Going Back to Old Dreams
I remember the story of an older friend of mine who went back to an old dream once her children left for college. All her life, she wanted to be an actress. All her life, she was too busy for it. But one bright day, she decides to audition for community theater, lands the lead […]
“The Best Things in Life Aren’t Things”
My friend delivers me a little card with the quote, “the best things in life aren’t things,” from journalist Art Buchwald. I want to remember that. Love, friendship, ideas, creativity, conversations. These things I can’t hold in my hand. __________________Journal: When you think about your “best things” in life, are they objects you’ve purchased?
How We Made Acorn Flour (A Lesson in Bitterness)
We gather the acorns from our oak tree. A Bowl of Acorns Then, we carefully crack the shells and remove the nutmeat (I use a little hammer and a pick). Cracking Acorns (with a Hammer!) Shelling Acorns We shell about 2 cups worth of nuts because this is our first experiment. Acorn Nutmeat Then, […]
What We Take for Granted (My Plan to Make Acorn Flour)
I will never look at flour the same way again. It’s because I’m actually going to gather acorns, extract the nuts, leach them, grind them, and make acorn flour. A woman from across the country emailed me to tell me about making acorn flour, and I can’t get the process out of my mind. […]
When Life Gives You Acorns
I’m standing under my oak tree, and acorns bombard my head. The Oak Tree “Ow! Don’t do that!” I cry and shake my fist with one hand and rub my sore head with the other. I can’t even walk down my driveway without that tree pelting me with acorns. Today, still sore from acorn wounds, […]
The Books that Shape Your Life
While cleaning my bookshelves, I wonder what I would do if I had to choose a few of the hundreds of dusty books to keep. I treasure books–their smells, their textures, their histories, their marginal notes. I flip through my old favorites and find phrases I underlined and circled when I was a young college […]
Using Your Question Words Again
I’m stuck in traffic with an entomologist. If you ever have to be stuck in traffic, I highly recommend finding an entomologist to help the time pass (especially an entomologist who studies honey bees). Since she’s presenting lessons about bees to fifth graders, I learn about the kinds of questions fifth graders ask about bees. […]
A Prudent Man Overlooks an Insult
I’m reading Proverbs, and the wise counsel I find convicts and inspires. A simple verse in chapter 12 challenges me: “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. ” As I think about living with flair, I know that I want my life to reflect a counter-cultural and revolutionary […]
How to Write a Great Email Subject Line
I’m teaching the fine art of crafting email subject lines, and an interesting rule emerges: Write subject lines that one cannot interchange with any other subject line. We open this kind of email. This kind of email intrigues and entices. This kind of email rises to our awareness atop a pile of the 100 you […]
A Good Verb Can Change Your Life
Today I tell a student I have another favorite verb besides grapple. Enhance. I just love this verb. It means to magnify, to raise the quality of, or to intensify. It derives from the Latin and French words meaning “to raise up.” I’m convinced that a good verb can change your life. What if […]