The guy in a designer suit strolled right past the man sitting on the frayed, and very dirty, piece of blanket on a street corner. It wasn’t as if he didn’t visually see him, it was just that he believed that man wasn’t worth truly seeing. After all, he must be a loser or a drunk […]
Author Archives: Kay Malloy McLane
I know people who spend money purchasing beautiful art, creating memorable experiences and enjoying gastronomic feasts. Some use their income and energy creating homes that feed their souls. Others live frugally so that they can support causes that pull at their heartstrings. I see people, who have very little financially, give much of what they […]
Yesterday, I was downstairs in the shop organizing hardware storage cabinets. Small bins hold everything from nails and screws to plumbing and electrical parts, and they’re all labeled by their contents, so we know where things are. The process is pretty mindless. For example, screws are separated by drives like slotted, Phillips, and hex. Sorting […]
I Second Thoughts How many times have you said something like: “on second thought, I shouldn’t have hit ‘send’, on second thought, I’ll have the asparagus instead of the broccoli, on second thought, going to that party is not a good idea, or on second thought, I don’t want to keep trying to be her […]
So, for the first time in my life, I locked my keys in my car (in the trunk to be exact). And, it was on a (very) hot summer day. My thoughts in order (yep, I actually wrote them down): “Wow, that was REALLY stupid!” “That’s what you get for rushing!” “Now, I’m going to […]
I pruned a tree right outside the mudroom door. Before I bought it many years ago, I made sure it was a species that would stay small since it’s in a narrow area next to the house. In the beginning, I was very diligent about cutting it back each fall so that it wouldn’t be […]
It’s often easy to get so caught up in our realities that we don’t stop to look at the world through another’s eyes. And, when we don’t take the time to see outside our own little universe, our narrow perspective can lead to behavior that can be anything from inconsiderate to downright mean. Yesterday, I offered up […]
I truly believe that “nice” is underrated. I also believe we could use a little more civility, care, and concern, so I’m offering “The Kindness Challenge” hoping that we can, individually and collectively, create a kinder, gentler world” by seeing day-to-day life differently. We’ll look at the first 25 today and finish with the next 25 […]
COMPLETE Experiences that shaped who you are get blurred with the passing of time as memories become woven into a tapestry stitched together by the moments of your yesterdays. More and more is written into the tome of your life: the magnificent and the mundane the extraordinary and the excruciating; reality and dreams merge—both parts […]
A young woman asked me, “If God created the universe, then who created God?” I shared the “God has no beginning. God created time. God created the universe. God has always been,” philosophy that I understand as truth. “But that doesn’t make sense and you haven’t answered the question,” was her response. So, I tried again: “God’s existence has […]
“TREES” the trees call to me they know me by name they weep spilling their leaves and pods over the earth their hearts are heavy with the knowledge that destruction surrounds their planet i whisper, “i don’t know what to do; i don’t know how to stop it” the trees call to me they know […]
Awareness greets me each morning. She asks, “what will you do with today?” Almost always, I answer boldly, listing what I’d like to accomplish; knowing how I desire to make a difference in the next 24 hours. But, every once in a while, I whisper, “I have no idea”. My tank is already close to empty […]
There are times when our peace-full living is disrupted. It can happen suddenly, almost like a switch being flipped, turning off the power of love, the power of faith, the power of hope. It can happen slowly and insidiously, leaving us stumbling around in the dark, often not knowing how, why or even when our […]
Yesterday marked the first day of a new school year in my area; hopefully a fresh start and an opportunity for new beginnings. Sometimes this new start is celebratory and exciting. Ideally, students are coming in with a “blank slate”, ready to seize the opportunities in front of them. Hopefully, the experience is positive. Maybe the students […]
Dear Readers, This post is dedicated to all of you who have struggled through the loss of a loved one long before he or she left this earth. A MILLION GOODBYES he lies with the sleeping woman; her, curled up in a ball, fragile, innocent like a child; him, arms wrapped around her, not […]
What I usually see is simply a mirage—an illusory construct created by my imagining. It seems like the beginning and end of reality because that’s as far as my human brain usually takes me. But, what I assume are concrete boundaries are simply my own limitations. When I look closely, however, and choose to consider what’s beyond […]
I woke up, brushed my teeth, threw on a t-shirt and pair of yoga pants and headed out for a walk with Vero, my little rescue dog. It was 6:50 on an absolutely perfect Sunday morning. Vero scampered as we trekked up the hill (yep, he actually scampers); him stopping often to smell something, me […]
We are spirit energy, stuck in (mostly) clunky bodies, with three-pound brains directing much (often most) of our living. We forget all the time that we mere mortals are much more alike than we are different. THE COFFEE SHOP The lights in the coffee shop are still on. The traveler drags his bag […]
ONCE UPON A TIME when i was young, i ran through soft, green grass unafraid of mud squishing between my toes, unafraid of worms or bugs or other creatures. i heard all the morning birdsong, i saw bunnies scamper looking for food. i waited for the deer to stop by in the dark, and partake […]
I was pulling weeds, outside my front porch, on a beautiful summer night before the dark swept away the light. I had a purpose—remove the weeds in order to allow the plants I want there to have a chance to grow. Larry (my husband) sat with me, weeding too. He (a significantly more structured person than me) is pretty methodical. […]
One morning, I was talking to someone who said, “I just can’t get out of the teacup.” What I heard was, “I’m stuck in this really small space and when I try to climb out, I just slide back down to the bottom.” The teacup felt like heartache to me, and not knowing how to […]
Did you ever play hopscotch as a child? It was one of those activities that required very little: a piece of chalk, a flat stone and a couple of other “ready to play a game” children. 1. First, we’d draw the blocks (“the court”) with a piece of chalk, and number the squares. 2. Next, […]
LOST what have we lost between our youth and where we are now? have we given up our collective, universal desire to feel important, to be loved, to matter? what have we left behind because we thought we “outgrew” those child-like, innocent things? have we stopped being hypnotized by the flames of a fire or […]
It seems like we expend an awful lot of energy trying to “fit in”, which can mean a lot of different things depending on where you are right now. It changes significantly depending on who you’re with and is often fueled by the winds of just a few. I’m also aware that many of us […]
Constant Change Most of us understand, at least from a big-picture perspective, that Change is Constant. When it impacts our lives personally, however (in relationships, lifestyles, abilities), it often terrorizes us. Most of us don’t like change throwing itself at us without an invitation! When stuck in patterns of the past—whether that’s “woe is me” […]
peace full home®—intentional living 