optimism | optimism
Mar.27.2013
The older I get, the more I believe we live a life of self-fulfilling prophecies.
I grew up with grandparents who used to quote from the old version of the King James Bible (Proverbs 23:7): “As you think, so shall ye be.” I thought the idea was a bunch of hooey at the time. More and...
|
Mar.08.2013
A wintry blue sky crowns my view to the outside world. A jet slips past the large picture window, destination unknown. I feel warm and snug in this womb my soft hospital bed has become.
My destination today is home. Tomorrow? Who knows. I'm learning that uncertainty is our lone guarantee.
I'...
|
Feb.10.2013
Jane Hirshfield
(from THIRTY YEAR PLAN: Thirty Writers on What We Need To Build a Better Future; Great Barrington MA: ORION Books, 2012)
Optimism
The reality is this. We are going to die, and everyone we love and care about will die too....
|
Jan.13.2013
The sun outside my windows promises a warm day. Its sunshine creates a snug, cozy ambiance in the house.
We've been experiencing unusual weather conditions here in Ashland. We expect snow each year but it isn't expected to hang around. Snow below three thousand feet is usually a...
|
Oct.20.2012
The turn of events this summer has caused me to reflect on the nature of fear and how it distorts perspective. The chimera takes on a palpable form, prompting actions that aren't contained in an imagined world, but have negative consequences, even fatal consequences, in the human arena when...
|
Aug.02.2012
Here’s your opportunity to share my simple, but workable secret for emotionally recovering from life’s setbacks—like rejection letters. Maybe these two tools will work for you as they do for me.
The first is to distract yourself from your problem. Think about something other than the...
|
May.03.2012
“Where goes Seattle, so goes the world” It is the greatest most poignant truth in the world. Even though it’s fame and importance is generally relegated to my own head. On May first Seattle was invaded by a bunch of trust fund anarchists who seemed quite angry at something. They were not sure what...
|
Apr.05.2012
We’re all familiar with the feeling, whether it’s short lived in response to a particular event, or a cloud that lingers for no apparent reason, maybe a purely biochemical one. What I wonder is what possible purpose the feeling serves. Here are some suggestions:
1) Being depressed conserves energy...
|
Jan.15.2012
Today’s my birthday. I share it this year with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a calendrical accident that confers the spiritual equivalent of a contact high.
But for me, a birthday is always an occasion. Every year has a distinct character and completeness that begs to be understood: I want to...
|
Jan.01.2012
On the day after Thanksgiving my husband went wine tasting. I went for a walk, needing to exercise after my blissful enjoyment of an abundance of sumptuous food. Happy inside and out, I wanted to experience the delightfully crisp air and gawk at bedazzling fall colors before the trees succumbed...
|