Hey, hey, hey! It’s Father’s Day! Sending happy Father’s Day wishes to all the fathers out there, and especially those longing to be fathers, those who’ve lost their fathers, those who are dog fathers and anyone else who want’s father’s day wishes! Like mother’s day, I think those other than current father’s can be forgotten and maybe even more so for this men’s holiday. You know, because men aren’t supposed to have feelings and care about a little holiday, right? Wrong! It can be a tough day for many people, a reminder of what they don’t have or what they’ve lost. So send some love to anyone you can think of that could use it today and enjoy the day yourself. If you’re weather is like it is here in Chicago today it’s basically summer now, it’s HOT, it’s humid and is the perfect day for a popsicle and I’m loving it.  I hope you can at least get out and get some of that sun and relax a bit. And while you’re kicking your feet up you might as well peruse these reads I’ve collected from this week. I’ve got some father’s day reads, some health reads and some news about Beyonce – all good stuff!

First Things First

• I’ve still been thinking about the death of Anthony Bourdain this week and have been enjoying reading the articles about him and his life. This was an essay he wrote for Bon Appetit magazine on his father and how he influenced his life. A beautiful and eloquent excerpt: “He taught me early that the value of a dish is the pleasure it brings you; where you are sitting when you eat it—and who you are eating it with—are what really matter. To experience joy, my father taught me, one has to leave oneself open to it.”
• Another one on Anthony Bourdain about how travel brings both privilege and pain. And another eloquent excerpt whose sentiment can be applied to many different journeys of life too: “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
• And because I’m still thinking about Kate Spade as well, this short essay looks at what we beauty can learn from her life. An excerpt: “May Kate’s lasting legacy be so much more than her handbags. May it be a reminder to each of us not just to live colorfully, but to live, and thrive, take care of and lean on one another. May her memory be a blessing.”

Life Things

• I found this article on time passing very intriguing. It looks at how differently & more creatively time passes when you are improvising your time rather than strictly scheduling and discussing the actual passing of time. 
• An interesting look at how gossiping might actually be good for you?

Green Things & Health 

• A recent study found that higher vitamin D levels may be linked to lowering colorectal cancer risk.
• Research has found that taking probiotics may help lower depression and reduce stress as more and more information points to the link between gut health and brain inflammation.

On Infertility & Motherhood & Being a Woman

• This might be an infertility angle you’ve never given much thought too: many cancer patients are at risk of losing their fertility due to the treatments they endure and end up paying thousands in the process.  A new law is aiming to change that and help those enduring the disease to have a chance at preserving their fertility. 
• You may know that at least 50% of infertility causes can be attributed to men, the thing is men’s conditions are often less studied and understood than women’s conditions. A new study has found intriguing information about sperm that may help solve some of the infertility mystery for those affected by male factor infertility.
• This is an older article but since it’s father’s day I think it’s important to have a re-look at what infertility is like from a man’s point of view.
• And here’s a look specifically at what Father’s Day can be like when you’re struggling with infertility.
• Three ways to help those longing to be fathers through Father’s Day.

Pure Fun & Inspiration

• If you haven’t heard, my girl Beyonce just released an album with Jay-Z on his Tidal streaming service. From the snippet in this article, it’s beyond good. And they filmed the first music video in the Louvre?? They are unreal, in the best way possible.
• Oh my god, I am totally buggin’! The cult classic 90’s movie Clueless is being made into a musical. Hopefully it comes to a wider audience beyond NYC!
• Ryan Reynolds is a twitter gem – here are his best tweets of fatherly “advice”.

Have a lovely afternoon and a great start to your week! Ciao for now!