We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us even in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far…
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.’’ -Thoreau I do try to be thankful for the beauty that each season offers, but I have to confess that autumn is my favorite time of year.
I made my way from Texas to Illinois with my large print copy of Walden in hand. I read both in the airport while waiting for my flight and during the two hour flight. In case you are wondering, no one made any comments suggesting that I get some glasses. ? Thoreau’s writing is so incredibly dense. After nearly every sentence I read, I found myself stopping to carefully chew and digest each word and phrase.. This makes for slow but…
There is a popular phrase that is showing up on t-shirts and memes these days. “I like __ and maybe 3 people.” The blank is filled with your favorite craft, hobby, food, or whatever, of choice. I am not a fan of large crowds of people. Three people is enough for me at any given time. That said, I don’t have a general dislike of the human race…most days. Where I do have issues with people is when they say…
Earlier this week I wrote about being disappointed with myself over my lack of a writing discipline this year. I may need to look at my failure to write regular blog posts as another instance of re-routing of my planned journey. A few months ago I saw a call for articles for a brand new art journaling publication. Though I have been a “words” journaler for most of my life, I am new to art journaling, having begun to explore…
A month from today I am running the 10K race, virtually, as part of the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. Several of the items on my 60 by Sixty list involve running goals. One of them is to run a 10K and the other was to run with my friend Becca in a St. Jude’s run over the summer. The pandemic kept the latter from happening, but I am still committed to running for St. Jude. I wrote about “the…
If you have had children or grandchildren in the last thirty-five years, you are likely familiar with Laura Numeroff’s book If You I’ve A Mouse A Cookie. This a witty book that teaches children about cause and effect in an entertaining circular story. With apologies to Laura Numeroff, here is my version of a cause and effect story…when kiddie lit meets adulting . Enjoy! ______________________ If you give adults a house, they will want to plant a tree. After they plant…
Singing a Requiem Mass is not on my 60 By Sixty list. Maybe it should have been. As a church musician, I have sung many Requiems in my forty years as a chorister so this is not about singing “a” Requiem. It’s about singing a Requiem today, November 2, 2021. Tonight was the first time that our full church choir has sung together since March of 2020. For choristers who, under normal circumstances, would make music as an ensemble multiple times…
November 1, only 58 days until my 60th birthday. Here is how the last year of my sixth decade of life is shaping up. I began the year having created a list of 60 things that I wanted to accomplish by my sixtieth birthday. The long and short of it is that at this point I have checked many items off the list, but there are also a number that are likely not going to happen by the end of…
I often say that all I need to face the day is a good cup…or three….of coffee. This day made me edit that notion to say, “All I need to face MOST days is a good cup of coffee…or three.” The issue was not with the day itself; rather, it was the fact that I was on a liquid diet all day with nothing at all to drink after midnight until sometime the next day. If you are making…