I took piano lessons as a child and I played flute and oboe in the band in high school. I haven’t played piano in years, but I do occasionally play around on a piano. I mostly play by ear these days. Honestly, I’ve mostly played by ear my entire life. I can still read treble…

I decided to spend some time reading on my recent vacation. In all my reading and listening throughout the week, there were a few lines from the first two chapters of a book that just kept ringing in my ears. The book is Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult…

I was out with friends for dinner on Cinco de Mayo and a woman showed up fully dressed as a piñata. At first I giggled at the extreme nature of her outfit, and then I marveled in her joy. I decided to approach the woman and I said, “I love your festive outfit. I love…

I’ll admit it…I tend to be an overthinker. One of my latest overthinking moments had to do with greetings. Over the past two weeks, I’ve really been wrestling with greetings. What is the typical greeting in certain situations and what is the most effective/best greeting? For many years, we have focused on radical welcoming at…

It’s January, so it’s time again to select a word of the year (if you like doing that sort of thing)! In case you have not read my past few December/January blogs, here is a recap of my past words of the year: 2018: NOW (practicing living in the present) 2019: NEW (making MANY things…

Two weeks ago, for the first time in years, I laid down in a hammock, and I was reminded just how wonderful hammocks are. It was so wonderful, that I ordered my very own hammock and stand before getting out of the hammock I was in. You see, I can get pretty overwhelmed sometimes. Overwhelmed…

I’ve watched many of my friends go through some really hard times over the past few years. Many times, I haven’t known what to say or do. I try to check in. I encourage them to let me know what they need. I offer what I know to offer: a listening ear, a hug, a…

A story broke in the news in the past week about a pilot on a small plane in Florida who suddenly became unconscious. A passenger (with no flying experience) was able to safely land the plane simply by listening to the instructions being given to him over the radio by the air traffic controller (who…

I personally think adults do not spend enough time watching animated movies. There are some GREAT animated films out there (full-length and shorts),  and if people really took the time to check them out, they might realize that the films cover some very important topics that need to be discussed with children. Animated films can…

Words mean a lot to me, they do help guide my intentions, and they absolutely help to counter some of my narratives and doubts that definitely need countering…it is January, and I have been debating about my 2022 word for the past week.