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How to find your voice: “The Journey”
“And there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own.” — Mary Oliver In my workshops, we often discuss the importance of finding or developing our own creative voices. It’s never easy. Every day, we are bombarded by a cacophony of inner critics, cultural norms, and religious and political pundits — not to mention all the mindless white noise generated by social media. We have to pull back and listen deeply to hear our own truth. Otherwise, we’re simply mimicking others when we speak, write, or design our lives. Mary Oliver’s “The Journey” gives us a new map. It’s one of my favorite poems about living…
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Embracing the void
“So often we spend any spare moment stuck to a screen on social media or our news feed. Embrace and schedule time for boredom and being disconnected….Embrace the void by appreciating a sunrise or sunset, reading a book, or just staring off into space. Studies show our most creative moments happen during boredom.” ~Dr. Andrew Weil
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The power of “No”
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“Make music of what you can”
I always knew I wanted to be a writer. When I was a kid, I perched in the gnarly apple tree in my backyard and scribbled my own adventures in a ruled notebook. In college I majored in English and journalism, but it took years before I found the courage (not to mention the income) I needed to begin a real writing career. The long path that led me here was marked with detours and littered with excuses. The poem below is the wake-up call I needed more than 35 years ago — but Charles Rafferty hadn’t written it yet. Today I keep it in my back pocket and read…
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“Journaling for Health and Creativity” at Clawson’s Blair Memorial Library
Research shows that journaling is good for your mental health — whether you’re keeping a gratitude list, recording daily events, sorting personal problems, or exploring creative ideas. In this one-night workshop, I’ll share the benefits of starting a journaling practice, borrowing ideas from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and Anna Quindlen’s new book, Write for Your Life. Bring your laptop or a notebook for a few class exercises. The workshop is offered May 4, 2022, at the Blair Memorial Library in Clawson, 6:30PM – 7:30PM. Seating is limited due to space and pandemic restrictions. Registration begins April 6. Please contact the Blair Memorial Library to reserve your place. This program is free to the public, but registration is…
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Zen and the art of gardening
—Titled “The Art of Midlife Gardening,” this essay was originally published in Victoria magazine. Last spring, members of our local Master Gardener Society invited me to speak at one of their meetings. I was honored, at first, but as soon as the date of the talk rolled around, I started getting nervous. And with good reason. Master Gardeners aren’t just fooling around with bulbs and blossoms. These folks earn a minimum of 40 hours of instruction in horticulture science. Meeting for at least 11 weeks, they take classes in caring for indoor and outdoor plants, establishing lawns, growing vegetables and fruit trees, designing gardens, and more. I bow to their…
