It seems that after the wild ride that was 2020 there was an almost audible collective sigh of relief as the page on the calendar turned to the new year. Some of those people shared both hopeful new year greetings and more typical messages to friends and online followers. I enjoy exploring social media and especially appreciate Twitter as a way to explore unfamiliar ideas, stay in touch with friends, and to connect with new people. And I’ve provided Twitter “handles” (@ immediately followed by name)…
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Wildfires and Faith. Dearhearts and Fire Poppies.
Every year I watch, full of fear, as Californians flee (or don’t flee) homes that are devoured by wildfires. We have family and friends around the state; despite hearing about go-bags in the cars, I remain mystified by the the combination of steeliness and flexibility they display. On the other hand, I’ve met people who are frightened by New England’s blizzards and ice storms. After several years, I’m adjusting to Florida’s hurricanes. At first I relied on information from neighbors coupled with firm, specific instructions from my…
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Our Friend Oscar and His Inner Critic
Once upon a time we had a friend, a guy named Oscar. Like most — maybe all — of us, he had an inner critic. The problem was, he did not know that his inner critic could become an ally. Our friend struggled and stayed stuck — convinced that those ugly words the inner critic put into his head were, in fact, true. One day, somebody gave our friend a book. A very good book. An award-winning book. At first Oscar wasn’t sure why he had…
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Murmuration, Mozart and Mysteries
Murmuration. I’m not sure what caught my attention first — the word or the birds. It was probably the massive flocks of birds looping and swirling like leaves in the fall or, even better, meeting them when autumn breezes decide to tease the fallen. Their merger brings to mind the trompe l’oeil of an Escher drawing: initially simple in appearance but complex in execution. I’m always excited to discover special words like the ones for the smell of a good book or the earth following a rainstorm. There’s…
