The Importance of Wonder, Curiosity, and Creativity for Social and Economic Good
Do you know that by the time people (*all people) reach middle school, almost 85% of their inherent, natural curiosity and wonder has been stripped away? It's a systemic problem. We don't place enough value on creative thought and curiosity is often viewed as...
On Studio Meditations and Washing the Slate Clean
It's been 312 days since I have been able to utilize my studio in any meaningful way. March 5, 2020 was the last day I taught an in-person class—the space has since been relegated to the ranks of a *really* expensive storage locker. I was thinking about some of...
Investing in What Matters
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It's no secret that 2020 was an unprecedented year marked by grief, loss, and disconnection, so I won't belabor that point here. I made a conscious decision when the pandemic hit in March that I was going to be...
On Stained Glass and the Kaleidoscopic Whole
I can honestly say that this is the LAST place I ever would have expected to find myself tonight (or any night, really). But, it was dark by the time I finished teaching so a beach walk wasn't possible and I *really* needed to protect my peace before working the polls...
The Flawed Logic Of “Two Sides of the Coin” Thinking
We’ve been falsely led to believe that there are only two choices at any given time and about any given topic. Only two forks in the road. Only two sides of the proverbial coin. Pro or anti. Yes or no. Left or right. Religious or atheist. Bigoted or tolerant. Educated...
The Easy Thing Is Usually Not the Right Thing
The easy thing is usually *not* the right thing. It's the easy thing to leave your trash all over the beach after a day of fun in the sun. But it's not the right thing. It's the easy thing to not quarantine or wait in long testing lines after you've traveled out of...
Sometimes The Right Decision Is a Difficult One
Hello there! Man, oh man—I miss you! How are you doing? That's not a rhetorical question, I seriously want to know. It's been a series of ups and downs for me the past 4+ months. Some days, I feel like I am drowning in loss and grief and trauma, and other days I feel...
Marking Time and Massive Changes
I've spent the past 22+ years marking time by what's happening in my yard. I have these daffodils that grow along the foundation in the front of my house. They typically start to shoot up out of the frozen ground by early February, aided by full-day sunshine and the...
Unified At Last (Coronavirus Chronicles)
Well, here we are. Unified at last, because there is one common enemy we are all trying to protect ourselves from. 🦠You can't marginalize or dehumanize this virus. 🦠 COVID-19 doesn't care who you are or how much money you have. 🦠 It doesn't care how old you are, what...
An Invitation to Slow Down
At the end of February, I remember looking at my husband after a mind-numbingly exhausting weekend of volleyball for one daughter, basketball for the other, basketball and meetings for him, and my head on a swivel and I said, "I simply can't help but wonder if all of...
Our Americanness Is Showing
Observation: our American-ness is showing right now. And it's kind of gross. We have people stockpiling supplies for the end of days, not giving a shit about people in the community who might actually NEED those supplies (aka first responders, hospitals and doctor's...
A Beautiful Relationship With EXPLORE, My 2019 Word of the Year
Last December, I was saying goodbye to my 2018 word of the year (enrich) and reflecting on what I wanted my 2019 word to be. I can't remember whether or not 2019's word came to me easily, but I can tell you that it is has become one of my favorite words of the past...