Yesterday was the Winter Solstice: the first day of winter and the return of the light. The days grow longer and the nights grow shorter. Like Oliver’s bird, I grow ever more restless. I have an idea–ideas–unfolding from under my wings. Also like the white-eyed bird, I want to go to sleep. … More In Winter, We Rest
I have always loved libraries. All libraries–public, university, school, special collections, archives, personal–are sacred places to me. Some of my earliest memories involve my small hometown library. It opened when I was in elementary school and quickly became a haven for me. The librarian, Marjorie Osborne, was a kind person who allowed me to check … More A Girl and Her Library
“Our place is part of what we are.” Gary Snyder I’m reading ‘The Practice of the Wild’ by Gary Snyder. It’s been on my list for some years now, and in my very large TBR (and ever-growing) stack. His words are making me think about our landscapes and how they help shape the narratives of … More A Sense of Place
Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. We are not handed a guide at birth entitled Fail-proof Steps to Living This Life. As such, I’ve lived most of my life through a lot of trial and error–heavy on the error side. I’ve also learned that sometimes I just have to take the next right step and … More The Next Right Step
I’ve just returned home from a week spent by the Atlantic Ocean. My favorite beach activities are walking along the shore looking for seashells, watching birds and dolphins play and remembering what a tiny, although vital, part of the Universe I am. I try to read the many books I drag along each time in … More My Gift from the Sea
Originally posted on Giving Voice to My Astonishment:
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana Warning: I’m currently re-reading W.G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn. This post may cause melancholy, circuitous thinking, excessive thinking, and/or general confusion. Or, perhaps, it will make you think. Read at your own risk. I’ve…
“Barn’s burnt down — now I can see the moon.”–Masahide It’s an (almost) Wordless Wednesday. I’ll be spending the day with poetry, my pen, paper, and the transformative power of words. And as always, Virginia Woolf. “But there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”–VW “Thinking … More The Transformative Power of Words
“‘The only constant in life is change,’ and if we want to be fully engaged in any moment, we need to embrace this simple statement,” writes Thomas M. Sterner in Fully Engaged: Using the Practicing Mind in Daily Life. But what exactly does it mean to be fully engaged? And how many of us … More Fully Engaged: A Book Review
Life, as most of us experience it, often consists of challenge and conflict. So begins Roger Housden’s book, Dropping the Struggle: Seven Ways to Love the Life You Have. That statement calls to mind the Buddha’s First Noble Truth, the truth of suffering. As humans, suffering and struggle are two of our least favorite words, … More Dropping the Struggle: Book Review
Giving Voice to My Astonishment 
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