FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE
Why can’t you trust atoms? Because they make up everything. It’s a silly joke, maybe even stupid. Still, I must admit that it resonates lately — the part about not trusting, about not being about to trust in that which…
MY CIRCUS, MY MONKEYS
A few years ago, a Polish proverb hit social media. This saying was everywhere all of a sudden: “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” I’ve seen it on T-shirts and greeting cards, on coffee mugs and baby onesies. It’s catchy…
FAIRY TALE LIFE
“Chaos is a friend of mine.” -Bob Dylan I was listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast a few weeks ago, a series of episodes in which he deconstructs Disney’s adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” Gladwell and some thoughtful…
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
The yellow brick road starts our as a spiral in the movie, The Wizard of Oz. It’s like an echo of the tornado that dropped Dorothy in this strange, magical, technicolor world. She is still a little disoriented as she…
HIDE AND SEEK
“God is the idea of unlimited supply which [people] keep covered so deeply within their minds.” - Emma Curtis Hopkins I’ve always really liked this quote as a definition of the Divine. I usually trot it out during pledge campaigns…
PLAY HARD
First, an update about mask-wearing at Sunday services… We’ve been feeling our way through this matter for seven weeks now, since our return to in-person indoor gatherings. It seems like it’s time to address it directly again. Oh, how I…
BLURRY UP
One of the things I love about vacations is how they blur the edges of my life. Travis and I are in Palm Springs this week. It’s pretty hot, but a fantastic getaway, as always. We’ve been floating in the…
RISE AND SHINE
A headline in the Washington Post jumped out at me this week: “Creativity may be key to healthy aging. Here are ways to stay inspired.” The article by Matt Fuchs nicely highlighted music, theater, and art as wonderful ways to…
FACE THE MUSIC
In ballet-afrique dance classes with my amazing friend Romy Keegan, back when we were meeting indoors at the studio, we used to move across the floor in lines as we practiced new choreography each week. We’d learn both sides, both…
STEP BY STEP
I find myself revisiting these themes a lot lately: Trying to maintain a broad vision while also being able to focus on the immediate task at hand The importance of both solid planning and free-wheeling spontaneity Big picture inclusiveness balanced…