Tag: American Culture
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My Shamans
Bart. That was the name of my first Shaman. It was the early 2000’s. My family had decided to spend the Christmas holiday in the small seaside village of Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Sitting on the beach, terribly hungover from a night of Margaritas followed by cartwheels down the street, I struck up a conversation with…
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Another Inconvenient Truth
The package arrived without fanfare. No white van pulling into my driveway. No text with a photo assuring that said package arrived. Instead, I opened up the mailbox and found a plain brown box. What did I order? I had to search my brain a bit, which isn’t so unusual these days. Right! The special…
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One Tiny Sock
I woke up with a surge of sadness. Three days of chaotic joy. Running Singing Rapture at the moon. Puddles Dirt Wonder in the mundane. Tears Laugther Each moment a gift. Carefully wrapped in a precious memory.
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The Retirement Report:
My Year of Adrenaline My first year of retirement was intended to be a primer in the Beginner’s Mind, the Buddhist concept of viewing and interacting with life from the mind of inexperience: as a novice, a child. It’s the practice of cultivating a sense of wonder, curiosity and joy through mindfulness in any given…
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60 Shades of Gray
Reflections on Retirement When I tell people I’m from the Pacific Northwest, they invariably say,” it rains a lot there, doesn’t it?” Yes. Sort of. Like the Scots, said to have 421 words for snow (for example, the Scottish word for a large snowflake is ‘skelf’), those of us in the PNW have many many…
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Brides, Bouquets and Baby Goats
“Does she love the artichoke?” my friend and neighbor Angeline asked in an adrenaline fueled kind of way. I looked at her blankly and she continued. “If she loves it, I will need floral wire, wire cutters and floral tape.” With two hours until “go time”, my answer was simple. “She hates the artichoke.” In an instant, said…
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I Heart Millennials
My statement was met with disbelief. So, I repeated myself, very slowly. “When I was a kid, no one used olive oil. We used Crisco or Wesson oil.” Both sons just shook their heads sadly. Finally, one son said, “But mom, how did people make dipping sauce for artisan bread? How did they make Aglio e Olio? How did they…
Gonzo Girl 