Image from Gene Divine on Unsplash Wild horses Couldn’t drag me away The Rolling Stone’s song Wild Horses chorus accompanies the alternating heavy rain and drizzle. The heavy rain arrives in surges outside my study window, drumming against the pavement, splattering against leaves, and creating small cascades along the gutters. The acoustic ballad, with its themes of love,…More

We’re only here for a minute. We’re here for a little window. And to use that time to cater and share shards of light and laughter and grace seems to me the greatest story. I want to write like I’m speaking to you. I would sing my books if I could.” – Brian Doyle Catholic writer,…More

Note: This essay is the result of a one-day writing workshop from rough idea to publish. In college, I got rid of most of what I owned. I could carry everything I owned in a trailer behind my bike. I did not even own the trailer but borrowed it from friends. I wanted to live…More

Dear God, please help me navigate this transition in my life. I am no longer standing on firm ground. I am lost, and while taking action, I am unsure of any result. Breathing feels like I am taking air into my lungs but still suffocating. Looking around, I see options, but they are all fake.…More

The chime of my wristwatch awoke me at 6 a.m., and I sat on the side of my bed, double knotting the laces of my blue Adidas. My roommate groaned, “What the f**k are you doing?” as I stood up and checked I had the dormitory room key in a pocket. “Going out for a…More

I walked two miles today to see if some flower blossoms were still hanging from a bush. I crouched down to look up inside. They are like red umbrellas against a green background. I was curious if they were still there or had fallen, and I would have to wait until next season to meet…More

I was laid off from work again. The sun is out in Issaquah, a small town east of Seattle. I head out from the office for a lunchtime walk to see Jakob Two Trees, a 15-foot-tall troll holding onto two trees. I see Jakob’s face and his necklace of birdhouses. Kids and adults are all…More

I once met a guy with only one arm. But I had no idea. I thought he had both arms. The guy with the missing arm and I sat together daily at a cafe one summer in 1987. I was in college and his older brother had introduced us at a party. By this time…More

My introduction to the shamanic underground of Port Townsend began one summer weekend in 2019. Daily Morning Yoga Every morning I went to a yoga class at the Madrona MindBody Institute in a converted-for-the-community military building at Fort Worden State Park. The class helped me stay positive while taking care of my mom in Port…More

Coining a term like FOMO can be challenging. How do I come up with a new word? My rational thinking above ground mind is not going to be useful. Taking a breath and surrendering to my intuition a single word appears. Play.  At first this play is conscious, maybe even a bit forced. I am…More