Getting started, keeping going, getting started again – in art and in life, it seems to me this is the essential rhythm not only of achievement but of survival, the ground of convinced action, the basis of self-esteem and the guarantee of credibility in your lives, credibility to yourselves as well as to others. […]
On my way to the airport in California this week, I was caught up in the me-me-me that travel sometimes entails. My ride was late, my hotel bill had an error, my stomach was rumbling, my mind was preoccupied. When I finally looked up from my phone, this smiley sight greeted me, the work of […]
In honor of Mary Oliver’s birthday this weekend, a selection from A Thousand Mornings: Sometimes I spend all day trying to count the leaves on a single tree. To do this I have to climb branch by branch and write down the numbers in a little book. So I suppose, from their point of view, […]
ALMOST EVERYTHING WILL WORK AGAINIF YOU UNPLUG IT FOR A FEW MINUTES —INCLUDING YOU. – ANNE LAMOTT Dear friends, May we all have a pocket of peace today, for reflection and reconnection, for recovery and replenishment. ***** In case you are looking to make the most of […]
I’ve intentionally spent time in varied landscapes this summer, which has led to a more vivid appreciation of the uniqueness and unity of our natural world. Here is the third in a series of blessings based on these places. Blessing of the Forest May the morning mist soften our sight May the sapling-split […]
I’ve intentionally spent time in varied landscapes this summer, which has led to a more vivid appreciation of the uniqueness and unity of our natural world. Here is the second in a series of blessings based on these places. Blessing of the Mountains May the thin sharp air clear our confusion May the […]
I’ve intentionally spent time in varied landscapes this summer, which has led to a more vivid appreciation of the uniqueness and unity of our natural world. Here is the first of a series of blessings based on these places. BLESSING OF THE DESERT May the skittering gecko bring alertness to change May the spirals […]
I spent a delightful morning last week exploring a beach known for its agates, amazed by the beautiful rocks that were strewn along the shore at low tide. By the time I turned to leave, my pockets were sagging with the weight of tiny treasures I’d borrowed to examine more closely. Imagine my dismay when […]
The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea. – Isak Dinesen This week I found myself near the coast, and hiked over two hours to see an area where there were supposed to be tidal pools teeming with life. When I arrived, I found barnacles and mussels […]
I’ve spent most of my life in the rolling hills of the eastern United States, so the wide open spaces of deserts and the soaring peaks of mountains always hit me hard, leaving me dizzy with difference. I feel like Alice in Wonderland in these places, simultaneously completely exposed and insignificantly small. What a delight […]