I had a wonderful dream recently, about a week after the election. I dreamed that I was at an inauguration celebration for Kamala or Michelle Obama. I know that’s annoyingly vague, but I think my sleeping brain created this ambiguity because I admire both of them so much. My mother and I stood in a [...]
Hello, my friends. I'm sending you the reddest fox to run through your thoughts and dash a little dose of magic into your week. This is inspired by the gift yesterday of seeing a red fox gallop through my yard as I sat on the back bench eating my breakfast. I couldn't stop smiling for [...]
Creating a strong and loving family requires skill, commitment, communication, and clarity. It requires consistently making the right choice (which works on every occasion). Today, I share a marvelous Irish folktale gleaned from the collection of Bab Feiritear, a warm-hearted storyteller from Dunquin, County Kerry, Ireland. I'd love to hear from you: 1. What wisdom [...]
There's a beautiful dance between the literal and the metaphorical in the Irish imagination. Today, we consider Irish holy wells - of which there are some 3000 in existence - and what they teach us about being, ourselves, a source of goodness, friendship, humor, and kindness in the world. Thank you for tuning in! Tell [...]
A brief, passionate rant about the enlivening influence of poetry, very broadly defined with the help of John Stuart Mill and 19th century poet, Arthur O'Shaughnessy, and an invitation to throw off world weariness and cynicism and embrace and live YOUR poetry, your way. If you're moved and inclined, please share a comment - perhaps, [...]
By sheer chance, I just opened a journal from 2021 and felt encouraged by this entry: "The hardest goodbye (at the end of the term) was with C who tried bravely not to cry. It’s easy to assume I don’t mean much to people, that I’m part of the furniture of life. But even that [...]
Have you noticed that people who have ruled out all possibility of magic are a bit… depressed? And even, dare I say it – depressing? Please note that I didn’t say, “People who don’t believe in magic.” No. What I mean instead is people who have declared either with actual words or with their whole [...]
This morning I came across this entry in a journal from 2021: "Watching a squirrel in the hemlock, grooming her long tail." I felt a rush of gladness. A moment later, I asked myself: Why? From this brief note in an old journal, a bouquet of reflections. ♥A tiny moment like this plants a [...]
One thing I love in this life is to make a good thing even better. I’ve written before about my belief that a thermos of tea can turn an ordinary trip into an adventure. Add a snack, add a book, add music, add time outdoors, add a friend: instant improvement to anything. I love to [...]
Hello, my friend. It’s good of you to “come over” to see me here. Your company is cherished and deeply welcome. Please imagine me now, opening the green, wooden door and beckoning you inside. In our increasingly digitalized and decentralized world, I feel more and more that this site is my online home. Here, I [...]
