I frequently find myself abashed by the comparative privilege of my life, as the flowers bloom for an array of meticulous insects, and our children delight in the knowledge and tastes of garden food. The glorious clouds sear with their beauty, as my human heart strives to truly see and appreciate the vast gift of…
The more we lock away, the greater the cost our humanity pays.
New music can satisfy even those among us who harbor suspicions about the power of consumerism to sully mass-market artistic creations. I’m specifically thinking of “This is America” by Childish Gambino/Donald Glover, the video for which exemplifies the intensity of living with eyes so open to self and world that those observing cannot resist being…
Even when unintended, our ability to love may be influential.
Are we ever able to count upon anything as a common shared experience among all humans? Though the effort to do so may be born of good intentions and a desire to empathize, the attempt also seems inevitably doomed to dismissal via rigid relativism, and/or mockery via nihilism (that most undemanding and uncreative of the…
Our instructions for Democracy strive to link justice with mercy.
The Declaration of Independence is a pro-immigrant document. Among the complaints against the royal monarchy: “He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.” As we…
It’s likely time to decide which would actually be missed more: birdsong or a digitized ping?
Just when I was ready to admit the defeat of my free will, I have happily come to realize the stealth manner in which my smartphone addictions have exponentially decreased! I had been intending for some time to rid myself of the attachment, only to find myself once again devoting hours to this screen, despite…
Every individual action marks the culmination of choices made by the masses.
Each time I throw something in the garbage, particularly plastic wrappings, my heart sinks with dismay and guilt. So I wrote poem about it: aching reproach of silenced heart as hands release another piece of refuse newly named into eternity contained by plastic bags cinched so nothing disintegrates to grow the weighted piles with…
If it is fearful to be missing, does that mean safety can be found?
Though I have neglected many things internet, I have sown a quantity of seeds, used my leisure for reading paper texts, and graduated from dingy plastic baggies to vintage apothecary bottles for my cooking spices. And while all this does mean a slight sense of feeling overwhelmed and behind upon checking my email or WordPress…
We get a glimpse of true self-mastery whenever we feel a deep, unfettered generosity of heart.
I was able to hold my two week old great-niece today, without contracting any baby fever type urges to have another of my own. There is great satisfaction in seeing that torch passed along to younger generations, and I felt most content to bask in the sweetness of their rosy, shy delight over the humor…
Better to openly appreciate that which fires up the soul, than to smother the sparks of glory.
I an happy to report that it is indeed possible to read an Emily Dickinson poem to young children and retain their full interest and appreciation. I think it is a matter of loving the poem, trusting that the audience can appreciate nuance and genius, and committing fully to the performance aspect of reading aloud….
A habitually happy face can end up functioning as an unsociable mask.
I recently had a visceral epiphany about my tendency to compose my face into a default smile. It is an autopilot expression the habit of which dates far back to my teenage years, wherein I picked up the affectation of dimpling from a book, and most likely utilized the charm as a preventative to…
Insight/Outfit of the Day 