How To Start a Cult*

February 16, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Find an issue people are able to get passionate about, say, child trafficking. 2. Share information and increase the outrage. Start with facts, but insert the occasional manufactured story to test the waters. Maybe try Pizza Gate. 3. Increase paranoia by suggesting that so much is hidden from the public. Again, use actual cases, for […]

Contemplating a Tree

February 14, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Meditation, a former teacher of mine said, is as easy as contemplating a tree. Imagine its roots running deep into the Earthgrounding and nurturing Imagine its branches reaching towards the skybending with the breezes Imagine yourselfdeeply rootedtouching the sky,strong and calm. (Image my own)

Mindful Practice

February 11, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

In darkest times, I learned to pray, asking each day for healing and insight to guide me. I walked with awareness, appreciating the sacredness of all living things. Breathing consciously, I discovered an effective way to release tension. In meditative moments, letting go of self, I felt at one with nature. “What does that mean?” […]

Don’t Take It Personally

February 9, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Spurred on by my mother, I left home at the age of seventeen. It was the right thing for all involved, but when my parents replaced me with two cats, I couldn’t help but feel slighted: I’m deadly allergic to cats. When my mother-in-law spiked a meal with milk, hoping to prove that food allergies […]

Dormant

February 7, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

There’s a restlessness in me that defies explanation. It’s not that I am bored – I have any number of creative projects on the go – it’s that I have a sense that I’m missing something, something that lies deep at my core. But what? And how do I access it? Something that is dormant […]

Good thing we didn’t give up!

February 4, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Title is borrowed from a blog post entitled Disappointment and Then. It has me thinking. How many times in my life have I almost talked myself out of progress? Teaching is the example that stands out the most. I wanted to be a teacher ever since I lined up dolls for lessons as a child, […]

Making space for introspection

February 2, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Culling through old journals, and blog posts has me feeling introspective. Pausing and processing. I feel change tugging at my edges. Time to rethink the purpose of this blog. The camera has been tucked away until warmer weather and better health permits more exploring. In the meantime, I’m studying the art of drawing and playing […]

That’s Cold!

January 31, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

(For Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: cold)

Arizona Dreaming

January 28, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Culling through old photographs and pulling favourites. Featured is a grove of mesquite trees at Coon’s Bluff. The dreamlike image that follows is from Bryce Thomson Arboretum. Heart memories.

Old Dog, New Tricks

January 26, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

This old dog is determined to learn something new, so I’ve been practicing drawing faces. If nothing else, it’s fodder for laughter. The featured image is me, sans lunettes. I ran it through a digital filter to de-emphasize the amateur quality. The drawing below is my husband from a photograph. When I showed it to […]

Wings

(Written during my bedbound years with ME/CFS)

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

May is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness month. Also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, this disease is characterized by exhaustion after exertion. The exertion can be physical -taking a shower; emotional – worrying or obsessing; or mental- filling out forms. The best source of information about ME/cfs, as we call it, is the Bateman Horne Center. They […]

Sorry

Sorry –so much inadequacybundled into one wordas if five letterscan conveydepths of regret,shock, dismay seems I am the sparkto your lighter fluid –unintentional, I swear still reelingfrom the aftermathof the explosion attempting todeconstruct theformula –precautionary I am sorry –that you are enraged,that you are so obviously disappointedthat you are consumed with resentment –except, it is […]