Sunday Talks

Several years ago I created a short quiz for a class I was teaching. I presented participants with lines of verse — some were contemporary pop lyrics, others were pieces of sacred poetry from various traditions — and invited them…

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.-?? Usually, I’ve seen this quip attributed to Oscar Wilde.  But recently I read that it may have come from twentieth-century theologian, Thomas Merton.  It’s a good quote, and I like to give credit…

I’ve never totally bought into Valentine’s Day with its expensive date-nights and emphasis on amorous couplings.  There’s plenty to enjoy about the trappings of it; who doesn't like chocolate and flowers and canoodling?  And I definitely don’t want to undermine…

Last week I invoked the Zen parable that says, “Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” What I forget to mention is that chopping wood and carrying water is heavy work in any…

A couple of weeks ago, we went to see a documentary — Cunningham — about choreographer Merce Cunningham, an innovator in modern dance for much of the 20th century. It was a gorgeous movie, full of abstractions, on a subject…

Recently, I read a piece about wombats in Australia sharing their burrows with other small animals escaping the ravaging bushfires. The wombat burrows are deep enough underground to be fairly fireproof, and complex and extensive enough to allow oxygen flow…

My orientation to life tends to be a big juicy “Yes!” Most of the time, it’s an honest and authentically soulful expression for me. And there’s a lot of good in that, there’s a lot to like. “Yes” feels groovy…

Some friends and I were having a conversation about the importance of laying claim to our Good — identifying and naming our heart’s desire, declaring it available, and asserting our right to it. If we aren’t willing or able to…

The new year is the time for my annual job performance evaluation. It’s a valuable process. It’s also pretty intense for me because I take it seriously. I’m not worried or anything; I’m fairly confident that the Board of Trustees…

I heard a jingle on the radio the other day — an advertisement for Charmin toilet paper inviting me to enjoy their product and have a “happy new rear.”  I snorted coffee out my nose. After marveling for a while…