Where do we find our courage, our strength, our resiliency, our compassion... Ursula K. Le Guin explained in her Mills College Commencement address, 1983 (excerpt): "Because you are human beings you are going to meet failure. You are going to meet disappointment, injustice, betrayal, and irreparable loss. You will find you’re weak where you … [Read more...]
About Linda Anselmi
Series Review: THE GOOD PLACE
Every now and then a tv show surprises me in an unexpectedly good way. A recent Netflix binge brought me, happily, to THE GOOD PLACE! While our lives often seem like a twisted series of moral dilemmas (and then we die), most people would rather talk about death than mention the E (ethics) and M (morals) words in polite company. And, while we … [Read more...]
With Only 8.6 Percent Of The Sun …
A total solar eclipse happens about every 18 months, but rarely in the U.S. And, yet, we didn’t join the masses traveling to the Great American Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017. We stayed home. A place, according to eclipsewise.com, that would have an eclipse obscuration of .914 — meaning 91.4% of the sun would be covered by the moon … [Read more...]
DEMENTIA DIALOGUES (TEDx) — Remaking Conversation
The value of communications and conversations are not just in their exchange of wants, needs, and information, but the connections and relationships they build with each interaction. One of the most compelling things about TEDTalks -- they help us to make connections. Not just the external connections we make to the presenters, their ideas, and … [Read more...]
Words: “The Bastard Muses … Propaganda, Sentimentality, and Pornography”
In the age of social media when we are overwhelmed by too much information and too many ultra compelling stories from questionable sources with untold or dubious purposes, it's helpful to remember Cleanth Brooks' warning about the "Bastard Muses " and be wary of "Propaganda, Sentimentality, and Pornography." Excerpt from Literature in the Age of … [Read more...]
For The Joy Of Animals: Bald Eagle-Hawklet Day
Happy Bald Eagle-Hawklet Day! The Mayor of Sidney, Canada has proclaimed Sunday August 6th, 2017 as Bald Eagle-Hawklet Day in recognition and celebration of the incredible events that took place this summer in an eagles’ nest high above Roberts Bay — a baby red-tailed hawk was raised by bald eagles. Why, you wonder, is this deserving of … [Read more...]
Reclaiming Creativity
Creativity is how we reframe and redefine our world. It is how we express our joys, fears, interests, hates, passions, frustrations… It is how we feed our curiosity, learning, understanding, artistry, craftsmanship, resiliency, social connections… It is a profound part of our conscious and unconscious being. It is an everyday part of our … [Read more...]
Garden Nemesis Or Garden Poser?
I didn’t see him arrive, but suddenly he was there. His back to me, he boldly surveyed the garden. As if, all my hard work was his for the taking. As if, I wasn’t mere inches away. As if, he had all the time in the world. I moved closer. I knew he knew I was there, but still he didn’t budge. What did he see? What was he looking for? What … [Read more...]
Music: FURTHER by Black Lab
The only thing better than finding a song that speaks to a pivotal moment in our lives, is finding a band that continues to reconnect as we journey through life. I didn't know it at the time, but I first became a fan of the alternative pop rock band Black Lab back in 2011 through their brilliantly dark and compelling song - "THIS NIGHT." For … [Read more...]
Pondering The Possibility: A Tease of Orange Blossoms
I'm a sucker for trivia questions that ask what a group of a particular type of animal is called? The fun being when the names are distinctive and not what one would expect. Yeah, a pride of lions, a parliament of owls, a memory of elephants have a certain logic to them, but who would ever guess a nursery of raccoons or a skulk of foxes? A quick … [Read more...]
Pondering The Possibilities: Dinosaur Webs
Dinosaur webs? When we think of what is possible... we tend to be limited — by our knowledge by our perspective by our experiences by our curiosity and by our imagination. So why ponder dinosaur webs? It was something I saw in a web comic... As far as I know, no one has found any dinosaur webs -- yet. But take a look at the fang-like … [Read more...]
So Tell Me Again… Who Is Them?
In the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "We are different so that we can know our need of one another." And yet, lately (and particularly as I watch the ever-widening political divide), it feels as if we have forgotten how very much we have in common. So here is a poem I share with love and hope for everyone ... SO TELL ME AGAIN... WHO IS … [Read more...]
Words: “… The Doctrine Of The Manyness Of Reality”
We all agree that truth matters, but how do we become honest critics of truth? How do we create meaningful change without a full and honest view of the problem? How do we reach consensus for meaningful action if we are all wrapped up in resenting each other's ignorance? As with the seven blind men describing an elephant, Mahatma Gandhi urged us … [Read more...]
Movie: HIDDEN FIGURES
As soon as I saw the preview for HIDDEN FIGURES I was hooked. As a women, as a history lover, as a child of the sixties who grew up watching the race to the moon, the civil rights movement, and the race riots in my hometown of Chicago, I was anxious to get an expanded, heels on the ground, black southern world view of my memories. I wasn’t … [Read more...]
Words: T.S. Elliot “…When We Do Not Know Enough…”
We can never know everything. But, when we do not know ...when we have moments of doubt or confusion ...or when we simply do not know enough -- Do we ignore the unknown? Or, do we pause to wonder? Do we assume we know? Or, do we take a moment to question? Do we guess the answers? Or, do we stop to ask? And do we recognize -- in that moment … [Read more...]
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