When I opened the blinds this morning, I gasped. Nature does that sometimes with the brilliant eastern sky. The wonder doesn’t last long, so it’s worth pausing to appreciate, and, as Mary Oliver told us in her poem, “Instructions for Life,” “Pay attention. Be Astonished. Tell about it.” It’s the morning after Halloween, and we…
It took me three tries to make a cup of coffee this morning. On the first attempt, I didn’t put a cup under the Keurig spout. Made a mess. Cleaned it up. And tried again. The second time, I didn’t put the pod in the machine, so I brewed a beautiful mug of hot water….
One morning this week, I sat in a doctor’s office and, at the end of the consult, we shared scoliosis surgery stories. Mine, a half-century ago, that decimated my senior year, with weeks of traction, months of being completely bedridden, and more than half a year spent in a full body cast; hers, when she…
Recently, I participated in an online event about psychospiritual resilience in these changing times, and how we can remain connected to our spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being in the midst of all of this (*waves arms around*) and was reminded of words I tapped out during the pandemic years when it was especially dark. Some things are…
Following the intensity of summer, and before the cold, dark days of winter, autumn tiptoes in, bringing with her a palette with shades of orange, umber, and gold to dress deciduous tree leaves in for one last glorious show before they let go and fall into a crispy blanket on the ground. I love that…
I fill one more yellow bowl with ripe tomatoes (you know, one of those big old Tupperware ones that everyone has). I’ve roasted batch after batch with garlic and aromatic herbs, tucking them away in the upright freezer downstairs. It’s satisfyingly full for this time of year, with beets, borscht, carrots, beans and tomatoes in…