Do you get angry with the blind man because he cannot see? The red-tipped cane marks his physical lack of sight. Are you personally insulted by his handicap? I’m truly curious. Do you accommodate gracefully offering thanks that “ but for the grace of God, there go I?” Or, do you assign blame that if […]

Do you go down rabbit holes? Does it take you off course? My invitation to rabbit holes is resistance. For me, resistance is not so much about staying stuck in one place as it is about not staying the course. Instead of persisting, of staying the course, I resist—by chasing rabbits. I’d much rather race […]

Late last summer I had to change my route from home to wherever I was headed. The most expedient, convenient, logical way from my house to the main thoroughfare was inaccessible. My road was closed. I could no longer take my familiar way through by driving around barriers or outwitting the road construction. A new […]

Years ago I was in a workshop with my professor, Sam Osherson, who offered a four-day workshop on “Restoring the Broken Link between Fathers and Sons.” (That probably wasn’t the exact title, it was a long time ago, but that was the gist). I was intrigued and signed up for it. The next three and […]

You’ve celebrated—or survived—another Mother’s Day. Whatever the day held, your experience of Mother’s Day was unique. It was yours, and yours alone. But the question I want to ask on this week after Mother’s Day is universal. Now that you’ve had your experience of Mother’s Day, how did you mother yourself? Were you kind and […]

When I think of celebrating Mother’s Day, I think of having my children here at home with me, spending time together as a family. That would be the perfect gift.   Or would it?   On the one hand, being with my kids and doing something special, like going on a bike ride together on […]

There are no tigers in my back yard, no snakes about my feet. Yet there it is—that protective sense deep within that generates fear. It’s that link to my inheritance from the long line of those who have come before me—ancient cave dwellers, medieval servants, settlers on the frontier. Foes today don’t seem as obvious […]

Scratching around for what to fix for dinner, I pulled shrimp out of the freezer and asked my daughter to marinade them in something. As she poured Ponzu over the shrimp, she asked “Is this a ‘wing-it’ marinade”? Since she tends to cling to rules (unlike her mother-maybe it skips a generation), cooking without a […]

Well, I had it for a brief moment. Thank goodness I lived on a farm for 20 years. I learned to temper my frustration by accepting that maintenance takes the most time. By spending more time filling tanks, sharpening blades or replacing bolts than I spent mowing, I learned to slow down and take one […]

  My inbox is full of notices on how to make 2016 bigger, better, more efficient, convenient, profitable and healthy. The volume is a bit overwhelming and verges on the ludicrous. True, the 2015 door will soon close, but…Is there something wrong with 2015? Is this the dress rehearsal for 2016? How many times have […]