Acorn Awakenings
Acorn Awakenings
5 Practices to Foster the Creative Spirit Creativity touches all aspects of our lives: writing or woodworking or drawing, cooking in the kitchen, decorating our homes, planting a garden, nurturing relationships, thinking outside the box to solve a problem, and on it goes. While I did have writers in mind when drafting this article, I […]
Cultivating Creativity Read More »
The Something of No-Thing~~~ Today I remembered a folktale from my youth about a happy man and his shirt. In the story a king sent his men to find a happy man and bring him his shirt so the king could be happy too. When the king’s men finally find a happy man, they learn
Present and Presence~~~ I am the lioness Sinewy and steadily I make my way Along the woods line On my left Aware Alert I cross the field To my right Stride down the hill And across the narrow stream My paws refreshed Up to my shelter Greeted by my cubs We lie together beneath
Little Shifts for Big Results~~~ A student had arrived in my high school classroom in a mood. After addressing the class as to the assignment for that day, I noticed this student with her head down on her desk. I walked over and whispered to her, “Do you feel OK? Do you need to go
My Lesson from Russia of Long Ago~~~ In 1991 I had taken a group of high school students to Russia for three weeks as part of a People to People International program. Started by President Eisenhower, People to People professed that if young people from the United States could connect with young people from other
The Language of Love Read More »
A Reminder About the Green Grass~~~ Stuff happens. Communication breaks down. Misunderstandings arise. We feel hurt, unseen, unheard, unappreciated, disrespected, unloved even. I liken this to a sports game. Just because there is a foul does not mean we give up on the game. Sometimes we need to just move on and play through.Sometimes we
I have a sweet friend who now lives in Tel Aviv with her family so I sat up tall and took extra notice when news of the attack on Israel by the Hamas was announced. Continue reading on Medium.
The War in Israel: A lesson from nature Read More »
We have more control over our joy than we think.~~~ After a very hot and humid week, we had a series of strong thunderstorms and heavy rains where I live in upstate New York. A blackout sent me to bed on the early side and I cracked the bedroom window open to hear the night
Bullfrog or Bullsh&t Read More »
I had just dropped off a package to a friend who lives in a large condominium complex. I knew she would not be home, and we had agreed that I would leave it inside her screen door. I head back to my car, open the door, start the engine, and do a double-take. Staring at
A Simple Superpower: A small mouse, a little dog, and a big lesson. Read More »
A Rhyme and a Reason: For the children and the flowers. 02/23/2023 At my sister’s on Christmas Day we started talking about American singer-songwriter John Denver. Seeing him in concert years ago inspired by brother-in-love to get a 12-string acoustic guitar and start playing and singing. Naturally, John Denver songs are among his favorites and
A Rhyme and a Reason: For the children and the flowers. Read More »
I spied a butterfly sitting on my deck. I went to look closer and saw it struggle, unable to take off. Was it hurt or just stunned from a crash landing, perhaps? I dribble a little water from the watering can nearby in case it’s thirsty. It sidesteps away. Then I pick a red geranium
On Nature’s Creatures: All things both great and small Read More »
I drive a short distance in the mornings to a charming 1760 inn that is now a restaurant and events venue. I leave the car at the back of the ample parking area, empty at that time of day, to enjoy walking the country roads in the vicinity. As I start out on my stroll,
Help Yourself to the Flowers: How to receive your heart’s desire. Read More »
July 12th. My dad would have been 80 years old today. Who knew that my health fanatic father who would not allow me or my siblings to eat sugar or drink soda, except on a birthday or holiday, and who would drink the spinach water from the cooked spinach for its nutrient value, and who
Closer in Death Than in Life: Reflections on a father’s 80th birthday in heaven. Read More »
A special twenty-two-year-old college student, like a niece to me, shared her woes about distance learning online and some on-site learning but with Covid restrictions and not feeling in a groove nor motivated to “hit the books.” This young lady was the speaker at her high school commencement, in the Honor Society, and a natural-born
Motivation 101: Dangling a carrot in the age of Covid. Read More »
The mango lady taught me the most important lesson of the pandemic. No, it wasn’t about the best masks to wear or the ideal hand sanitizer with the correct percentage of alcohol or how to Zoom with breakout rooms. It was something even more significant, something we all know but sometimes forget. Entrance: The Supermarket
A Pandemic Primer: Meet the mango lady. Read More »
I looked forward to finishing my coursework with The 1619 Project. I savored the sense of satisfaction with the completion of a goal and a noteworthy one at that. I also hoped to free up some additional reading and writing time. However, the end of this coursework became the beginning of what I will call
Looking Back on Twelve Weeks with The 1619 Project Read More »
With so much mayhem in 2020, so many of us are feeling helpless and hopeless. So much feels out of our control. While we embrace the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference, I am here to tell you
The Power to Effect Change: How we can create big changes using simple shifts. Read More »
Hiss. The oven is sending out an SOS. I open the door to see the spaghetti squash, which I bake whole, dripping some liquid from its insides onto the bottom of the oven. This has never happened before. I must have overcooked it. Oh well. Lesson learned for future endeavors: always cook the squash in a
Celebrating the Oh Well: The spaghetti squash incident and surviving the unexpected. Read More »
Are you afraid to die?” I asked my dear friend of twenty-eight years. She blinked her eyes for yes, which was her version of a head nod these days. We were alone in her house in the dining room that had turned into a makeshift bedroom as even using the chairlift to get upstairs was
Reflecting on Death: Rose of Sharon Read More »
Outcries for justice and enough already pervade the psyche of the nation and the world. The word “racism” seems to have become a trigger word for people of all races, those who have historically been a target of racial biases, those who have been bystanders as well as upstanders, and even those who may perpetuate
Minneapolis Mirror: Being the change we wish to see. Read More »
Read on Medium. article photo: Jill Wellington on Pexels
Me First: Being the change we wish to see. Read More »
I used to tell Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to my English students. I’d start with a sketch on the blackboard. My artistic rendition always left much to be desired but it gave them a reference for the narrative. These people are in a dark cave from birth and have been chained to face the
We know we are currently in crisis mode with cataclysmic repercussions on all aspects of our existence. This sounds serious, and it is. But let’s look through the lens of random chaos to the opportunity such a crisis affords. Enter the field of physics and the work of Dr. Valerie Hunt, a scientist in the
Late fall before the first frost, I take my potted geranium plants into the basement to hibernate for the winter. I put them on a shelf that is next to a west-facing window. Then I cease from watering or taking care of them in any way until spring. When the weather warms up, I clean
It was true for me too. The first landmark I sought out when in Paris over thirty-four years ago now was Notre Dame. I was with my college teacher education buddy Karen who talked me into backpacking Europe for a month on an Interrail pass which was the equivalent to the Eurail pass that allowed
Ou’ est Notre Dame? Read More »
I was at yoga class this morning. I love my yoga classes. There are many styles of yoga. I go for the gentle stretch and flow classes where we also hold positions to really get into the stretching and strengthening and balancing. Today I observed that in the midst of being one with my breath
Warm comfortable socks, a soft sweater and cozy blanket, heat from the fireplace on my face. Fresh coffee brewing. The sun rising over the mountain sprinkling sunshine down through the front windows, the first sparkly snow on the ground, a loved one’s smile. The purring of cuddly kitties, the music of the morning birds at
I have been away from writing and on hiatus for a while and my monthly blog post is now a seasonal one. I thought of calling this blog “On Hiatus” but opted for what you see here above. Life steps in sometimes and calls you elsewhere. You can say I have been elsewhere. Or Elsewhere
Where There’s Smoke Read More »
Each year around this time in honor of Earth Day, I consider what one thing can I add to my reduce/re-use/recycle regimen. I don’t stress myself out doing everything, but I can do something. This year I decided I could take two bags with me when I do periodic litter pick up on a road
One More for the Earth Read More »
I am on a stay-cation this week and a spring cleaning is feeling just right. Lots of greens to eat, a castor oil pack, and sea salt baths. Time to walk outside every day and breathe in fresh air and absorb vitamin D, very necessary after a long, cold, snowy winter. Opening the windows in
I love yoga. I prefer the gentle stretch and restorative yoga classes. While stretching and strengthening me, they are also helping me slow down and connect with my body and just be. The world is so full of doing that I welcome the being. My first book The Sea Slug is in part about this.
I have what I call my Christmas Closet. It’s a simple rustic closet in my guest room. It does remind me of the simple rustic beginnings of this holiday. All year long I squirrel things away. When I see just the right something for someone, I put it in this closet. This past weekend I went
The Christmas Closet Read More »
It was maybe ten years ago now. It was summertime, and I was in my kitchen at the sink looking out the window at the beauty out back. I suddenly realized I had been in a deep, still, joyous place for most of the day and thought, I should give thanks. That thought and the
Recently I hiked up a very steep and stepped part of the Appalachian Trail. I had no idea how challenging it would be. Along the way, an experienced hiker hung back from the group with me as I alternated between catching my breath and climbing gingerly. Occasionally, hikers coming down would pass us. “How much
You’re Almost There Read More »
Without any preparation or much forewarning, I ended up on stage earlier this year at an evening rock concert before an audience of middle and high school students and their families. I was front and center with several musician colleagues of mine, singing and playing the tambourine and having so much fun! After that weekend, my