It’s The Little Things

What are the things that get to you? For me, it’s the little things. But it’s also little things that can get me back where I need to be. I’m one of those who, when faced with an emergency, tends to think calmly and logically, not reacting emotionally until everything is done and it’s “safe” …

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Faith Out of the Box

Is your faith boxed up so tight that Life is going to smash it to smithereens? Or maybe it has already. [A note to my atheist, agnostic, and non-Christian readers: We all believe in something, whether it is science, nature, humanity, Rah, Allah, Krishna or something else. When was the last time you thought about …

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Living With the Hard Questions

When the answers are absent or unfathomable In journalism, you’re taught to ask the six questions for any story: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. Scientists tend to concentrate on the What, When and How, with the others feeding into that mold. Philosophers and spiritual leaders look more for Why and Who might be …

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A Gracious Host — NOT!

I’ve had the good fortune to be the recipient of hospitality from many of people and in a variety of places during my life. Sometimes it was a simple meal obviously stretched with rice, potatoes or noodles to accommodate extra mouths. Other times it meant weeks or months of staying in a home as guest, …

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Old Woman Working

I’ve returned to the work world just as many of my peers are about to retire and leave it behind. It’s both harder and more rewarding than I anticipated. The first question people ask is, Why go back? The simple answer is money. House payments and health insurance are the bulk of that. But the …

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When It’s Goodbye Time

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 …

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Weeding, Without and Within

Weeding is one of those chores that everyone loves to complain about, but the process is both necessary and fulfilling, whether working in a garden or one’s life. This year we’re dealing with one and a half acres that have been neglected for at least seven years (according to the neighbor). The back acre is …

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The Problem with Change — is Us

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 …

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Runaway

Are you a runaway? Most of us are, at one time or another. Maybe we don’t pack our favorite stuffed animal in to a small backpack and sneak out the bedroom window; maybe we don’t end up as homeless teenagers on the streets; maybe we don’t create a new identity or drop off the grid …

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