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Wild things
National Poetry Month ends soon, so I want to share another wonderful poem with you. This one was recently shared by an author I follow on Substack, and it resonates in so many ways. “The Peace of Wild Things” reminds us to take comfort in the wisdom and beauty of the natural world — no matter what else is unfolding around us. I hope it will inspire you to set aside your phone and other devices while you spend time outdoors this weekend. ~CL The Peace of Wild Things By Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in meand I wake in the night at the least soundin fear…
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The circus of life
“You can get the monkey off your back, but the circus never leaves town,” ~Anne Lamott, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith Some of my favorite quotes are circus metaphors. Another one that I’ve enjoyed using lately — “Not my circus, not my monkeys” — has Polish origins. Do you ever get the feeling that life is one big circus act? Sometimes we’re balancing with ease on the high wire; other times we’re stuck for hours in the clown car. Pass the popcorn. ~CL
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Love and struggle
“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It’s an active noun, like ‘struggle.'”~Fred Rogers All relationships evolve, change, and reshape themselves. In the early stages, we tend to idealize a new romantic partner as well as our new friends. But eventually we learn that no one can meet our expectations all of the time. The longer we know a person — and the more we grow — the more likely we’ll encounter conflicts and disappointments. Sometimes we’re called to face a crisis together. And sometimes we need extra support to handle a problem of our own. Fragile relationships won’t withstand the challenge — but the durable ones will. As Fred…
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More than words
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou It’s not just what we say that matters — but how we say it. While preparing for an essay workshop, I ran across some notes I’d made about the importance of “voice and tone” in our writing. Since most personal essays are conversational, our job as writers is to draw readers into the heart and soul of our stories. We want others to relate to our experiences. The same is true when we’re talking with someone. Our tone of voice carries our intention, and everything we…
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Communication skills
“Lack of communication leaves fear and doubt.” ~Kellan Lutz Good communication can strengthen any connection. Staying in touch, sharing how we feel, and expressing interest in the lives of others can go a long way toward building solid relationships. I’m an over-communicator by nature and by trade. After college, I had jobs that required meetings and follow-up phone calls. Later, as a newspaper columnist, my career was all about talking to people in print. (Early in my marriage, an in-law told me I “talk too much.”) But after years of living among both chatterboxes and quiet people, I’m usually more comfortable with the chatterboxes. While some folks believe it’s safer…
