Finding your true “yes” and your true “no”
One thing I have noticed in recent years is that my “no’s” and my “yes’s” have gotten stronger and clearer. Being able to listen to one’s self and sense (and offer) a true “yes” and a true “no” may be one of the superpowers we can claim with age, even if gracefully conveying an honest […]
Heal the burn
It’s so difficult to watch the pictures of the Amazon burning, knowing that there’s so little that can be done, at least in the short run, even as some countries offer millions in aid. One way I stay sane is by sending healing thoughts to nature, just as, on so many days, nature heals me. […]
3 Reasons not to think about death (and why you might reconsider)
What if thinking about death could bring you more life, more beauty, and more connection to the people you love? Most of us want to avoid the topic. That’s not news. Ernest Becker wrote about it years ago in his classic, The Denial of Death. I experienced how hard it is to talk about […]
When the tail stops wagging
Today, as this post is being published, our dog, the irrepressible Jackson, is being put down. Perhaps dementia was triggering his increased aggression–we don’t know. Our trainer assures us that this is the right way to go; our old dog will be fine and it’s better to let him go now then wait for (another) bite. […]
When you’re feeling climate despair, give nature a face
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.21.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” z_index_tablet=”500″] I’m feeling pretty despairing about climate change these days. The idea that people in high places dispute the science behind what’s happening to our environment seems unconscionable. Barbaric. But then a lot of things seem that way to me these days. I […]
Spring for a Pause
If you want proof of the complexity of the world, come visit my garden, a mélange of good and evil, light and dark, what I want and what I don’t, all asking for my care. If you have a garden, you know what I mean. Some say weeds are just plants in the wrong place. […]
When Paris Burns: Finding the seeds of resilience
Last Monday, as I stumbled past my husband on my way to bed, he looked up from reading on his Ipad and announced, “I have bad news.” What now, I wondered. Isn’t constant bad news the new norm? “Notre Dame is burning, and there’s been a lot of damage. The spire has fallen.” I feel […]
A midwinter’s night pause
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] My article for the winter issue of 3rd Act Magazine is out: “A New Leash on Life: Fostering senior dogs” – and it’s a topic that is VERY close to my heart. If you want an “all natural,” almost sure-fire way to beat […]
Create a daily oasis with ordinary rituals
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] “We humans remember trauma better than pleasure, it’s the way we’re built, so ritual helps to inject the significance of this moment into us. “ Lorene Cary Every year as December fades into January, I celebrate. My rituals, whether a gathering on New […]
Welcome back the light
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] “There is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”Leonard Cohen, “Anthem.” We’re almost at the Solstice and not a moment too soon in my book. I’ve been so hungry for light that I pulled out my old lightbox […]
