Every Day Zen
Whether it is voice recognition, dictation, or Siri, predictive text is not given to the poetic in us. Rather, artificial intelligence assigns labels, predicts patterns. But humans always break the mold, no matter how predictable we appear to be. We fight for words, stretching sentence structure for all it’s worth. Fragments rearrange and clauses connect until... Continue Reading →
Today’s #LongerView considers the wisdom of Seth Godin in “Live With It,” appreciating boundary conditions even when they are regrettable. Somewhat like pick your battles but I take a quick side trip to the Little Big Horn River. Enjoy! As always, I provide the swinging bench. Aim for Even posts offer equanimity a dose at... Continue Reading →
Aging is freeing for a writer, a last gasp of so many why nots? I’ve mentioned wanting to write poetry but not having a poet’s heart, which I don’t, but why not a few lines of verse, from time to time? And because it is not real poetry but an exercise, I use a quotation,... Continue Reading →
Rumi says, “as you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” It is not troll-free nor has it ever been. Trolls have always been available to distract and sow discord. Theirs is not a world of substance but nothing stuns a troll like silence. If there is no reaction, if no one “bites... Continue Reading →
The dust of days, so often overlooked in favor of the clean slate, especially at the beginning of a year, 365 days not yet lived. It’s not without its inspiration, this charcoal slate with pine border, edged perfectly, and full-length piece of chalk ready to make dust, powdered words. To live only by clean slate... Continue Reading →
It is a November wind that grounds me, as fall grows into winter, when darkness is greatest but light, in its slivers, wins the year. Increasingly, this is the most challenging time of the year for me. It’s less the darkness and more the coldness that has come to characterize North Florida winters. Ripe for... Continue Reading →
Like most people, I take an occasional break from Facebook and Twitter without having to announce it. I am more observer than participant so my absence is not noticed. People who know actually know me stay in touch. Social media is not an in-the-moment, completely present experience. It’s persona, rather than being present. It’s a... Continue Reading →
Today’s #LongerView, “The Undertow of Thought,” is about bringing the meditative state into every day, rather than escaping into the somewhat seductive and oh-so-subtle mental wandering we do: the what ifs and if only. It’s like an undertow, as we learn to swim with rather than against it. As always, I provide the swinging bench.... Continue Reading →
I am a reader of Louise Erdrich, usually during difficult times, not for solace surely but for life at low tide. Hers is no fictional escape but story, hard and raw, word by word. “You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to... Continue Reading →
