Headed into Battle

Headed into Battle

In my dreams, I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. — Publilius Syrus I’m currently recovering (Please let me be recovering- I am soooo done with this) from Covid. Being single and sick is...
Surprise

Surprise

Unexpected intrusions of beauty. This is what life is. ― Saul Bellow, Herzog I don’t know what it is about plants growing in spaces that aren’t particularly hospitable to them, but it always makes me smile. Maybe it’s the unexpectedness such as...
Beautiful and Useful

Beautiful and Useful

One of the first obligations of art is to make all useful things beautiful. — Edith Wharton I love watching people create useful things. The care that can go into everything from making a loaf of bread to a piece of art. We tend to appreciate the art, but ignore...
Distracted

Distracted

When I’m driving the highway by myself is when I write best. – Willie Nelson Why does the open road prove to be such a successful muse? Why do so many of our best ideas come in the shower? Why does a long run, aimless walk, or a bike ride all alone through the trails...
Waiting for a Sign

Waiting for a Sign

To me the question is always this: if a ray of light came out of the sky and said, “Your next book will never be published,” would you still write it? If the answer is yes, the book is worth writing. — Markus Zusak We’d all like a sign from the gods...

In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace – and what did...
Going old school

Going old school

Many people mistakenly think that a new technology cancels out an old one. — Judith Martin Bigger, better, faster, more. The latest upgrade. The most high tech materials. These are the modern era’s siren songs. Every leap in technology births announcements of an...
Lazy Days of Summer

Lazy Days of Summer

‘Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is about. —John Mayer I have an affinity for water — the sound of it, the sight of it, the feel of it on my ankles and knees and hips, and most especially the memories of summers spent in it. Summer means...
Outside Looking In

Outside Looking In

I know what it’s like when the things you believe make you feel like you’re on the outside looking in. — Jodi Picoult We’ve all been there. The outsider is one of literature’s most recognized and relatable motif’s and for good reason. We...
Easy answers

Easy answers

No amount of smiling at a flight of stairs has ever made it turn into a ramp. — Stella Young If only. There are so many platitudes about tackling challenging situations: The difficult co-worker — Kill ’em with kindness! Learning an instrument — Just...