“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
Category: The Spirit
“Find Your Light”: The Importance of Being Seen
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…
“For this World” by Walter Rauschenbusch
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…
The Public Universal Friend — a non-binary, Quaker-raised evangelist from the 1700s
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…
Spiders in the Box of Chocolates
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…
Do Small Things with Great Intention
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…
What body and mind do you need to achieve your goals?
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…
Afterthoughts on Losing Bella the Wonder Scooter
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…
Worship and Dancing as a Means for Both Community and Individuality
So it came to me yesterday at Quaker Meeting for Worship something that I’ve been spinning around in my head for awhile: the tension between our desire for community and for individuality. I realized the many places that manifests for me, particularly in my spiritual practice and my dancing. Pews vs Meditating Alone I was…
Letting Your Light Shine… on Instagram
Lately the numbers on my Instagram reels have just tanked. And if I can be honest, it doesn’t feel great. I assume there is some algorithm shenanigans going on. Which is fine, it’s their platform — that’s how they make their money. I’m more interested in unpacking how all of this feels as an online…