How do we weather the storms in life? This question matters to me not only because I’ve needed to get through my personal dangerous and disorienting storms and also not only because I worry about basement flooding or losing electricity in a blizzard. This question is also about the big Read more…
The swirl of life continues! I’m of course always hoping for the day when things are quiet and I can catch up and take care of things like backing up my computer. But the truth is that we are living in times of escalating crisis. Even without the ongoing political Read more…
I love that local pride sells. There are cute t-shirts with the phone area code for Minneapolis. I’ve drooled over the many lovely shirts out there with the shape of the state of Minnesota and a heart on the inside. I think these shirts are all interesting because we are Read more…
There are two feet of fresh snow outside and it can be hard to remember that it’s April and we really are moving towards spring. The news is full of crises and one could easily lose doubt that there is a larger evolutionary impulse towards more love. How do we Read more…
Are you a “morning person?†I’ve wished I was an early riser for years, but it’s been really hard for me to wake up consistently early. I don’t like waking up tired or to an alarm. I don’t like waking up in a hurry. I don’t like going through the Read more…
Last November I heard Hopi elder Vernon Masayesva speak about his work protecting water. I was struck by how he described his work as a response to the question “who am I am as a Hopi?†His repetition of the question helped me hear that he wasn’t asking a self-absorbed Read more…
I love the tradition of reviewing the year. What a wild year this has been! Sometimes its mind boggling to just review the day’s news and catastrophes of a month ago are so quickly subsumed by the next urgent thing. So while I get so much out of reviewing my Read more…
The Mississippi is very high right now and that’s how my life feels to me too. I can barely keep up with all the painful disasters both “natural†and “human-made.†When I get overwhelmed it helps me to go to the rushing waters and be brought back into the flow. Read more…
I know I must be in transition when I have another one of my dreams about needing to pack up everything from college and get on a flight. Usually I have only an hour before I need to leave and haven’t begun packing. These packing-up-school dreams usually stress me out Read more…
It’s so difficult to hold all the danger and uncertainties around us and stay active, engaged, and creative! In a single day I cycle through a bunch of different frames of mind, each with its own level of adrenaline, fear, anger, courage, and hope. Fortunately I know what shuts me Read more…