Ignoring Your Most Basic Instinct
You would think I would just drink water all day long, but I don’t. I learn today that a large percentage of the population has a reduced thirst sensation (meaning they don’t feel thirsty even when they actually are). We need water so very badly, and yet we don’t drink it. I used to often […]
How It Hits You
I arrive to the woods at just the right time of morning for the sunlight. The leaves pose for prayer. I love this walk to school because of how the light illuminates everything. I see average things in new ways–the shadows, the sun’s rays, the greens, the yellowish undersides–because of timing. Just five minutes later, the magic […]
On This Bench
My husband drives by an apartment I’ve never seen before and points it out for me to see. “What am I supposed to be seeing?” I mumble back. I look at everything and see nothing important. Then, just as I turn away, I see on one porch a beautiful garden bench. I look again. It’s […]
Whom Can I Love?
This morning in church, I realize I sometimes spend too much time wondering who loves me instead of loving others. The very moment I take my eyes off of myself and look around to see who needs attention, I’m set free. ______________________________Whom can you love?
What Oprah’s Harvard Commencement Speech Taught Me
Yesterday, I read CNN’s article on Oprah’s speech at Harvard University’s 362nd commencement ceremony. I learned that in all of Oprah’s interviews with famous people from all over the world–presidents, celebrities, businessmen, even criminals–she discovered they all shared one thing in common: they needed validation. After interviewing both the famous and the unknown, Oprah reflects, […]
We Come Upon a Little Pond
I take a walk with a friend out in the country. Just around the bend from my house, you find nothing but farmland and ponds.We pass a little house that used to be where folks cast their ballots in elections. We come upon a little pond. That’s all. A walk out in the country, along […]
Warning: What Not to Do With Your Restless Heart
Every few years, I grow restless. I begin to believe that a more exciting life exists in another town or in another career. My soul feels sick inside, and my imagination tells me I’m living the wrong life. My instincts tell me to beg my husband to take our family and flee. Everything in me […]
A Simple Pleasure in Your Home
Finally, the lilac bush blooms. We bring some into the house, and already, the wafting fragrance greets anyone who enters. It’s gentle, sweet, and calm. I love thinking about the simple pleasure of it. I want to build more simple pleasures into my home environment: gentle, sweet, and calm things that waft about soothe and […]
Something to Enchant the Rest of Your Life
Today I recall E.O. Wilson’s confession in his memoir, Naturalist, that his searching the sea for mysterious creatures was really about something else. He says, “I also hoped for more than sharks, what exactly I could not say: something to enchant the rest of my life.” Aren’t we all searching like that? Aren’t we all secretly hoping […]
You Won’t Miss It
All month, I’ve been searching for a new robin’s nest. Ever since the chipmunks ravaged the nest outside my window and destroyed those lovely eggs, I’ve kept my eyes open for a new nest to enjoy. This morning, while searching for climbing roses at the local garden center, my daughter points out a curious sign: […]