My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. – Maya Angelou I recently had a chance to see the amazing Samurai exhibit at the British Museum, […]
We are continually shaped by the forces of coincidence. – Paul Auster Sometimes it seems like the world is conspiring against us, in ways big and small. The flight is mysteriously delayed, there is inexplicable snow despite a sunny forecast, the news headlines […]
Dear friends, I am happily unplugged today, so I send you this wise and generous poem from Padraig O’Tuama, from the volume Readings from the Book of Exile. Dear ones, may we be gentle with our selves. Friends, welcome to the night, and welcome to the day. ‘TIS THE GIFT ’Tis the gift to […]
At a panel discussion last year, I was asked where I saw the “tip of the spear,” the next battle to be fought – presumably with a righteous goal in mind. It was not until this question was posed that I realized my complete disinterest in it, even dismay. I was yearning for someone to […]
I recently reconnected with the work of Liliana Porter, an artist who I first noticed years ago at an auction for the terrific MassArt. In a recent interview, she shows off a toy monkey with cymbals, the kind that can drive you nuts in under 30 seconds. I was puzzled by Liliana’s obvious affection for […]
After 24 hours of watching still more snow fall, even my hibernation-loving self needed to get outside. I tramped around the field in my snowshoes, sinking deep with every step. I trimmed some forsythia to bring inside. I stood on top of one of the snow plow mounds to admire the view from waaaay up […]
Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world. – Shelley I’ve been experimenting with some new habits and rituals lately, and the one that has had the most immediate “return on time” is deceptively simple. Instead of starting the morning by scrolling email or headlines before my feet even hit […]
It’s been a couple weeks now since the big eastern US snowstorm, but I’d swear that each original flake is still here, plus lots of their friends. Every outing is a tiny adventure. The other day as I tromped home from the grocery store with my overflowing bags, I hit a patch of ice and […]
Happy St. Brigid’s Day! As we arc towards the springtime, current temperatures be darned, I’ve confirmed plans to spend more time outdoors this year. This intention, plus the headlines on any given day, have me returning yet again to the Wendell Berry poem below. I cannot count the number of times I have taken shelter […]
I was driving behind a car the other day covered in bumper stickers declaring our world to be a Matrix-like fiction. And indeed, depending on the news of the day, this is sometimes an appealing proposition. To me a more fruitful exercise is to look around and ask “what if?” Usually I ask this in […]