when Google dropped this Black History Month commercial in 2020?

That’s what honoring Black history looks like, telling the truth loudly, not sanitizing it when it makes people uncomfortable.

Happy Black History Month.

[JB 🐻✨🍉 @JBfromDC89]

please let this exact scene be playing out in real life

[Yashar Ali 🐘 @yashar]

💔💔

[h @VILL4NEVE]

nobody will ever be this funny again

[Jose Antonio Vargas @joseiswriting]

All I hear are my Black (mostly women) friends screaming:

"WE TRIED TO TELL Y’ALL!!!"

And they did. And they still do. And here we are. ⤵️

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

In Minneapolis and many other communities across the country, we're seeing people come together to peacefully protest and support their neighbors. If you're looking to get involved, here are some ways to help: https://t.co/I2Md26PycU

[Buddha Beings @BuddhaBeings]

Mara - The Last Obstacle at the Threshold of Enlightenment ☸️

In Buddhism, Mara is not merely a demon in a story. He is the force of distraction, fear, desire, and doubt - the embodiment of everything that pulls the Mind away from freedom. Mara appears wherever awakening is near.

On the night Siddhartha Gautama sat beneath the Bodhi Tree, resolved not to rise until Truth was known, Mara came. First with armies of fear, then with temptation and pleasure, and finally with doubt: "Who are You to awaken? What right do You have?"

Siddhartha did not fight Mara. He did not argue. He touched the Earth. With calm presence, He bore witness to His own sincerity - and Mara vanished.

This moment teaches us something deep. Mara's power exists only where the Mind is shaken. When greed, fear, or self-doubt arise, Mara is present. When the Mind is steady, clear, and compassionate, Mara has nowhere to stand.

Throughout Buddhism, Mara represents the inner forces that keep us bound - restlessness, craving, pride, despair. He is not an enemy to destroy, but a teacher revealing where we still cling. Each time we meet Mara with awareness instead of reaction, we step closer to awakening ourselves. 🙏

#Buddhism #Buddha #Buddhist #MindfulLiving #Mindfulness #Mindful #scriptures #Peace #Meditation #Meditate #Dhyana #Dharma #DharmaTalk #Relaxation #SpiritualJourney #SPIRITUAL #spiritualawakening #compassion #Metta #Kindness #Wisdom #Enlightenment #Friday

[Buddha Beings @BuddhaBeings]

One Breath, Four Doors of Mindfulness ☸️

In the Kimila Sutta, from Samyutta Nikaya scripture of The Pali Canon, Shakyamuni Buddha is asked about mindfulness of breathing. Venerable Kimila can’t answer - silent even when questioned three times - so Venerable Ananda invites The Buddha to explain for everyone's benefit.

And The Buddha gives something wonderfully practical as below:

- Mindfulness (Sati) begins by knowing the breath - long as long, short as short - then training with it more deeply.

- The Buddha teaches the 16 aspects of breath meditation, arranged like four gentle "sets" that open into the four foundations of mindfulness: (1) Body, (2) Feelings, (3) Mind, and (4) Phenomena.

The heart of the Sutta is this: the breath isn't just a calming tool. It's a pathway that gathers the whole Mind.

As attention steadies, we naturally let go of covetousness and displeasure - the inner tug-of-war that keeps us restless.

The breath is like a single lamp, and as we hold it steadily, it lights up four rooms of our life - our Body, our Feelings, our Mind, and the Patterns behind them. One quiet practice… and the whole house becomes clear. 🙏

#Buddhism #Buddha #Buddhist #LetGo #LettingGo #PaliCanon #Zen #BuddhaWisdom #compassion #Metta #Kindness #KindnessMatters #MindfulLiving #MindfulMovement #Mindfulness #Mindful #MindfulMoments #meditation #Meditate #MeditationMatters #Dharma #DharmaTalk #bookstoread #SpiritualJourney #spiritualawakening #spirituality #Wednesday

[Jon Favreau @jonfavs]

This is an extraordinary interview that I truly wish every American would watch. It really broke me.
https://t.co/a6FPuP9QGJ

[Stephanie "LB" 🟧 @LincolnsBible]

posted on substack by a person named Teri Leigh

I’m writing this from Minnesota.

These are just a few things that may not be making the national or international news.

a beloved local donut shop Glam Doll Donuts across the street from where Alex Pretti died turned into a warming house and medic center for protestors building and maintaining the memorial site.

a 70yo independent bookstore owner DreamHaven Books down the street expressed his pain on camera, walked through a tear gas cloud, and his website crashed less than 24 hours later from too much business and donations.

the day after tear gas bombs destroyed a N-Mpls neighborhood sending a 6mo old baby to the hospital, at daybreak, a small church community cleaned up the mess of pepper balls, tear gas containers and trash so the neighbors didn’t have to wake up to the memories.

a local independent journalist Mercado Media pounding the streets everyday reporting things from the ground had a testicle removed and showed up two days later to walk with 75,000+ community members to walk the streets in -20 degree weather.

a local sex-positive adult-store The Smitten Kitten has completely transformed into a donation and distribution center.

a local pizza place Wrecktangle Pizza raised over $83K in less than a few days to support families that are sheltering in place.

tow-truck companies are donating their services to clean up the accidents and abandoned vehicles left by ICE and the city is waiving impound fees.

local multi-faith spiritual leaders are spearheading sit-ins at corporate headquarters such as Target and USBank to have deeper conversations with CEOs and boards of directors about community relief.

social workers are taking in children who came home from school with both their parents “disappeared.”

animal shelters and pet-fostering agencies are rescuing pets left alone for days or weeks after their humans were detained.

every restaurant, church, karate dojo, dance studio, school, barber shop, and other small business has created their own underground grassroots supportive network to protect their neighbors, get people to and from work, and raise funds to pay everyday bills.

women who are moms and work full-time jobs are donning reflective vests in shifts to stand watch at bus stops, city parks, and grocery store parking lots ini sub-zero temps to bear witness before going home to tuck their babies in at night.

the MN National Guard offered donuts, coffee, and hot cocoa to peaceful protesters the day after Alex Pretti died, reminding community that we are all in this together and they are here to keep the peace.

These are just a few examples. Stories like this are happening in the hundreds here, every single day!

Community is EVERYTHING!

This Substack community and the MN-Strong resistance has saved my mental health these last weeks.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for giving a shit.

I love you.

[Bedroom Fitness @BedroomFitnes]

Total Core Burn- Lower, Upper, Full Abs & Obliques

[Fitness Dad @FitnessDadx]

No Gym Abs Workout You Can Do at Home

[Schmidt Ocean @SchmidtOcean]

ROV pilots filmed this giant phantom jelly, or Stygiomedusa gigantea, at 253 meters during an ROV descent to explore the Colorado-Rawson submarine canyon wall. #ArgentinianDeepSeeps

[FITNESS WORLD💪✌ @tips700]

FULL BODY WORKOUT ..💪

[Buddha Beings @BuddhaBeings]

Samatha and Vipassana - The Calm That Allows Seeing ☸️

In The Buddha’s path, Samatha and Vipassana are trusted companions. Samatha means tranquility - the settling of the Mind, like a lake becoming still after wind has passed.

Through gentle attention to the breath or another object, the Mind gathers, softens, and rests. In this calm, agitation fades and the heart tastes peace.

But tranquility is not the final goal. When the water is still, it becomes clear. This clarity is Vipassana - Insight. With a calm Mind, we begin to see things as they truly are: sensations arising and passing, thoughts appearing and dissolving, no solid self to be found. Samatha steadies the lamp; Vipassana reveals what the light falls upon.

The Buddha taught that these two support each other. Without Calm, Insight becomes restless and shallow. Without Insight, Calm can become a pleasant hiding place. Together, they mature Wisdom and Compassion side by side.

In simple terms: Samatha gives us a peaceful place to stand; Vipassana shows us The Truth from that place. When Tranquility and Insight walk together, the Path becomes gentle, clear, and liberating. 🙏

#Buddhism #Buddha #Buddhist #LetGo #Samatha #Calm #Vipassana #Zen #ZenBuddhism #Insight #BuddhaWisdom #compassion #Kindness #KindnessMatters #MindfulLiving #MindfulMovement #Mindfulness #Mindful #MindfulMoments #meditation #Meditate #MeditationMatters #Dharma #DharmaTalk #SpiritualJourney #spiritualawakening #spirituality