-
Season of the witch
“Witches are outsiders, and those among us who have been bullied and ostracized can relate to their plight. Part of our fascination with witches is that they are the only female mythic figures with power. These are women who don’t need to be rescued by a prince or a king, but, instead, can save themselves.” ~Alice Hoffman, from the 25th anniversary edition of Practical Magic The spooky season is here. Several homes around my neighborhood are decorated with life-sized witch figures, some flying on their brooms in the trees or circling plastic cauldrons on front lawns. My fascination with the history of “witches” began early. Indulging their interests in early…
-
Celebrating October
“October is the month of painted leaves.Their rich glow now flashes round the world.As fruits and leaves and the day itselfacquire a bright tint just before they fall,so the year near its setting.October is its sunset sky;November the later twilight.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Autumnal Tints I copied today’s quote in my journal, years ago, after reading Thoreau’s Autumnal Tints during my first fall semester at college. Today, it’s still my favorite tribute to October. As Thoreau observed, this beautiful month begins the end of the year and reminds us to take stock of our previous seasons. October is the soul of autumn, a harvest of remembering. It inspires fall color…
-
What if …?
“You’ll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that.” ~Roald Dahl Last year, a local yoga teacher began one of our sessions with a talk about managing stress and anxiety. Most of us focus on negative outcomes or worst-case scenarios when we’re frightened or worried, she explained, which only makes us twice as anxious. And then she posed the question: “What if we focus instead on what it will be like when everything turns out OK?” By changing our perspective, we could change the tone of our day. For me, it was a bright flash of brilliance in a dark time. Fear and anxiety have been eroding my peace…
-
Rescue mission
“I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.” ~Anna Quindlen Who hasn’t wished to be “rescued” at one time or another? Who hasn’t felt like a victim of circumstance? It’s always tempting (and probably instinctive) to blame outside forces when things go wrong. When life doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped or planned, we might point a finger at our parents, family history, the economy, bad weather, people we don’t like, or the government. Or we can own…
-
Small treats and rituals
“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” ~Iris Murdoch After dinner, my husband and I grab a mug of tea or coffee and head for our favorite chairs to watch World News Tonight with David Muir on TV. Sometimes we treat ourselves to ice cream or a chocolate truffle. It’s a ritual that our dog, Coco, happily anticipates — because we also reward her with a handful of dog biscuits if she has finished her dinner. Watching her savor each cookie never fails to bring me joy. Sometimes we set our goals impossibly high, deluding ourselves into thinking that happiness depends on huge wins, special…
