“If it doesn’t wrench your heart out, it ain’t worth it.” ~ DL “Lenny, what about the tin foil?” I asked. “Oh, yes, I definitely want that!” Lenny shouted from the other room. “You have four extra-long rolls.” “Great! I won’t have to buy that again for a long time.” “Would you consider taking only one or two? You mentioned you’re looking forward to having most of your meals in the dining room. What do think about giving the others to your daughter?” “Nope. She can buy her own. I want to bring ‘em all.” “Ok. I’ll pack them up.” When I first met Lenny, he arrived winded, frazzled ..read more

     “Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.” ~ Charles Dickens   In the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances, a recent divorcee attempting to heal heartbreak after her husband’s affair, gets bamboozled by her gal pals into touring Tuscany on a bus with a gaggle of gleeful globetrotters.  During a pivotal scene, the bus slows while ascending a hill to avoid colliding with a flock of sheep. As it inches along encouraging the sheep to scatter, Frances glances out the window ..read more

    Overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now.  ~ Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull In the spring of 2021, I received a call from a gentleman named Henry saying he and his wife were preparing to move and asking if I would be able to help. He informed me they were going to be downsizing and relocating to be closer to their son and were looking for assistance with their packing. “Thank you for calling, Henry. I would love to help.” “When is your move happening?” “The movers are coming in ten days.” Not quite the response I w ..read more

  A Sanity Saving Golden Nugget to Managing a Friction-Free Home   I wonder if autumn, adorned in all of its glorious golden hues, minds sharing its annual return consistently accompanied by the rush and activity of a new school year escorted by holiday trumpets beginning to blast “Buy Me” from the isles of local stores. The shift from the external (yang) season of summer to the internal (yin) season of fall offers us an invitation to slow down and self reflect. It’s a season to consider releasing what no longer serves us (as the trees do by releasing their leaves) while creating sp ..read more

  Misty Morning Magic ~ Moss Landing ~ May 2023   During a recent fog-rise jaunt to the beach, I encountered a solitary seal frolicking near the shore. The tide was low so a portion of the sea was temporarily separated by a sandbar. Swimming from the shallows to the sandbar and then sliding as far as his belly would send him, he appeared quite delighted with his antics. He repeated this acrobatic aquatic endeavor time and time again seeming not to tire of his quest. As I approached, he spotted me, stilled, and stared me down. Although it’s not unusual for me to catch sight of a seal ..read more

    “Everyone knows they’re going to die,” he said again, “but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.” ~ Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie It never came easy or felt natural for me to talk with my parents about the hard things. They were raised during a time when people just didn’t discuss certain topics and they brought that mindset with them into their parenting style. Sex? Never. What were they like as a teenager? Nope. Death? Please, no. I, on the other hand, longed to talk about everything. I was curious to learn and understand and have things explained ..read more

    “Bedrooms are meant for sleeping, reading, reflecting, romancing, and recharging your batteries - a perfect antidote for a busy, stressful day. Because every part of your life is connected, the quality of rest you receive in your bedroom is crucial to your happiness, health, and productivity. A cozy bedroom atmosphere invites complete rest and rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit.” ~ Terah Kathryn Collins   Nine-year-old Riley was exhibiting signs of anxiety. He was fidgety and unfocused at school, short-tempered at home, and was having trouble sleeping. His physic ..read more

    Situation: It’s the morning after a sleepless night. Perched on a folding chair while icing her ankle, Eliza gives direction in the search of what she’s determined to find. Location: Her garage, Any Town, USA. Antagonist: Justin Case Eliza: “I know they’re here somewhere… Here, hang on to this. Now move this box on top of that doohickey and climb over this crate. Ok. Great. Now hand me that gadget and move that trunk and just kick that out of the way. Watch out, don’t step on that thingamajig. If you shift all that stuff to the right and slide that cabinet over, they should be t ..read more

  Sunset. The Pacific Ocean. Marina, CA.   “Still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled, to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world.” ~ Mary Oliver   From 1956 to 1957, twenty miles from any other human soul, living in a tin house trailer atop of a mountain, sweltering by day, freezing at night, cohabiting with mice while experiencing meager provisions, Edward Abbey worked as the sole seasonal ranger for the US National Park Service at Arches National Monument in Utah.    For 94 days during the summ ..read more

    “In that first hardly noticed moment in which you wake, coming back to this life from the other more secret, moveable and frightening honest world where everything began, there is a small opening into the new day which closed the moment you begin your plans. What you can plan is too small for you to live.” ~David Whyte The predawn hours hold magic. In the early morning, before the alarm sounds, or the phone rings, or the emails begin, or anyone asks for anything, the earth is calm and serene. It’s the time of day during which it seems as if the world doesn’t need or expect too ..read more