Recently, I was listening to a Gillian Welch song from the "The Harrow and the Harvest" album, and the following lyric caught my attention: "You know some girls are as bright as the morning, and some girls are blessed, with a dark turn of mind…" Maybe you've noticed this also. Some people are happy, no …
Spirit Part 1: Spirit In Action
Balance is fundamental to a healthy life. When we are off-balance, emotional or physical dis-ease eventually follows. Efforts made to achieve and maintain balance are richly rewarded. A life well-lived is built of such routines. Our life is comprised of three elements, mind, body, and spirit. These elements, like the legs of a tripod, support …
Thoughts On the Election
When I was young, I wasn’t interested in politics. What others thought didn’t concern me. I studied economics in college, and I thought I understood the world! The future looked bright. My viewpoints have changed! Why people think the way they do fascinates me now. Over time, I learned there is very little about …
Resilience
If we are lucky, there are periods in life when everything seems to fall into place; school, work, family, relationships, etc. Curiously, at such times, we're usually too busy to even notice our good fortune. Then something happens; illness, the loss of a loved one, getting laid off, or suddenly finding ourselves in a pandemic. …
Soul-Food
We live in the North-country. In springtime, when the rest of the nation is going to the lawn and garden center, we are shoveling snow. At the cabin, I don't cut grass for the first time until Memorial Day weekend. Why would someone live in such a place? The answer used to be prominently displayed …
Big Rocks
Most everyone agrees that life-balance is a worthy goal, but making progress is difficult. Before retirement, I had the type of job where a visit to the restroom made me late for my next meeting. Perhaps you can relate! The common excuse for not exercising or doing other things to achieve life balance is, “I …
Out To Pasture
“Out to pasture” is a derogatory label no one aspires to. That’s why my bicycle ride out Moose Lake Road to Sawyer County S last summer took me by surprise. The 26-mile route from our cabin is one of my favorites, especially in the second half of June when wildflowers are in full bloom! The …
A Fish Out OF Water
I’m not much of a fisherman, but as summer draws to a close, I thought a fishing story might be in order. Our daughter Julia and husband Ryan spent a month and a half at the cabin with us this summer. (The teaching profession has some advantages!). While on the pontoon boat touring the perimeter …
Wisdom From Grandma
Two weeks ago, we became Grandparents! How lucky we are to witness the cycle of birth. I only got to know one of my Grandparents, My Grandma Laura Coats. I was very fond of her. Grandma was born in 1899. She lived the first half of her life on a small farm without indoor plumbing …
Awareness Part 8, Conclusion
There is a famous optical illusion that simultaneously depicts the face and shoulders of a fashionable young woman and a decrepit old woman. Most people immediately recognize one image but have difficulty seeing the other. The illusion reminds me of our current political environment. Opposing sides see different worlds, proving the adage that the world …
Towards A Life Well-Lived 