Hey Lunch Club,

Hope you’re having a great Thursday. I am on the road today catching a few of the last leaves changing color in New England. I hope you enjoy the selection of stories today; I know I did!

Happy reading,
Brett

I Went on a ‘Dark Retreat’ and Spent Three Days in Total Darkness

Chris Colin’s journey from everyday overstimulation to the radical stillness of darkness reveals how deeply unfamiliar solitude can be, and how much of the mind remains uncharted. For anyone interested in consciousness, spiritual practice, or the limits of perception, this piece is an extraordinary invitation to sit in the dark and see what remains.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/magazine/dark-retreat-meditation-sensory-deprivation-spirituality.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU8.NAgw.FjbiXQXbsMM4&smid=url-share

A Recipe Engraved on a Gravestone Helps to Remember the Dearly Departed and Keep Part of Them Alive

This is a thoughtful look at culinary epitaphs and how they offer connection between us and our deceased loved ones. I really loved reading this, and I hope you find it as touching.

www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/recipe-engraved-on-a-gravestone-helps-to-remember-the-dearly-departed-and-keep-part-of-them-alive-180987488

My first months in cyberspace

I found this one from our friends at LongReads.com (check them out!) and knew it would be a great story from the jump. Phil Gyford captures the nostalgia of coming online for the first time in the mid-90s.

www.gyford.com/phil/writing/2025/10/15/1995-internet

‘I knew in my head we were dying’: the last voyage of the Scandies Rose

When a fishing boat left port in Alaska in December 2019 with an experienced crew, an icy storm was brewing. What happened to them shows why deep sea fishing is one of the most dangerous professions in the world.

www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oct/21/i-knew-in-my-head-we-were-dying-the-last-voyage-of-the-scandies-rose

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