Canceling the Cushion
I gave up meditating recently. Or perhaps I should say I gave up trying to make myself meditate. Finally, I surrendered to a fundamental truth about myself: I am never…
The Need to Knead
I am, like a lot of other Americans, spending a lot of time in the kitchen these days. Okay, truth be told, I spend a lot of time in the…
How To Make Art
During this weird liminal time of coronavirus, I know a lot of people who are finding a compelling desire to make something—painting, drawing, dancing, playing music, writing, cooking—anything we put…
I Am Really Angry
These days I am desperately hoping that Mr. Trump or one of his close family members contracts the coronavirus, so he will finally understand that this is not just a…
Poems for Pleasure
My greatest solace throughout life has been writing. Recently, I was going through a box of papers and photos retrieved from my mother’s home before we sold it, and came…
Ritual Healing
What are we to do with our time, now that the closets are cleaned out, we’ve spoken by phone or email to our beloveds and assured ourselves they are okay…
The Grievies
A few days ago, I had to put my beloved dog, Jackson Browne, to sleep. I'm writing about it, as I do everything important to me, and will post something…
The Toilet Paper Pixie Strikes!
The objects of our desire Some of you may have read my first essay on this revived/new blog, posted April 1, called “A Toilet Paper Confession.” After it was posted,…
Farewell Films
The other day I taught an online class for the seminary I attended—the Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley, California—which has shifted all of its classes online, like every other higher education…
Beth’s Blessing
I have been thinking about Beth lately. Beth was my neighbor in the Berkeley hills for a few years in the mid-2000s. She was, in a way, my first hospice…