This is the time of year when thoughts turn to gifts: giving and receiving. Most of us in the parts of the world where Christianity and/or Judaism have a presence are busy thinking about what we can buy (or, less often, make) as gifts for a list that might range from only one or two …
What are the material givens and ‘essentials’ of your life, the devices and possessions you take for granted? What is so common to your daily round that you would be startled to live a week, a month, six months, without it? What, for you, comprises ‘normal’? For what do you reach without thinking…and how does …
I recently read an interesting bit of information which was part of some health study. I don’t remember what the study was really about, but the researchers discovered that people who can turn their attention inward and feel their heartbeat – not using fingers to find their pulse or putting their hand over their heart …
If you remember, I am starting to prepare for the sabbatical that starts next spring, so I am making “maybe” lists of things to do (or not) before we leave: clearing 4 or 5 dresser drawers and half (at least) of the master bedroom closet; leaving generous space in the pantry and freezer; getting the …
Since my last Musings, I’ve continued to think about success, about accumulation, about consumption, about letting go — and I have come to the conclusion that I am really asking myself about identity. What constitutes identity? Is there some kernel of being that is uniquely me, separate from the family in which I grew up, …
I’ve been pondering success lately. As friends and colleagues move into retirement or pre-retirement planning (indeed, as my husband and I begin to consider the shift in life stages), I’ve been pondering how those I know, those I love, measure success. I was talking with my father recently about what he and my mother taught …