Changing the Climate—A Revolution of Love

A dear friend reached out to me and asked if I would talk about the fear that many of us are feeling. Jill wrote, “We want to know what’s going on in the world, but what we read and hear scares us, we want to let our kids play outside and explore their world but we […]

Either/Or, And/But

It’s 6:23 in the morning as the light comes in from the East. The pines, river birches and oaks reach out to a blue sky, dappled with diaphanous clouds.  A rabbit hops through the grass as a chipmunk scurries across the deck. The tomatoes are turning red in the garden. A butterfly dances past my head. A gentle […]

Day-To-Day Life

Walking out of the grocery store, I saw an older man with snow-white hair, and a large hump on his back.  He was at the end of one of the aisles, hunched over, bagging groceries. Of course, I don’t know why he has that job. Maybe he desperately needs the money grocery bagging brings him. […]

Talking to Strangers

I sat next to an elderly gentleman, named George, in a surgical waiting room this morning. His first comment to me was that the sun outside was a welcome change from the rainy weeks we’ve been experiencing. I agreed and we talked for a few minutes. Then, about a half hour later, a volunteer came over […]

Taking the Scaffolding Down

When I teach classes on organization, I start with a dozen goals.  Next, we discuss the reasons we get to a place where we’re overwhelmed with “stuff”. If we don’t know why we’re in a situation, it’s tough to change our behavior, and we’re likely to end up back where we started. Once people have an “aha” moment in class it’s […]

Pruning the Hollies & Fighting For Your Life

Last week I was pruning the hollies on one side of the yard. We planted them in the fall of 2013 as evergreen, privacy trees between our property and one that is owned by a utility company. There’s always been a “much less-than-attractive” building on the acre next to ours, but a few years ago a BIG […]