Tag: inspiration

Neighborhood party

She said, this is what it’s about. Community. Vote for your community, she said. I said, yeah, totally. It was 44 degrees and raining most of the time and also muddy. Still, people showed up at this neighborhood party that was advertised on sign posts. I walked over with a couple poems in my back… Continue reading Neighborhood party

Liver spring

The season of spring is vigorous and forceful because things have to grow. We need to move like the wind and in fact, wind is the weather of spring. Spring is the the color of bright green, the element is wood, and the organ is liver. Liver’s partner is the gall bladder. Anger is associated… Continue reading Liver spring

That Clear and Certain Sound

By Pamela Haines Book review by Mary Ann Petersen What rings true? Something with “that clear and certain sound.” This book by Pamela Haines is short and dense with content. It is part of the series Quaker Quicks. As Haines describes it, she assembled the book from a series of essays and meditations she had composed over… Continue reading That Clear and Certain Sound

Lower the temp; raise the vibe

I think one reason mask wearing became controversial is because it was an act of respect and half of Americans didn’t want to. It was inconvenient. To be asked to put a mask over your blowhole to resist spraying others nearby was viewed as so totally unreasonable it actually got people killed. I’ve come up… Continue reading Lower the temp; raise the vibe

Office Hours

I’m holding office hours Saturdays 11:00-1:00. Drop-in, in-person or zoom option.  Stop by if you need to check-in. No need to sign up in advance.  Keeping office hours creates a window for inquiry. A structured framework for interaction.  I have friends who host office hours. They said often no one comes. I am prepared to… Continue reading Office Hours

Thresholds

In the darkness of winter, I have many questions. I woke up wondering if snowy owl should be capitalized. It shouldn’t. Mona Lisa should be capitalized. Big Dipper is capitalized. Plants and animals are less consistent. Aside from punctuation, I wonder about how we’ve been trained to not speak negatively and how sometimes this is… Continue reading Thresholds

Passing through

To make courageous decisions I practice feeling temporary. Pretend life is temporary and eventually none of this will matter. Imagine we are here a very short time and then disappear leaving no trace. I practice doing now what I feel drawn to. I am not going to be remembered. We are all hounded relentlessly by bullshit… Continue reading Passing through

Give an hour

The universal switchboard is lighting up and I’m taking a lot of calls. The message came through quickly, as they do, you just have to pay attention. I happened to hear it. It said, give an hour of help toward someone. Don’t hesitate. Act on this. Need help? I’ll give you an hour. Sign up… Continue reading Give an hour