The Circle of Our Family
“The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family far too small.” —Mother Teresa Share an experience in which you found this statement to be true—or false.
Manifesting My Creative Vision
“Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression.” —Isaac Bashevis Singer Tell me how you get past the disappointment when you don’t yet have the skills to manifest your creative vision. Or a time you gave up because you weren’t good enough to actualize the thing you wanted to …
Letting Go
“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the times comes to let it go, to let it go.” —Mary Oliver Tell me about a time this was true in your …
My Relationship With Worry
“When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his death bed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.” – Winston Churchill Tell me about your relationship with worry.
A Time I Invented My Future
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” – Alan Kay Tell me about a time you invented your own future.
A Material Thing I Love
“I do not believe in God. I believe in cashmere.” —Fran Lebowitz Tell us about a material thing you love. Let it rip. Write an ode—a love song—to that thing.
School Bells Are Ringing
I am finally starting to get over my jetlag (which gets harder as I get older) and my post-Covid symptoms are subsiding. I am feeling more grounded and stronger day by day. Less than an hour from now, I will be welcoming new students to my Wednesday morning writing practice class for an orientation. And …
The Way Home
“The way home has always been there. It has stretched out in front of me but I have not had the eyes to see it. The way home is a broad, dusty road. There are curves and overgrown places. Forest pathways and granite cliffs. The way home is always lit—by sunlight, by moon light, by …
Home Sweet Home
I always feel so blessed to come home from a long trip to see my front door, Karyn’s garden, the house clean and welcoming, usually something warm cooked in honor of my homecoming, and all the familiar artwork and cozy places in our house. I feel blessed to have a home and a wonderful spouse …
A Mind That Is Stretched
“A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes Tell me about a time exposure to a new idea changed your life irrevocably.
I’m in Portuguese Spa Heaven
I have always been a huge fan of hot water: saunas, hot tubs, sweat lodges, steam rooms, steaming bathtubs filled with bath oil, scented Epsom salts or both. Relaxing in a hot bath at night is my top tier coping mechanism for just about every stress life has to offer. Twenty-three years ago, we had …
Hike out to the São Jacinto Dunes Natural Reserve, Portugal.
I just love nature wherever I go! After this hike, I got to go to the beach nearby, a giant expansive beach with maybe two dozen locals on a Sunday afternoon. I got to dive into the Atlantic ocean, and it was to the west!
Now how exactly am I supposed to take a shower?
This morning I am packing up to leave this beautiful oasis in Portugal for a few days at a Permaculture cooperative about two hours from Porto. It sounds like a really interesting place and we will be staying in little personal hobbit holes. At least that’s what these little one person shelters look like to …
Loving the Beauty of Portugal
Michaela and I took a long, dreamy local train ride along the Douro River from a small town station to the end of the line and back. Great way to spend the day.
I Spent a Long, Dreamy Day Resting in a Tiny Village in Portugal and Here’s What I’m Thinking About
When Brenda Porter and I were talking the other day about running another Creative Camino trip next year, I was clear about my position—it was a definite yes! I wanted to do it again. But I hadn’t been the person who had organized all the logistics, who had sent those hundreds of emails to hoteliers …