The areas of the brain that process emotional thought and response are larger, percentage-wise in the brains of orcas than any other animal. So said a sign at the visitor center in Port Townsend. Port Townsend is a place that I love. Historically, some people say it’s “the city that whiskey built.” I didn’t drink… Continue reading Port Townsend
Category: blogging
Sol Duc retreat
No computer, no TV, no cell service Sol Duc resort sits down on the floor of Washington’s Olympic National Park. Sol Duc is said to mean “sparkling water,” and was discovered by non-natives around 1880. Sitting in the hot sulphur water, about 30 of us watched a man high up on a rickety ladder, replacing… Continue reading Sol Duc retreat
A holistic party for America
I’ve declared my presidential candidacy. I felt moved to do so from a raised platform on a college campus, overlooking an empty soccer field in the distance. I made a promise, to an invisible crowd, “there will be a cat in every household!” An advisor immediately told me afterward, “that may turn some voters off.” They… Continue reading A holistic party for America
Juxtapositions
I heard a hawk’s cry come through a starling’s beak. It was a perfect imitation. Messages come through however they can. Sometimes to break up monotony. Other times it’s a specific insight. Still other times, it’s just funny. We need juxtaposition to mingle and jostle healthy brain activity. I think this is true but I… Continue reading Juxtapositions
Focus on the breath
Are you breathing? It’s automatic and inherent to aliveness. It’s part of the parasympathetic nervous system. Do you breathe when you’re nervous? Do you follow or lead your breath? Inspire and expire; life passes through you with each respiration. Invisible nutrients are swallowed and released thousands of times a day. Clarity is a passing breeze.… Continue reading Focus on the breath
empty clothes
On walks, I often see scattered piles of pants, shirts, or socks, shorts, or jackets. By walking paths, under bridges, near bushes, at intersections,in alleys, near parking lots, by fences. What is the story? Do people dematerialize and reconstruct in other places, leaving clothes behind? Are clothes the first layer to go when change is… Continue reading empty clothes
transformation betwixt land and sea
Plankton are abundant here. “It smells very biological,” said one man I met in the sparsely filled parking lot. One area in particular did smell like the brew of a million creatures. The South Slough Reserve is so understated, I think it goes unnoticed by the crowds. It was America’s first estuarine research reserve, established… Continue reading transformation betwixt land and sea
how i grew into my career
Check it out: I got to blog on someone else’s blog!https://www.incipitcareer.com/incipitcareer-the-blog I once worked as an editor, finding mistakes. I didn’t like having to look at things critically all day long. I think it’s a fun project, like a puzzle for some, and at times I felt that way. I just realized it wouldn’t enhance… Continue reading how i grew into my career
Hot flash stories x 2
Not my mother’s hot flash, by guest blogger, Kristi Lodge. I had my first hot flash in June 2018, in the waning days of my forty-second year. My girlfriend and I went to Portland Pride. On Saturday we found a café that served great breakfast and coffee within walking distance of our AirBnB. I was… Continue reading Hot flash stories x 2
Generosity of spirit
Poetry group this month with Ilene and Carol jumped off with the theme of forgiveness. Ilene said once she got into forgiveness, it hit her, “ok, this is the deal.” She led forgiveness workshops and wrote, “nothing is as deeply raw as the time leading up to the act of forgiving and nothing comes from… Continue reading Generosity of spirit