What will it take for us to let go of our endless debates and finger-pointings over global warming or global climate change? When will we begin to truly recognize that the heart of our human existence and survival is the planet Earth and all it holds? As E. B. White […]
Fast Facts on Hurricanes
The month of September is peak hurricane season. The Atlantic Hurricane season is June 1st through November 30th. So as Florence makes her way slowly down the Atlantic coast, it seemed a good time to compile some fast facts on hurricanes. A hurricane is a cyclonic tropical system that draws energy […]
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Words: “After Us, There Will Be Others…”
You know you are hanging out with the right kind of friends, when, on a day you most need it, you are gifted with a beautiful starfish and the words “You make a difference every day!” The original Starfish Story was part of a 16-page essay called “The Star Thrower” […]
Then The Giant Wasps Came
The odds were running high against the young Kohlrabi plants from the start. They were an impulse buy spurred on by my childhood memories of eating them raw and fresh peeled from my grandmother’s garden. I love Kohlrabi’s sweet cabbagey flavor. I’d never seen Kohlrabi for sale in our local […]
Walking In Nature — A Basic Tool For Creative Multitasking
Author Julia Cameron points out that one of the most valuable tools for creativity is one of the simplest — walking. When she wrote THE ARTIST’S WAY she didn’t address exercise until week 12 in the program. In IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN AGAIN: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at […]
Forget Their Shoes — Ask and Listen!
The often quoted standard procedure for gaining empathy and understanding is to imagine ourselves in another person’s shoes. But recent research by Tal Eyal, Mary Steffel, & Nicholas Epley (2018) suggests that stepping into another’s shoes and taking their perspective isn’t enough. As psychologist Tal Eyal explained in a Quartz […]
Words: “The Field Of All Possibilities…”
When all the stars align in our favor, we tend to feel a sense of self-satisfaction that the universe has fallen into place for us. But instead, maybe we should feel a sense of humbling recognition that among the field of all possibilities, we have fallen into place within the […]
Only Human? So What Does That Take?
There are days when it feels like being human should be easier than it is. We are “Only Human” so what does that take… Can we see a fault without pointing a finger? Can we recognize our fallibility without making an excuse? Can we allow others to be humble without […]
Topi’s Camping Adventure
What did you do this summer? That seems to be the universal question of greeting as summer winds down and we begin to migrate back to our normal routine of work, school, and fall social occasions. Of course, how you react to the question usually depends on how you feel […]
Back Pain? Stop Sitting Like A “C” And Find Your Sitting Tipping Point!
It’s something of a myth that our back problems are just because we sit too much. Recent research by anthropologist David Raichlen shows that hunter-gathers sit about ten hours a day (while we sit an average of 9-13 hours a day). And yet, they suffer less back issues and are […]
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Would Your Ideal Americans be — Honest, Kind, Strong, and Responsible?
These days, it is kind of hard not to believe the great American divide is all around us. As proof we are bombarded daily with endless examples of a society divided by class, race, gender, politics, finances… And not to dispute the many deep divisions that do exist, but — […]
Here’s To Your Liberty And Mine
While your liberty and mine can take many different forms, may we ever embrace and strive towards an ideal of liberty where all people have the right, the power, and the ability to choose… “Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal […]
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FDR’s Words: ” Forests Are The Lungs Of Our Land “
The Dust Bowl was the worst drought in U.S. history, covering more than 75 percent of the country and affecting 27 states severely. The drought lasted nearly a decade, from 1930-1939. It’s impacts lasted decades longer. Topsoil from the drought lands were swept as far east as the Atlantic Ocean more […]
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Words To Live By: “Nature Brings Solace In All Troubles”
Within her diary, first published as THE SECRET ANNEX and later published as THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, Anne Frank expresses her belief in the healing power of nature — “amidst the simple beauty of nature…will always be comfort for every sorrow… nature brings solace in all troubles”: “The […]
Book Review: THE SHAPE OF IDEAS by Grant Snider
First, a confession: I’ve long been a fan and a follower of Grant Snider’s “Incidental Comics.” Seeing one of his comic strips pop-up in my Twitter feed is like a gift of sunshine to brighten my day. My eyes delight in his whimsical artistry; my mind gleefully applauds his […]
How Deep Is Your Love?
In honor of Valentine’s Day, National Spay/Neuter Awareness Month (February), and World Spay Day (the last Thursday in February) — A letter from DOMESTIC ANIMAL COMPANIONS (PETS) UNITED FOR A BETTER FUTURE: Dear Humans: This may seem like a strange question to ask, but we really need to know… How […]
Pondering The Possibilities: Repeal of Whopper Neutrality
Have you heard of “Net Neutrality”? What about “Whopper Neutrality”? Back in December of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to overturn regulations mandating net neutrality. Net Neutrality was one of those things that too many of us took for granted or never gave much thought about its function […]
Words: ” No Wealth In The World Can Help Humanity Forward …”
How do we help humanity forward? When we value the wrong things, then we focus on the wrong things. And, of course, we create the wrong things. Not the things that we most need… As Albert Einstein explained in THE WORLD AS I SEE IT: “I am absolutely convinced that […]
Music: Augustin Hadelich’s “Fantasy of the Cats”
We listen to music for a variety of reasons — to relax, to distract, to celebrate, to evoke a memory, to capture a moment, to alter our mood, to reflect our emotions, to enhance our brain functions… But, have you ever wondered what musicians imagine when they listen to music? […]
Pondering The Possibilities: Male Cat Birthing Coach
The idea of a male cat birthing coach seems to go against everything we think we know or have been taught to think about the nature of human vs animal behavior. Humanity — 1) compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition: the quality or state of being humane; 2) the quality or state […]
Words: Zane Grey “What Any Man Can Do…”
Author Zane Grey has a few simple, timeless suggestions for when, in the midst of our helpless frustration, we wonder what any one man or woman can do to change things or make a difference in what is happening around us… “… to bear up under loss – to fight the bitterness of defeat and […]
Words: “Where Human Beings Grow Human Souls …”
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 […]
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 […]
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 — […]
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 […]