Life – a cup at a time
Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story Labeling is a basic survival activity of our brain. We need labels such as danger, safe, sweet, bitter, and scary. Some of these we learn before we can formulate words for them. Consider the infant who bonds to their mother as a source of food and comfort but startles …
Joy Isn’t What a Lot of People Think It Is I’ve been mulling the idea of joy ever since reading the article The Rachel Hollis Drama Is Why I Don’t Trust Influencers by Bertilla Niveda on Medium. I’m not familiar with Rachel Hollis, but apparently her famous motto is “Choose Joy.” Ms. Niveda’s case against Ms. …
A Peek into My Process to Conquer Insecurity and Self-criticism People who know me often describe me as strong. I’m calm in a crisis, champion the underdog, and have been strong-willed since childhood — just ask my sisters! What most don’t know is that I have a deep-seated fear of both failure and success. As …
Wise old sayings are great — until they’re not. I grew up with all sorts of sayings. Some are confusing, like A rolling stone gathers no moss. Is it good to avoid being covered by moss? Or is being covered by moss better? Industriousness can be good, but busyness for busyness’ sake isn’t. We need …
We all have a story: who we are, what we’ve done, what we dream. But often we let that story be told by others, instead of telling it ourselves. When I was young, I was: Clumsy A brat Too small to do things Too young to understand Always in trouble Stupid Mean These were all …
Something shattered into pieces, Someone crushed them under foot. Somewhere the scattered pieces lay, Somewhen, long overlooked. Somewhen, an artist found them, Somehow he scooped them up; Someone loved with tender hands Something I had given up. Something forms beneath the artist’s touch: Mosaic full of grace. Someone else would never think to make Beauty …
Why are people so passionate about walls? In an age of airplanes, drones, mass media, and the internet, physical walls are obsolete in the face of terrorists and opposing ideas. But walls abound, between nations, between neighbors, and within our own selves. As a child, I grew up learning that emotions weren’t allowed. “Quit crying, …
Walls come in various shapes, sizes and types. And even though creatures such as termites and bees also use them in making their hives, walls have become a defining element for humankind. Archaeologists get all excited when they find walls at a dig. Why? Because they indicate an element of permanence. Instead of roaming with …