“It happens this way” are the opening words from a poem of mine called “A Few Words on Inspiration.” They signal that this blog will share what inspires me to stand up – like poet Galway Kinnell – and say “with as little concealment as possible, what it is for [me] to be on earth at this moment.”
Welcome to the journey!
The Maui Diaries, Part 3
It happens this way … May 18, 2019 Two of the free sites we love to visit are the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu and the Heritage Center in the ...
The Maui Diaries, Part 2
It happens this way … May 17 – 30, 2019 The ocean and sunsets: two of Maui’s delights. Unlike New Jersey where you have to pay to go on a ...
The Maui Diaries, Part 1
It happens this way … May 16, 2019 All I wanted for my 74th birthday was a sunset walk on a Kihei beach. So when Kathy, her mother Patsy, and ...
Thoughts for a Saturday
It happens this way … It’s been almost a year since I launched this blog and announced my intention of posting one – maybe two or three – articles a ...
Celebrating a new neighbor
It happens this way … Last Sunday our new neighbors, a lovely Ethiopian couple, invited us to a party celebrating their daughter’s first birthday. We have known the father for ...
10,000 words about early spring
It happens this way … If a picture is worth a thousand words, here are 10,000 words from our April yard. Here’s to an abundant spring time wherever you are! ...
By your students you’ll be taught, Part II
It happens this way … Last Wednesday we completed our third poetry class at Happy Valley Library. These classes were an experiment to see if any one in the local ...
Green Book: a must-see
It happens this way … Rarely does a movie touch, move, and delight me the way Green Book did last night. We picked up the library’s Blu-Ray copy and watched ...
By your students you’ll be taught
It happens this way … Last Wednesday night, I taught the first of three poetry workshops at the beautiful Happy Valley Library. I had expected ten adults to show up, ...
Springing with gratitude
It happens this way … Wednesday night’s reading at the Ledding Library Pond House was a poet’s dream. Tom Hogan and Emmett Wheatfall are warm, welcoming hosts who work hard ...
Slowing down for poetry
It happens this way … When Christi Suzanne, a writing colleague from my days with VoiceCatcher, invited me to do an author’s interview for her blog, the timing couldn’t have been ...
Spring is sneaking in …
It happens this way … Arrival This week Spring smuggled passels of squills and crocuses into our yard. Which means it’s clear-out time for weeds and moss and all those ...
The fourth agreement: You’ve got to be kidding!
It happens this way … For any recovering perfectionist, reading “always” and “best” in the same sentence is a temptation to relapse. To my great relief, Don Miguel Ruiz softens ...
The third agreement: “You should have known …”
It happens this way … At the beginning of his discussion of the third agreement, Don Miguel Ruiz lays it out: We have a tendency to make assumptions about everything ...
The second agreement … yeah, right!
It happens this way … But I’m a person, I want to scream! How else can I take what others throw at me with their words, actions, or energy but ...
Ancient wisdom anyone?
It happens this way … Two weeks ago, a Facebook friend posted a reference to the 1997 spiritual classic, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel ...
R.I.P., Mary Oliver
It happens this way … Few poets have captured the poetic imaginations of readers around the world like Mary Oliver. Her passing today at the age of 83 unleashed an ...
Thinking it forward
It happens this way … You’ve heard of that lovely concept of paying it forward? This week I discovered it’s mate: thinking it forward. I’ve been listening to You-Tube clips ...
Coming this February …
It happens this way … I’m thrilled to tell you that my fourth poetry collection, A Penchant for Masquerades, is scheduled for release mid-February by Unsolicited Press. Thanks to Shawn Aveningo ...
Changing the narrative, Part II
It happens this way … I never know what’s going to resonant with readers when I post a blog. My original intent was to share whatever comes up in my ...
Changing the narrative …
It happens this way … I’ve never believed in setting goals or making New Year’s resolutions. Too much pressure to succeed and too many disappointments when I failed. However, this ...
‘Twas the Morning Before Christmas
It happens this way … Last Christmas Eve morning, it started to snow. Anyone who lives in this part of the world knows that three flakes are cause for panic ...
The doctor’s doing fine …
It happens this way … There’s nothing like filling out the annual “Medicare Wellness Checkup” list to make me feel great. Here are some of the questions that gave me ...
A Buddhist Detective?
It happens this way … I just started to read a detective series by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay about an ex-Buddhist monk turned LAPD cop turned private investigator. The ...
Lot’s Daughter Earns a Pushcart Prize Nomination
It happens this way … What a way to start the week! The editors of the Gyroscope Review just emailed to say that they nominated one of my poems from their ...
A Maestro Is Born
It was an honor to conduct an orchestra. But with about 600 eyes staring at you, it’s a wee bit frightening but very exciting. At first it felt like I left ...
Create or die
It happens this way … I have a new addiction: alcohol inks. What an ironic name, no? But they’re not for drinking; they’re for creating new types of artwork that I’m ...
Don’t blame the lettuce
It happens this way … In twelve days, we’ll celebrate our 26th anniversary. It’s been a fabulous journey of self-discovery and other-discovery, and of learning and re-learning lessons we were ...