Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
I have long ruminated about the challenge of living in a digital society where we no longer seem to have a common culture that roots us. It feels like, in generations past, Americans had a more universal experience where we did the same things (e.g. bowling) and consumed the same media (the Bible, the three…
Years and years ago, a close friend made me a scarf that I never wore. It was just a too big for me and not really my style. Then they abruptly ended our friendship in an unexpected and painful way that left me feeling deeply hurt and confused for awhile. But out of some weird…
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
A Friend brought up at Quaker Meeting a few months ago the theater term “find your light.” Kaily Hansen and Ruthie Fierbird define it this way: This means you are in the dark on stage and need to step into the light. The only light that follows an actor is the spotlight. When a spotlight…
A member of my Quaker Meeting, Stephanie Rauschenbusch, shared this wonderful poem written by her grandfather Stephanie Rauschenbusch in 1957. It very much speaks to my condition. O God, we thank thee for this universe, our great home; for its vastness and its riches, and for the manifoldness of the life which teams upon it…
I’ve been a Quaker for 26 years and only now learned about the Public Universal Friend. The Public Universal Friend is hard to describe. They are considered by some to be the first transgender evangelist, by others the first American-born woman to lead a religious movement, by others a controversal non-binary preacher during the Revolutionary…
I have this one pretty gross memory as a kid that exemplifies my parents’ attitudes toward possessions. My cousins and I were gathered at our house for some occasion, probably Christmas, which we typically hosted for our extended family. My mom brought out a box of fancy chocolates for us to share. We opened the…
Jim Morgan, a beloved member of my Quaker Meeting was memorialized today. One of the remembrances was a message Jim gave where he stood up and said simply, “Joy. I am feeling immense joy.” Such a short statement, but so powerful in its brevity and eloquence. This is a reminder to me that whatever expression…
The show Physical 100 on Netflix is built around the conceit that there is a “perfect physique.” And thus the producers designed a series of challenges to put various body types and builds against each other to see which is “the best.” That is, of course, a ridiculous statement, but one that often gets trumped…
Earlier this week, my beloved motor scooter Bella was stolen from my apartment building’s parking area. It was quite the shock, particularly since I had actually removed the battery to recharge it! But gone it was when I returned home Tuesday night. After getting over the shock, I checked with the local towing services to…