A multi-media pairing for a multi-media life. Thank goodness for music, art, and poetry. In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about
You won’t all get this, and that’s okay
Menopause is like a pack of wolves in a bitch's clothing. So fun to play with tools like Facebook color boxes, then turn them on their head by this
Process sans plans & perfection
[originally published in weekly newsletter] I feel at a loss of what to say here today, but my hands love to write, and I made a commitment to myself
The day you realize
In the past few years, I found myself saying lightheartedly, "you know, I am the center of my own universe. So are you. No one can be anything but
Judging or Perceiving | Collector or Renunciate?
Dualistic Mindsets in Myers Briggs and other such things I have a judgy mind. And if you've done a Myers-Briggs test and landed squarely with a
Feeling Free on the Mother of all days
Sunday is Mothers Day and I'm going to try again to divest myself of all planned work, chores, conversations, and responsibilities; while avoiding
Democracy is a practice: how (and why) to do it.
No matter how outraged you feel, or how erudite your arguments against Social Security cuts, NIH cuts, Veteran's care cuts, National Parks pillaging,
Got George Washington
And how attention to the present moment yields stories and signs. This rainy grey day, after dropping my son at school, I drove by Job Lot and
Open Hope
Not everyone grew up with the privilege of taking Hope for granted. Hope is a thing of children, even in rough places. It's a thing of the
Diversity
If we experience life through a lens where the people we deal with seem most like us, it's easy to think we have a leg up on navigating our world more
Rebellion | emergence from dark into light
Why new voices from the subconscious matter to all of us. I admire teenagers and young people who rail against every day culture and bring new
Efficiency: a dangerous game
By design it benefits only a few. Oh my goodness have I loved efficiency. I drank the Koolaid early, and developed my own flavors of
What are your Grace Goals today?
It’s Sunday morning in America1 and the texts from family & friends are coming in. “How can we get through?”“I’m freaking out inside.”“It’s
Surveillance is a feeling
And since it has no love in it, it doesn't feel good: a note to employers (and data brokers) in a digital age. "Peering In" photo of Artist
Tree Hugging Humour, Lychee Trees & Ways of Approach
I need to make this quick, and I'm going for the British spelling to captivate your interest. I've got shopping to do and laundry, maybe even can get
Gail Force
Gail lived with us for several months when I was five years old. Gail was 15 years old at the time, an avid 1970s free spirit, a pot smoker, and
The Mess
I love my mess. Truly. Just like I loved it in my old Dodge Aspen with cigarette butts falling out of the ashtray onto cassette carriers filled with
A Burning Bridge to Now-here
My favorite candle sits on my dining room table. It's inside opaque black glass and sits on its own wooden cover like a little pedestal. I refer to
Ordinary Abortion Story
If you know me at all, you know I try to let my work speak for itself, and I don’t like to reveal myself clearly online. It’s scary for me to be 'out
The Name of the Game
Ever wake up with a song in your mind for no apparent reason? Today was one of those, and here it is by ABBA. The song couldn't be more on target with
Stale questions, fresh answers
I'm treating myself to some new questions in my self-styled spa day today, because my old questions haven't been serving up much joy or love. I
Seeing: a creative’s guide to the senses
philosophical practices in nature -|- the art of trusting your senses The idea to put together this series came this morning in the woods. Most
Tracking Freedom
Tracking is an ancient and natural art that brings the tracker physically into the pattern of nature, by materially connecting the seeker and the
On citing self: academic v. experiential knowing
The greatest teachers of all time rarely cite others to enhance their lessons or prove their validity. Their knowledge comes from experience, and
Your ordinary, extraordinary life
There is a form if you'd like to share on this topic below. The first part of my life, I wanted to be extraordinary. Driven by a distant father who
What you see is what you can free
Don't get trapped in a prison of your own making. -W Leitzen
Abstinence Doesn’t Work
No one's thrilled by the choices this upcoming election. But I don't need thrills from my governance – that's for reality TV. I'm writing to people
Donut Holes & Superpowers:
probing the philosophy of nothingness in daily life How consciousness works, how it lives, dies, and transforms has been a preoccupation of
Idealism, burnout, and collaborative missions
I've needed to abruptly quit a few things in my life. And each time, my departures have left people confused. In general, I'm an upbeat worker,
The Upside Down of Spiritual Awakening
I used to think of spiritual awakening as a good thing: a sign that someone had accumulated enough spiritual merit to deserve to see behind the veil,
Speculation vs Decision: guarantee certainty and mitigate risk by front-loading choices
My eleven year old wakes up early and likes to go on woods-walks with me most days before school. Today, we figured out when choosing between two
Matunuck
Escaping the sleepover fallouttwo extra boys. Legends lp playing then. And now too. The Digital. Quiet happy. Then. and video games. and airy
Slay the Protégé
In myth and in life, Proteges slaying Mentors is an age-old archetypal pattern, and one that represents an energetic exchange that can be uniquely
hitting the speed limit
Tomorrow I turn 55, and I kind of love this age and all it represents. This birthday reminds me of my old restaurant days when I waited tables in the
Being Right vs. Judgement
In my Buddhism practice, there is a practice statement that has been gnawing away at me. It's phrased so benignly, but the implications have been
Practice Notes – Jan 19
I've been taking Buddhism classes with Jungto Society, and I love them. The classes teach about the history, the philosophy, and the principles of
A wake of awakening
This is how I used to envision a life well lived: that every day, a person could leave behind them ripples of enlightenment, that would wash into
Reprise from ’99 – Top Ten Ways to Ease into Effortlessness
Waaayyy back in the day, I was a life coach with only a handful of clients and an overwhelming desire to churn out hundreds of articles. Most of these
Voting to pay taxes in ashes?
I'm calling out those who wield destructive energy, calling to "burn down" the government. (If talking money is the only way to get your attention- so
