What’s in your emergency joy kit?
The poet David Whyte has offered a series of soul-nourishing talks during the pandemic. After the most recent, he offered a question we could use as part of our practices: “What do you like to do where the doing itself, no matter how awkwardly done, is its own reward?” He was referencing his own […]
Pray for justice but not from fear
This week was struck by the first line from Wicked Game, Chris Issak’s iconic mega-hit from the early 90s. “The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.” Last week, the word fire caught my attention as the West Coast burned and many us huddled indoors, hiding from the smoke. This […]
Fuel the fire within
Here on the U.S. West Coast, we’ve had a tough week. Fires raging, and the whole coast socked in smoke. With hazardous air quality outside, my life has gone from stay-at-home to stay-inside-the-home. Even some favorite strategies for de-stressing, like long walks in nature or exercising, have been put on the “hazardous” list. Anyone for a rousing […]
Tinker Bell needs us: let’s clap for the light
I’ve been in rich conversations recently about how life has been changed by the pandemic. The question, “How am I doing?” is almost impossible to answer. Much of the time, I feel so radically alive, and creative, gobsmacked by wonder walking around the farm and watching the winged whirlygig seeds on a Japanese maple preparing […]
A deep breath, a moment of pause
We’ve been through a lot recently–no need to remind you of that. You deserve to take a deep pause to breathe and a second one to just enjoy. You might take in a whiff of spring, so alive right now in my garden. If you missed recent posts, I’ll share references below. But first, […]
Devotion will change your life
I watched a charming video this week, one of those lift-you-up-in-the-storm pieces, about a man, Stjepan Vokic, in Croatia, who has spent the past two decades taking care of a wounded stork. He fishes for her, builds nests, and cheers when her long time mate returns each year from the south, having eluded the poachers. By now, […]
Pausing to let the heart expand
This week, the cherry tree began its two week run of glory, set against a backdrop of near perfect Seattle weather. The peony stalks started shooting towards the sky, in anticipation of their upcoming starring role in May’s garden. This week, I was shaken by bad news about a close friend’s cancer. And the pandemic […]
In case of panic, try this.
Anxiety is hovering in the air, like a cloud that might let loose with a storm of bad news at any moment. How can you protect yourself if a torrent of anxiety threatens to fall? I experienced one last week, and I used some very simple steps described below to calm and ground myself. When […]
Make your own heart sanitizer
You, like me, may be feeling overloaded by news of COVID-19. People are stocking up on hand sanitizers, (Hopefully not like the bloke in Tennessee who bought 17.700 bottles thinking to price gouge.) If you need any, why not make your own? It’s just as good. (Recipe here.) But as we heed the warnings and care […]
COVID-19 can teach us more than handwashing
This post is not another list of precautions about the coronavirus. You doubtless have them already. I won’t deny the enormous cost of the outbreak, including the tragedy of lives lost, businesses grounded, families disrupted, events canceled, teaching curtailed, and more. The list of consequences, known and not yet anticipated, will keep growing. The scale […]
