Five more minutes
At a playground, a woman sits down next to a man seated on a park bench. "That's my son over there," she tells him, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater, gliding down the slide. "He's a fine…
Wherever you are be all there
"We should do this more often." A middle-aged man is pointing at the scenery, mouth agape, speaking to a woman standing at his side. (Okay, maybe north of middle-age.)I am doing what I do best: Eavesdropping. (And it’s how I…
Ease into the quiet
This morning, we woke to our second day of snow. Out at the pond, a Great Blue Heron, poised elegant and stylish, patiently waits for breakfast.The sky is filled with a flotilla of tiny parachutes, floating (more like dancing), quietly…
Brave enough to be it
“I like your style,” I tell the geese on this cold and blustery morning. “Even today, still looking for sun, and a good meal. And you hang together; that impresses me. Plus, I’m told you mate for life, with very low divorce…
Mindful of small things
Welcome to the new year. 2021. There are so many who couldn’t wait to get here, with 2020 in the rear-view mirror. Although we all know it doesn’t quite work that easily, does it?But this I do know, from a…
The gift of this day
On today’s walk, the rain is unremitting. The sky is gray and cinched down at the corners. But the evergreens along the way, vivid and alive. It is quiet, and I walk with a smile, exploring and enjoying the acreage…
The gift of empty boxes
On Christmas Eve, a young father watches his 3-year-old daughter do her best to meticulously wrap a present. And she feels old enough to do so, without any help from a parent. (Remember that phase?)Choosing a roll of expensive gold-foil…
Hiding place for the holy
My walk this morning is in a new neck of the woods. I will be in discovery mode for the next several weeks. I do miss the sheep. But in the coming days, I will be on the lookout for a…
Passion and a soft heart
Brené Brown tells the story of meeting a young woman at a media conference. She is excited to meet the woman (an accountant / jeweler) because she had bought a beautiful pair of earrings from the woman's online store."How long…
The gift of enough
In an episode of The West Wing, CJ Craig (White House new chief of staff) is wired, tense and distracted. Danny (her love interest) shows up, middle of the workday, at her White House office, "to take her for a…
