As far as animal-based metaphors go, it doesn’t get much better than “monkey mind.” A Buddhist term, “monkey mind” refers to a mental or emotional state that is untamed, confused, or restless. Most of us are familiar with visits from this simian symbol as we attempt to cozy up under the blankets at night, ready …
Tag: family
An Unsolicited Commencement Address To the Graduating Class of 2022
“What a long, strange trip it’s been.” When Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Robert Hunter, and Bob Weir – otherwise known as the Grateful Dead – wrote those words 52 years ago, they perfectly described America’s tumultuous journey through the 1960s. The Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement, the Kennedy and King assassinations, the …
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Nineteen Kiddos
Nineteen kiddos aren’t being jostled out of bed this morning. They aren’t rubbing their eyes, complaining for just a few more minutes of sleep. They aren’t grumbling as they stumble into the bathroom. Nineteen kiddos aren’t getting dressed this morning. They aren’t leaving their pajamas in the middle of the bedroom floor for someone else …

Hold My Hand, Look In My Eyes, Take a Deep Breath
She grasps his calloused hand. Her delicate fingers tug desperately to keep from falling further than she’s already gone. He nimbly wraps his round, craggy fingers around her wrist, ready to pull her up or, if need be, fall with her to the depths below. They’ve both been at this precipice before, sometimes their positions …
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Un-expecting
If you’d asked me last Thursday morning what the last thing was that I thought would happen after our dog Ziti was spayed, I probably would have said something like, “Well, I certainly won’t be sitting on the couch with Ziti curled up tight next to me in a ball, lactating and displaying all the …