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 […]
Fasten your seat belt—it’s 2024!
“Live with skillful nonchalance and ceaseless concern.”~ Prajnaparamita Sutra ~ Fasten your seat belt, it’s 2024 and we’re in for a wild ride. And the best time to prepare is before the storm hits. I’m not the only one thinking we’re in for some turbulence. Just check with your favorite pundit, astrologer, social-political analyst, or geo-physicist. […]
Solstice edition: The Light that lives within
Excerpted from “The Light Within” 2023 SJF Last week, I wrote about the darkness and grief many of us felt for the world—pain compounded by personal losses. Then, miraculously, my darkness began to lift, due to no special wisdom on my part. Maybe the Light of the holidays entered the cracks in my heart. A […]
Coping with (collective) grief during the holidays
The holidays can be challenging when we’re feeling grief, especially after personal losses—even those from long ago. This year many of us are also feeling another shade of grief that can compound the personal. It’s grief for the state of the world. Recently, I googled “How to survive collective grief during the holidays” and a […]
Beauty and the Holidays
I caught up with the Angel of Beauty the other day as she stared into a storefront. “Beauty,” (as she let me call her), “what do you think of all this holiday decorating?” She sighed. “You know the word ‘decorate’ means to adorn, embellish and beautify. Its roots include honor and grace. I hope that’s what people feel when […]
The exquisitely beautiful and difficult
“To me, this is so much of life: holding the really beautiful things and the profoundly hard things in the same palm.” —Suleika Jaouad I just finished watching the new Netflix documentary, American Symphony, featuring two of my heroes, writer Suleika Jaoud and her musician husband, Jon Batiste. They exemplify living in the both/and of […]
The Gift of Ordinary Kindness
When readers tell me that they are enjoying my book, it makes my heart sing. If it inspires them to expand their creative adventures, I’m doubly delighted. Last week, I received an email with the subject “Brava” that brightened my day. The content made me even happier. Not only did the sender like my book, but he […]
Blessing the glad and the sad
Thanksgiving in the US is almost here, the day we sit around the table, hopefully with family and friends, and share with each other what we are grateful for. Usually, it’s the good stuff—what has made us smile or given us joy—the “glads.” But this year, I feel drawn to also give thanks for the […]
