Nine Reasons NOT to Write a Book* (*unless you must)
1. Writing a book takes time—more than you can imagine. Whoever purports: “You can write a book in ten days” (or two months or ten) is inviting you to: Writing a book takes time, so you might want to stop there. If not I’ll give you eight more. 2. Success is never guaranteed. Perhaps if […]
Bringing light into dark
Monday morning, my husband asked me to read a heavily researched article about a small pack of men who had been systematically distorting American media with lies, creating an alternate reality now espoused by many. My response? Not that enlightened. “Can I have my tea first, and would you promise to find me an equivalent […]
Dropping “should” for “I prefer”
Yesterday, I faced a blank blog post without an idea of what to write. No ideas. It was too late in the process to be empty-headed. But I had nada. Hardly a tragedy, And yet, the struggles began. It wasn’t just what was happening—it was my feelings about what was happening. And it wasn’t just the […]
We Don’t Need to Know Before We Go
One of the cool things about artists is that they often start their pieces (and I’m defining artist in the broadest possible way) before they know where they are going. Not all artists perhaps, but the ones I want to emulate—poets, writers, painters, and sand castle-at-the-water’s-edge makers. They may have an intention, a direction but […]
Give your brain a break—extend your mind
Where does the mind live? In our brains? Our bodies? The environment? Each other? Some mix? Or, as philosophers Andy Clark and David Chalmers asked in 2000, “Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?” While those questions might sound philosophical, they are really super practical. They move us from brain-based thinking […]
Should I say, “thank you” to “Alexa?”
Are chatbots making human interaction transactional during a time when human civility is increasingly endangered? I put the idea to the test this week thanks to Amazon. The power of “thank you” I am one of those people who grew up thinking “please” and “thank you” were the “magic words.“ Forgetting them had consequences at the […]
STOP!
STOP!Fermati!Arrête !СТОП! STOP! is a good word to have in your pocket. It’s short, abrupt, and good in emergencies. When I ride my horse, we have a movement called the “half-halt.” It’s a movement to pause and re-balance–often taking only a second. It’s key to good dressage riding. I was I had a “half-halt” for […]
If Trees Could Weep
If trees could weep, would they send sorrowsinto the groundthrough roots, mycelium,into rivers and seas? Blending stories from birch and beech, spruce and sycamoreNot worrying about differences.Speaking the truth of their silent observing,No agenda except to honor lifeLament as they witness horror. In Seattle, Warsaw, and KyivTrees shoulder usHold our tearsOffer their silent comfortRemind us that life flows onTake our pain […]
Life as improv–Nine rules for a better performance
In my sixties, I did a number of improvisational theatre classes, until the pandemic hit. I miss the fun, but no matter. Life has become increasingly like improv. For example, last week, among my friends: One sees a woman, standing befuddled in the supermarket with a food coupon in her hand. She offers to help. […]
Are we becoming Zoom zombies?
I’m about to do my first talk as a presenter at a Zoom conference. I’m not worried about what I’m going to say. I’m not worried about the lighting. I know to add a lamp or two so that so I don’t resemble a horror show character in Halloween. I am a little worried about […]
