Know Thyself
Thoughts of this languishing writing platform have been gnawing at me for weeks. I keep telling myself that I should post something new, but I always get stopped by those demons of doubt telling me I’m not good enough. That…
Do Not Comply
“The mere example of non-conformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable to break through that tyranny,…
Presently Absent
Sharing or not sharing: that is the question. I go through cycles; one day, I’m determined to just use my voice, no matter what. The next, I feel defiant and determined to never bother again. A day or two later,…
Learning New Languages
After publishing last week’s post, I received an email from a reader, asking for clarification. I sent a response and would like to share and expand upon it here. I mean that the language we use—literally and figuratively—creates the world…
Do You Speak a Dead Language?
“The source of life which you create lies in the power of the language which you have.” —Christopher Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building How many of us think about and analyze the language we have—the one we were given…
Answer Me This
—A; —42; —3 hours; —the blue one; —true; —false We are assured the correct answers will get us through liferelatively unscathed. But where is that third-grade teacherwhen the doctor says it’s cancer? Is “A” really the right response when your…
Back to the Beginning
Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia From the second paragraph on page one: “Society is an artificial construction, a defense against nature’s power.” Paglia is not wrong, but she is working from a biased position (as we all do; we each…
A Team Sport
Ideas about greatnessraise a racket andspin over the netlike a fuzzy green ball. Your serve.My return.Charge the net.Mind the baseline.Run. Hit. Win. Or lose. Just a game against a friendly opponent? Turns out I was trying to beat myself—in league…
I Will Just Keep Reading, Thinking, and Writing
And you? I seldom hold a book in my hands and think, “Somebody wrote this crap?” or “Why on earth did anyone see fit to publish this?” There have been a few—what comes immediately to mind are one on self-publishing…
Can You Be Honest With Yourself?
Have you ever been long excited about a trip/vacation only to find yourself disappointed as soon as it begins? Did you brush off the disappointment with an excuse like, “I’m just tired from the travel”? Well, whatever the reason, that…
The Key Shouldn’t Cost More than the Treasure it Unlocks
For each of more than 400 days, I wrote and published at least 1,000 words on a site that no longer exists. I still have most of the posts stashed away and reread one every now again. The following was…
Year After Year
Mother’s Day. I hate it. No matter how much I lower my expectations, no matter how hard my husband and kids try to get me just the right thing, to be thoughtful for a few hours, or to bake something…
