I've ruined my 14-year-old son's life. For over a year, Jacob's been asking when we would get rid of our more than gently used Toyota minivan. The van had carted us through a dozen...
Minivan Zen
read more
A Change of Plans: Writing Advice From My Garden
A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. ~ Gertrude Jekyll "Timing is everything," my...
Decomposing Buddha: 10 Lessons For a Happy, Healthy Life Whispered By My Compost Pile
My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that lets you see your place in the big picture. And...
The Surprising Science Behind Why Friends (and Gardens) Matter
If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever. ~ Alfred Tennyson Friends matter. I've buried a lot of them in my garden. Put another...
Thank You Note to the Snake in the Cherry Tree
"I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy." ~ W.C. Fields A year ago, almost exactly to the day, a very large snake came calling in my...
So This Is What PTSD Feels Like: Boston Brings It All Back
Boston gave me a taste of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yesterday. I was in my ninth hour of gardening when my mother called and told me to turn on the TV. (She knows me. I never...
Getting Back My Gardening Groove (Plus a Bad Mom Confession)
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. ~ May Sarton Spring...
12 Quotes to Celebrate the Start of My 50th Year
To my surprise, my 70s are nicer than my 60s and my 60s than my 50s, and I wouldn't wish my teens and 20s on my enemies. ~ Lionel Blue Today is my birthday. I'm 49. My cousin sent me an...
How to Run 100 Miles (Hint: You May Need Brain Surgery)
I've been making a very big deal about completing an 8K race in early March. Reaching that little goal (roughly a 5 mile run) was exhilarating, at least for me. But get a load of this...
Crossing the Finish Line: How Younger Mentors, Tattoos, and Meditation Powered My 8K Race
It's been four days since I completed my first 8K, and I'm still riding high. I signed up for the Pacers St. Patrick's Day race in Washington, D.C. to have something to train for as part...
How to Reboot When You’ve Fallen Off the Wagon: Step 5 – Seek Out Stillness
When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world. ~ Eckhart Tolle I've spent the past few weeks...
How to Reboot When You’ve Fallen off the Wagon: Step 4 – Focus on Fitness
"The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance." John J. Ratey, MD A few weeks ago, my sister sent me a dress to borrow for a gala...