I can't speak for anyone else, but as someone who lives with chronic illness, here are the two biggest things I wish that people didn't say to me:

1 // "Have you tried...?"

Or any way of offering advice to someone who did not explicitly ask for it. Assume that the person you are talking to is the expert in their own care. Instead of offering advice, say nothing! Don't give people unsolicited advice, like, in any venue. If you really can't help it, ask, "Would you like some ideas?" and then respect the answer.

2 // "Feel better soon!" 

Or any other things that imply hope for a change. I will probably feel better soon, and then I will feel bad again soon after that. That's how chronic illness works. I truly appreciate the well wishes, but sometimes I feel like a disappointment in that I don't have some big hope for brighter days. It's hard enough trying to meet reality as it is. Instead, try something like, "Sending love!" or "Thinking of you!"

All of this stuff is super well-meaning, and I know that. But while the intention is good, the impact can be rough. Thanks for listening! 💓

Watch this octopus change color as it dreams. No seriously, watch it! 

It was a good week for inclusion for our non-binary and gender non-conforming friends (and all of us, really):

• Merriam Webster officially expanded the dictionary definition of "they" to include "used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary." (Merriam Webster blog)
• Richard Branson announced that Virgin corporate has added an official field to their email signatures for gender pronouns (Virgin blog) 
  
• Mattel introduced their first-ever gender neutral doll (it's super cute: Time Magazine)

Speaking of Merriam Webster, here are two social media accounts that are way better than you would expect them to be: 

The Merriam Webster Twitter account is super timely, cheeky, and a lot of fun. I am a bit of a pendant, and tend to get a little obsessed with the etymology of words–and those itches get scratched–but the people who run this account are snarky and dead-on with timing. They also post word trends (such as telling us that searches for the word "impeach" are up by 3600% this week.) A fun account to follow! 

The TSA Instagram account is a breakout hit. Yes, seriously–they have a million followers for a reason. It used to be run by a guy called Blogger Bob, and when he passed away, a team of punny people picked up the mantle. It's full of dad jokes, cute doggos, and a whole lot of pics of concealed weapons they find at checkpoints. They are really funny, humanize a group of people we love to hate, and as a bonus, are superfast to answer questions about what you can take on a plane. 👌🏽

Uh, yeah, I want to live in a Zen retirement community! Why aren't there more of these?!

LOL: The Greta Thurnberg helpline: help for adults who get irrationally angry at a child who is trying to save them.

The Perfect Divorce is a really beautiful photo essay of two humans who love each other deeply but just want different things in life–and then they act like it.