The Gift of Receiving
My birthday is coming up soon, and since I’m too happily busy this year to plan anything, I’ve instead enjoyed looking back on past memorable birthdays and what they meant to me. This morning, this memory came to mind: It was my 12th birthday, I think. My mom always hosted a joint birthday party for...
Are You Really in the Pursuit of Happiness?
This post originally ran on July 1, 2017 This Fourth of July weekend, I’m musing on the Declaration of Independence. What exactly did our Founders mean by including “the pursuit of Happiness” as one of our unalienable rights? Some say they were influenced by Francis Hutcheson, an Irish reverend and philosopher, and others who believed...
Are You Boredom Averse or Stress Averse?
Whew, what a crazy week! I feel like I say that a lot. Wait, I do say that a lot. My friends and family have come to expect crazy weeks from me, which is why the many months I took off last year to address health and personal issues was so unsettling for them and...
Where Imagination Meets Conscious Choice
My friend Bruce Adolphe is a world-renowned composer. In reading through his new book, Visions and Decisions: Imagination and Technique in Music Composition, I wondered how many of his insights I’d be able to apply to my own art. I’m not a musician, after all. While I did enjoy playing the piano well into my...
You Can Make It There and Anywhere
On a recent trip to New York City, I spotted a young man studying a musical score on the subway, deep in concentration. I’ve traveled to New York nearly a dozen times, so I know it’s not uncommon to board the train and see musicians setting their instruments beside them on a seat, or to...
Long Before There Was Music, There Were Notes
The other night, I attended an “evening of creation” designed to help us access our “practical spirituality.” One of the presenters, Jonathan, played music for us on a handpan drum. I wasn’t familiar with the instrument, and the sound was ethereal and relaxing. Jonathan was one of those splendid individuals who manage to come across...
What Is Your Soul Telling You?
“I paint to let my soul know I am listening.” That’s a comment a friend posted on one of my social media pages in response to one of my blog posts. I’ve seen her work, and its beautiful and unique. It brings me joy just looking at it, probably because my soul can feel the...
Should I Change the World Or Take A Nap? – Revisited
This Post Was First Published on January 16, 2016 I have a tendency to work too much. My friends tell me to slow down, take more naps, spend more time outdoors, and so on. So, I do. I drop some projects, step back from some roles, say no to some opportunities. And for the first...