From my “For Writers, By Writers” Series I bow deeply to pro-bloggers who keep the art of blogging closest to its journaling roots. My favorite pro-blogger is the erasible “Pioneer Woman,” Ree Drummond. Here are the five reasons why “Pioneer Woman” swallows entire mornings. 1. Personal. It’s the way that blogs are intended. Ree slathers…
Category: People are people
My philosophies of people and their people-ness.
The Day, Stripped Down
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If you ask this question, I answer: Wake up, Kiss cheeks, Move sheets up to pillows Move aside blinds. (Daylight must have its way). Eat food. Water from a tap. Frozen bagels scorched In that metal box. Spread plates around the Craigslist table. Brush crumbs from cheeks. Get dressed. Move the hampers to move The…
All Hail the Right Brain!
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Or, On the Research of Choosing You. Neuroscientists have been doing a lot of good work for those of us who consider ourselves creative, artistic and “right-brained.” Personally, I think we are all this way! This is fantastic news. Yes, our scientist friends are discovering that the Right Brain– with its power to love, mourn,…
On Being Underscheduled
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Ahhh. Today was one of those most perfect days. I was so happy because my zen-wonderful brother-in-law/sister-in-law and their kids were visiting. They have such a nice way of arriving with their own unplanned, unhurried, not-worried manner. They are — or seem to be — just quite happy to hang out at our house and…
“Father Joe”: Not Funny, But Wonderful
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I listen to The Moth podcast because it almost never fails to make my whole spirit roil with tittering champagne bubbles of hilarity. I don’t guffaw out loud, mind you. It’s just that frothy happiness that fills me up — not unlike the pool scene in Peter Sellers’ classic, The Party. Today, I listened to…
Lean In
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There has been a small book on my bedside table for a couple months now. I opened it once, and after that I did not touch it. The book actually doesn’t seem to sit or even lie on the table. It seems to hover— held aloft from the earth and all its possessions from the…
How To Write Around It
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Yesterday in class, my student Mike had clearly lost faith. I didn’t know why. But I could see that he was lost. I had asked the entire class to write for a page in response to the question: “Who are you in a group?” followed by “What do you fear about working in groups?” They…
Squinting at the Past
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So I’ve been home in the town where I grew up for a few days to visit my ailing Dad. I am always relieved to get here, and feel it viscerally. But at the same time, my visits are filled with the anxiety of missing someone, letting someone down, not seeing enough of who and…
Cassandra Kubinski: Literally, Mindblowing
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To further remind me of the random wonderfulness of the universe, I ended up last night at a live “coffeehouse” performance of Cassandra Kubinski, a singer-songwriter I had never heard of previously. Kubinski performed in the initimate and completed unplugged space of The Depot as part of the Milford Fine Arts Council’s 2011 Performance Coffeehouse.…
Other People’s Problems
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On Everyday Charity and 9.0 Earthquakes. One day on Facebook I asked my friends: “What can I do to help you?” It was one of those days when I had some unexpected free time. I sincerely hoped that someone would ask me to make dinner for them or watch their kids or juggle their seven…
What Makes Me Come Alive
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“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” –Howard Thurman Today my two friends, Karin and Marcy, both told me I should be WORKING WITH TEENAGERS. “You know how to talk to them.” “They seem to really…
My Favorite… Poem
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Want to torture me? Ask me who my favorite AUTHOR is. Or my favorite film. AAHHH! It’s really like asking the old woman who lived in the shoe which is her favorite child. I mean, can she even remember all of them? But I do have a poem that I love and come back to…
Small Fry in Big World
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The Entire World – Small Stone You see “small”– But me, Mom, This Smoothie We Contain The Entire World
This Blog is TOO HOT, This Blog is Too COLD
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Yesterday I wrote a really substantial post about cultural anxiety. Me: Did you read my post? Hubby: Oh, yeah. It was great. Wow. Me: Did you comment? Hubby: Uh no. Not yet. It was just so MEATY. I’m still thinking about it. Sigh. And thus continues my search for how to create meaningful conversation on…
The Anxiety Drowning Us
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It’s taken, literally, 6 weeks to sort out the issue of a small car accident. Insurance, repair, parts, claims, ice, rental vehicles, customer service surveys, fuse boxes, indicator lights, supervisors, reports, emailed photos, DRUs, and more. This is only one item on the To Do list for the week. HIGH ANXIETY – the side effect…
