Blog Posts

brief comments on contemporary conditions from a multidisciplinary perspective

The Balancing Act

The Balancing Act

Life throws all of us off balance at times—sometimes so far off balance that we fall. It can take a little time (and a little laughter) while we pick ourselves back up. Last week I had a reminder of how this can happen in the literal sense. My hiking buddy and I...

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Love at First Sight

Love at First Sight

Halloween was only a week away. I was six and had just begun first grade. By that time, I’d gotten over feeling anxious when entering my classroom. Instead, I felt excited—perhaps even more excited than I was about Halloween. However, my younger sister and I shared in...

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The Wrinklies

The Wrinklies

A few nights ago, while watching a bit of an old television program, I heard one of the younger characters mention “the wrinklies.” He was not referring to linen shirts but rather to people of an age when they are likely to have a textured roadmap for skin. Each of us...

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Surrounded by Good People

Surrounded by Good People

Yesterday I reconnected with someone I mentored for a while in the area of customer acquisition and business management. I will call him Josh, out of respect for his privacy. During our mentoring relationship, he was a very young entrepreneur with a great deal of...

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Nevertheless

Nevertheless

Anyone who knows me well is likely to concur with this self-assessment: I have definite opinions on many subjects but often respect another perspective that I believe one might want to consider. On the other hand, however, but, yet, that said, and nevertheless find...

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I must go down to the seas again

I must go down to the seas again

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tideIs a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying....

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looking in the mirror

looking in the mirror

My mother had a theory: Dress every day so that you feel good when you look in the mirror. Her advice was to do this every day, even if you will not be leaving your house. Each morning, my mother made sure that she was dressed in a color-coordinated set of slacks and...

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A Time of Joyful Renewal

A Time of Joyful Renewal

A few days ago, a pair of Anna’s hummingbirds were in mid-air, doing what hummingbirds do this time of year in this climate. Soon there will be tiny nests and tiny eggs. Today, a pair of petite dark-eyed junkos chased after each other in a flitting courtship ritual,...

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Aunt Dolly’s Sauerkraut

Aunt Dolly’s Sauerkraut

Growing up, we had people we called “aunt” and “uncle” who weren’t on any of our family tree’s branches. Rather, they were close friends of our parents—people we spent time with on holidays such as the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Aunt Dolly and Uncle Joe were two of...

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a leafy sanctuary

a leafy sanctuary

At the time when it became obvious (at least to me) that we were all going to need to spend much more time at home—for our own well-being and that of others and for a very long time, I realized that I was unlikely to spend daily time in our gardens, caring for our...

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