Thresholds

In the darkness of winter, I have many questions. I woke up wondering if snowy owl should be capitalized. It shouldn’t. Mona Lisa should be capitalized. Big Dipper is capitalized. Plants and animals are less consistent. Aside from punctuation, I wonder about how we’ve been trained to not speak negatively and how sometimes this is… Continue reading Thresholds

Passing through

To make courageous decisions I practice feeling temporary. Pretend life is temporary and eventually none of this will matter. Imagine we are here a very short time and then disappear leaving no trace. I practice doing now what I feel drawn to. I am not going to be remembered. We are all hounded relentlessly by bullshit… Continue reading Passing through

Crow habit

I have a crow habit. I know them: Crow, Crowie, and Croatia. There are more but I can’t remember their names. Some have asked me to paint them as they see themselves. It’s hard to describe but they don’t see themselves like we see them. They can be oversized black squares of energy that talk… Continue reading Crow habit

People

While Rome burned, people probably compared lentil soup recipes. Just before the Nazi’s took hold, neighbors may have made sauerkraut together and sidestepped political discussions. In current day, this version could be sharing dog pics in mixed groups as the earth melts. Maybe we’ve never been that good at engaging with various opinions, openly sharing… Continue reading People

Give an hour

The universal switchboard is lighting up and I’m taking a lot of calls. The message came through quickly, as they do, you just have to pay attention. I happened to hear it. It said, give an hour of help toward someone. Don’t hesitate. Act on this. Need help? I’ll give you an hour. Sign up… Continue reading Give an hour

Flotsam & Jetsam

If you don’t know what to do, pick up litter at the beach. It’s never the wrong move. At one point I am alone by the surf and this is where loud singing is released. I went to Heceta beach in Florence to pick up trash and I remembered a Mary Oliver poem that goes… Continue reading Flotsam & Jetsam

Comfort within

A man made bird sounds on an early morning bird walk. He tweeted, squeaked, squawked, whistled, buzzed and whooshed with his mouth making him my favorite bird that morning. A couple weeks ago, two people I’ve never met stood at my front fence and voiced observations: “I love your squash forest!”“I love your amaranth! It… Continue reading Comfort within