How to receive your heart’s desire — I drive a short distance in the mornings to a charming 1760 inn that is now a restaurant and events venue. I leave the car at the back of the ample parking area, empty at that time of day, to enjoy walking the country roads in the vicinity. As I…

What I learned from ‘the mask argument’ — The mango lady taught me the most important lesson of the pandemic. No, it wasn’t about the best masks to wear or the ideal hand sanitizer with the correct percentage of alcohol or how to Zoom with breakout rooms. …

Looking back on twelve weeks with The 1619 Project — I looked forward to finishing my coursework with The 1619 Project. I savored the sense of satisfaction with the completion of a goal and a noteworthy one at that. I also hoped to free up some additional reading and writing time. However, the end of this coursework became the beginning…

The spaghetti squash incident and surviving the unexpected — Hiss. The oven is sending out an SOS. I open the door to see the spaghetti squash, which I bake whole, dripping some liquid from its insides onto the bottom of the oven. This has never happened before. I must have overcooked it. Oh well. …

Habits, Character, and a Flower Pot — I was out for a walk and observed something that disturbed me. “Can I talk with you for a minute?” Two tall teens who had been walking toward me on the same side of the road as I stopped and listened. “I saw you walk by the flower pot in…

A Lesson from Nature — I have a sweet friend who now lives in Tel Aviv with her family so I sat up tall and took extra notice when news of the attack on Israel by the Hamas was announced. As most of us do concerning war, I bowed my head in sad submission to…

How we have more control over our joy than we think. After a very hot and humid week, we had a series of strong thunderstorms and heavy rains where I live in upstate New York. …

An Energy Lesson on Love — I got a phone call. “Debbie doll, you were right! You’ll never guess what happened!” This was my grandmother, some years ago. She used to call me Debbie doll. I miss that. “What happened?” “Well, yesterday I was out riding on my scooter to the senior center when it tipped…

On projection, gaslighting, and raising children — I was woken up one night with the following words and felt them important enough to sit up, turn the light on, grab a pen and paper, and write them down. You can’t see the reflection because of the projection. The next day I ruminated on this message. Projection is…