When stuff doesn’t make sense
Sometimes, what I expect to make sense doesn’t. And what feels a little crazy might make most sense of all. As a meaning-seeker and story-creator, I search for narratives that give meaning and hope to what I see happening. But the world doesn’t always cooperate, and the senseless suffering bewilders me. What doesn’t make sense […]
What to say (or not say) to a friend who is dying
Thanks for reading—it’s not easy to think about losing a friend, let alone what to say. I’m not thinking today about the pretty picture of sharing precious moments at the bedside of someone who is resting peacefully, knowing she is about to leave as her family waits with her, holding her hand. In this loving scenario, […]
Small Acts Can Light the World
All around us tiny acts of kindness are happening daily. You have done some of them. Big or small, they bring light to the world. Sometimes, they change lives. Despite the occasional thanks we receive, often we don’t know the long-term results of our actions. Occasionally, when we’re lucky, someone will tell us about a […]
All You Need is Love (but skip the roses)
I’m writing this on the National Day of Loving, aka Show-People-You-Love-Them-By-Spending-Money-on-Them Day, aka Valentine’s Day. How did we get started with this super-capitalist tradition? I assumed that there was a noble Saint Valentine, a high priest of love, tucked somewhere in history. The legends about this dude, however, are murky, and it appears there was […]
Eight Books Someone Should Write
The uber-creative illustrator and drawing coach, Wendy MacNaughton, issued a challenge this week to the folks following her on Substack: come up with imaginary book covers. Drawing is not my forte, but her assignment put my imagination into high gear. I’ve come up with eight titles, I think someone should write. The last, I would even commission. […]
Learning to see again
Even with the best of eyes, we often don’t see. I discovered this truth while cleaning my office—a historic event that was part of a cleaning blitzkrieg. Now that the pace of “have-to-dos” around my book has slowed, it was time to turn my eyes (with apologies) to the other aspects of life I’ve neglected. […]
Francesca Aniballi: Fairy tales aren’t just for kids
What if fairy tales could help us, as adults, to open our imaginations, re-enchant our worlds, and support our personal transformation. In the hands of Francesca Aniballi, they can. Francesca Aniballi, PhD, uses fairy tales as a transformative tool for adults. She combines her knowledge of expressive arts, literature, myth, and Celtic culture, to offer […]
And now, a brief view from the land of the ordinary
The world’s been a bit gloomy, so I thought we needed a change. A little visit to main street, real life, the ordinary. Because contrary to what we sometimes hear, good people are doing lots of good-hearted, regular things every day. I thought it was time to sample a few of them. Genevieve T. in Brooklyn celebrated […]
Changing at the Speed of Slow
Question to a rancher: What’s the fastest way to move cattle? Rancher: Slowly On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, I thought about a lesson I learned from my friend John when he toured my garden. “You white people think change has to happen fast.” (He was being nice about it.) “But that’s a sign of […]
Set Up Your Day With Morning Rituals and Routines
In these tumultuous times, as I wrote about last week, morning rituals and routines set the direction for our days. They offer a base of calm stability from which to travel into our work and to-dos. Plus, they’re fun to design. For years, I’ve been interested in the rituals and routines that famous artists and writers have […]
