I’m not yet ready to write about the loss of my old friend Lee, but I will soon. Learning that he died from complications of a hospital staph infection has brought back thoughts about the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in which we both grew up – or… er… started to grow up. As much as I’ve ranted about the Witnesses on this blog, those experiences have given me so many reference points in my own experience that I can’t bring…
Sometimes the asking is enough. Sometimes the thoughts that resonate or erupt are more important than the answers. Try these – and let your spirit speak to you. In the last 24 hours, what was the simplest sense-pleasure you experienced? Fresh sheets? The smell of rain or fire? Snuggly slippers? A brisk walk? If you woke up with no self-memory, how old would you guess you were? What is one behavior/insight/skill that sets you apart from others and makes you…
I’ve been thinking about narratives, how people create stories about themselves – even (maybe even especially) private stories. I’m not sure whether it’s our culture, or if it’s just me, but music anchors me even more than sight or touch. It rivals smell for the primal whole-self response. I had an idea to free-associate, to simply list the music I strongly recall enjoying. For almost a minute, I had the illusion that that I could make a whole list. I…
Tips and tricks for those moments when your body is bugging you. Sinus Congestion? – Relieve sinus pressure by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. You may look like Felix Unger, but the motion loosens congestion by making the vomer bone rock back and forth. This bone runs from the nasal passages to the mouth. After about 20 seconds, you’ll feel your sinuses start to drain. (Here’s another…
Roy Walter N. Jr Nov 5, 1935 – Dec 28, 2003 Miss you, Daddy. Mourning is not forgetting. It is an undoing. Every minute tie has to be untied and something permanent and valuable recovered and assimilated from the dust. – Margery Allingham
For the record – and I will remember this – these are the only Senators who stood up for my civil liberties by voting against the renewal of the USA Patriot Act. I thank you: Russ Feingold (D-WI) Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Robert Byrd (D-WV) Tom Harkin (D-IA) Ron Wyden (D-OR) Daniel Akaka (D-HI) Patty Murray (D-WA) Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) Carl Levin (D-MI) Jim Jeffords (I-VT) Boo-hiss to all the Republicans, and: Obama (D-IL) Clinton (D-NY) Kerry (D-MA) Kennedy (D-MA) Biden…