I am up early. I could not sleep in. I am on fire to write. The cats yowl and walk on my face at 4:45am these days. They are bored and hungry. Rather than rage at them, I just get up and feed them. When I returned to bed this morning, I planned to go … Continue reading I woke with gerunds on my mind
Before I started working with a professional coach, I let fear dictate my actions. When I had an idea, I’d first get excited by the outcome it would achieve if it worked the way I expected. Then, the What Ifs would set in. What if it’s a dumb idea. What if it doesn’t work. What … Continue reading Action with mistakes is better than inaction
I’m under the canopy of my dogwood tree, which is thick with green leaves. It’s cool here in the shade. Fat lavender buds sway next to me in the wind. A purple finch drinks from the bird bath, which I refreshed with clean water a few minutes ago. Birds twitter, and the warm scent of … Continue reading Work from… garden
My husband and I love the water. We met in the Florida Keys on a marine biology field course, and we both feel the pull of the ocean from our home in the Appalachian mountains. The nearest salt water is more than four hours from us. We can’t get to it in the morning or … Continue reading I aspire to be unencumbered
When the garden first begins to return in March, I might find something new to get excited about once per week: a snowdrop, a sprout emerging from the cold earth. Now, dozens of new things happen every day. I can sit outside and admire the garden for hours. Today I wandered around with my camera, … Continue reading May in the garden
We threw our windows open three days ago. At long last. Sun pours into the kitchen window and spreads yellow rectangles of light on the shiny oak floor under the dining table. A crow’s caw tears the empty morning. The whine of a prop plane’s propeller builds and then fades overhead. Chirrups of songbirds trill … Continue reading Open windows
