I've been slurping up the "best trash cans of 2017" stories that most media organs pump out this time of year. Why? So I can muse about 2017 without thinking too much about reality in America. You haven't seen "Greatest Hits of the 115th Congress," have you? As indulgent as they may seem, this NYT…
Our species has travelled a long and twisty road to get to where we are today. From hunter-gatherers to farmers and fishers, to city-builders, machine-makers, and space travelers, we've survived by adapting to our changing world. Not too long ago, fearing the Dark Forest and the Big Bad Shark was necessary for our survival. But…
Dear readers: I have started several posts since last week's election results and haven't decided which impassioned essays will live or die. In the mean time, I come bearing gifts, this one from Nicholas Kristof of the (notoriously liberal) NY Times. Link to complete original article Traumatized by the election results, many Americans are asking: What…
One definition of myself holds that I'm a kind-hearted person who shouldn't love violent and scary stories, serial killers or for god's sake CANNIBALS. But, due to the mysteries of fandom, I find myself on the edge of my seat tonight, and tweeting with a few hundred thousand, maybe more, Fannibals for the finale of…
This video broke my heart. Again. https://youtu.be/WWTRwj9t-vU Why are we so hungry for approval and appreciation from others? Why do we equate how 'good' or 'bad' we ARE with how we LOOK? Why is it so difficult to create and build our inner sense of worth? Please tell me how this video makes you feel.
It happens every day. Every second, actually. Someone is breathing one moment, then not the next. It's nature's way: we're born, we die. But my mind refuses this. No, she can't be gone, not that kind of gone. Not dead. The word landed with a leaden thud, flat black, that sucked all the air out of…
Everything I have done that was worth doing has meant overcoming some resistance, some fear. And facing down that insidious liar, fear is what I need to do, now, and every day.
I'm waiting for spring. And I'm dreading it. I'm eager for song: choir, bird, frog. And blossoms: those first wild daffodils push a silly grin up from my belly. A forecast of snow, cause for joy last week, makes me angry today. I want to frolic by the river with dogs, and laugh with friends…
Fifteen years ago I climbed this hill, carrying only a bedroll, a sheet of plastic, some twine and a gallon jug of lemon-maple cayenne water to carry me through a three day fast. Today I am sitting on the rock that I slept on back in 1997, listening to spring awakening the mountains. Here a hawk,…
After my recent mountain trip, I was pretty unhappy with my level of fitness. My balance, flexibility and endurance were not adequate for rock-hopping and hiking steep slopes. So, upon returning I got my butt to the gym (for the first time in over six months!) . First stop: yoga class. When last I did…
