Life – a cup at a time
The real answer may not be your first response. My mind keeps returning to the picture from January 6 of the man who used the U.S. Flag that he was carrying to beat a police officer. I’m sure if you asked this man, he would describe himself as a patriot. But consider that, as a …
In. Out. In. Out. Take another breath. In. Out. One more time, slowly. In. Out. Everyone is tense. Anxious. It’s like we’ve collectively forgotten how to breathe. Count to four and breathe in. Then breathe out slowly on another count to four. Maybe stretch it to eight. I snapped at a store clerk today and …
My first recollection of fog was after my family moved to Seattle, WA, when I was eight. Leaving to walk to my new school, fog made an unfamiliar area alien. I couldn’t see across the street — I could barely see the traffic light! Would I even find the school? Fog became a familiar force …
No, Positive Realism is living in reality with joy as the foundation. As in so many arenas of modern life, people seem to be polarized between Positive thinking and Realistic thinking, as if the two can’t coexist. One group is said to be woo-woo Pollyannas and the other is said to be mired in the …
Living in a Black & White world is easy if you want someone else to tell you what to do, how to act or think. But if you see in color, like I do, it’s not easy at all. I first realized that I viewed things differently as a High School Junior in Debate class. …
[While writing an earlier post about volcanoes and tasting ash, a memory flashed of another time and place where I tasted the grit of ash, and my mind wouldn’t let go. I wrote this before I learned that January 27, 2020 was the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. While this is simply my …
It was just a smile. But it made a world of difference. It was an early morning doctor appointment. I hadn’t slept well, hadn’t eaten, and didn’t really want to be there, but this doctor is difficult to schedule with, so there I was. When the nurse called my name, I met her at the …
Knowing when it’s time to say goodbye isn’t always easy. As peripatetic as my life has been, you’d think I’d be a pro, but instead (or because of all my moving around?) I still find it difficult. I began thinking about this when an old friend changed their profile picture on social media to a …
Change is inevitable. We all know that. So why do we fight it so much? From the moment we emerge from the warm, quiet security of the womb, we are bombarded with differences, and we cry. Lights, noises, and new sensations all announce that our world has changed, and it never stops. Not until we …
When I decided to explore the concept of Grace with this blog, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It’s kind of like asking God to give you patience; such lessons aren’t comfortable. For example, take the house we purchased last winter — please! I’d always dreamed of owning a house full …