Odd to realize I've achieved it That sense of time State of mind The zen masters describe as "the continuous unfolding of the present moment" Waiting in line to enter Trader Joe's. Six feet apart, Too distant for idle chatter There is no hurry No deadline Waits for me at home. (Save maybe ... another cup… Continue reading Zen Mind
Cutting the Vines
The porch overlooks a pink azalea Where a brilliant red cardinal perches. Now that we're sheltering we are dealing with things like this: That the bush is being strangled. The closer I get the worse it looks A puzzle, a knotty mess Not unlike my daughter's cross-stitch which we also tackled today So labyrinthine we… Continue reading Cutting the Vines
A Mouse in the Kitchen
A few nights ago, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of movement in the kitchen. It turned out to be a mouse. At lunch the next day at the cafe, I mention it to Sam, a regular. He's working on a house project; he'll give me a plan of action.… Continue reading A Mouse in the Kitchen
Slow Fat Triathlete
Ugh. I wrote this post a few days ago, but I can't bring myself to finish it. See, a friend of ours is dying, and these piddling little reflections just don't seem important. This friend is a survival expert, but you'd never know it from his humble, self-deprecating nature. He tells this story of his… Continue reading Slow Fat Triathlete
Slow and Steady and the Race: A Fable for the Rest of Us
He woke up early the day of the race. Not too early – the training plan advised keeping as close to a regular routine as possible – just in time to down a shake with the perfect protein to carb ratio and let it digest a bit. At the race start, he enlisted a helpful… Continue reading Slow and Steady and the Race: A Fable for the Rest of Us
River Run
I visited the river after the flood. How do you like your new pathways? I asked. To the south, a whole new flow had rutted out the valley floor, laying bare roots and root systems, hidden boulders, snake dens. I don't like it, the river said. It hurts. I'm not used to flowing that way. I'm… Continue reading River Run
New Words: A Call for Linguistic Revolution
It’s not a hot story anymore, hasn’t been for some time. But in some ways I’m still sifting through the detritus of last fall: those ten days in late September when we shared more -- our questions and confusions, our secrets about our sexual lives, frustrations, our insecurities, our private violations – than we had in the… Continue reading New Words: A Call for Linguistic Revolution
Sick
I cried when I told my mom I couldn't muster the energy to get the house ready for her visit. A week before, when the body aches and a sore throat seethed over me, I thought surely I would recover in time. Instead, I woke up each morning feeling worse than the night before, all… Continue reading Sick
How Was Your Trip, Part II: I Confront My Colonial Impulse on a Waterslide
Here's something I didn't anticipate about our trip: a surprising number of visits to amusement parks. At the top of our list -- for activities in India as well as amusement parks visited -- is Wonderla Kochi. Set atop a hill overlooking Kerala's lushness, Wonderla offers and and water amusements plus the best-ever fair food… Continue reading How Was Your Trip, Part II: I Confront My Colonial Impulse on a Waterslide
How Was Your Trip? Part I
This is the first of a three-part series about our family trip, with my parents-in-law, to India and Singapore, on which I reflect about the complexity of my response to the question, "How was your trip?" I'm embarrassed by the speed with which the word "grueling" comes to mind, fully aware that everything we did… Continue reading How Was Your Trip? Part I
