There’s a reason trees are regarded as wise
I grew up, and still live, in the Pacific Northwest where trees are abundant. Because they’re everywhere — including 5,200 acre Forest Park located minutes from Portland’s city center — trees had a tendency to blend into the background of my life.
I always assumed nature is just nature — with no real difference between trees, ocean, desert, or mountain. But after moving away from the forests of the north, to be near the ocean in the south, I learned I was wrong.
We all connect to nature in different ways. I learned I connect to trees in a different way than I do with the ocean or desert. To me, trees and mountains feel like friends that listen when I talk. …
You Either Grab it or Let it Pass
There are moments in life that speak to us. They stop us mid-step, interrupt our conversation, illuminate a scene. These moments are opportunities to pause what we’re doing and be, to brand an image in our minds for eternity, to speak into existence what’s been trapped in our hearts.
When they come, you have a decision to make and no time to deliberate. You either grab the moment — or let it pass.
The August sun basked our faux river stones in warmth. I’d taken it upon myself to lay the stones in orderly lines across the backyard grass according to size. Dad was mixing some sort of plaster in the rusted wheelbarrow. The plan was to put the plaster on the flat back of the stones, then stick the stones onto the side of the house — already stripped of the grey plastic siding. …
The voicemail that changed my perspective about “the other woman”.
Most of our knowledge comes from experience, but if you’ve never experienced a specific situation then you can’t actually know what it’s like. The next best way to understand is by learning about other people’s experiences.
That’s why, for a long time, my only knowledge of who the other woman is came from stories told by friends, and characters I watched on screens. My main takeaway was when a man is in a committed relationship, but cheats on his partner, the person he cheats with, is known as a home-wrecker. Aka, someone who breaks up a home.
My perception of the other woman was someone mischievous and conniving. It appeared her sole joy came from seducing other women’s unwilling husbands and boyfriends as some kind of game — just to see if she could. Everything changed when I woke up one morning to find a voicemail waiting. …
Also known as Reality Tunnels
Throughout my curious wandering this week I stumbled upon an essay by Robert Anton Wilson called Creative Agnosticism. It was published in The Journal of Cognitive Liberties back in 2000 but is technically an excerpt from his book The New Inquisition.
The essay defines the concept known as Creative Agnosticism or — Reality Tunnels. The essay is long and there are times when I found it a bit difficult to follow because Wilson tries to tie the concept into a larger one. The main points can essentially be boiled down to this:
- Our senses are bombarded all day, every day. We’re slammed with sights, tastes, sounds, touch, and smells at every moment. Even right now, you’re registering the smell in the room you’re sitting in, you feel the pressure of your bed or chair, the texture of your clothes, you feel how warm it is, you have a lingering taste in your mouth, your eyes adjust to the light. …
They might be simple, but they aren’t easy
What does it mean to be human? We know the answer isn’t a simple one, it’s still one of Mankind’s most philosophized ponderings.
While theories have been argued over forever, many have tried their hands at defining what it means to be human. If you were to look for an answer on Google, like I did, you’d see there’s one person who found some rules about being human that has connected with humans all over the world.
Dr. Chérie Carter-Scott MCC, behavioral scientist, and life coach published nine main rules for what it means to be human, in her 1998 book, “If Life is a Game These are the Rules”. …
Following life’s curious adventures through writing
I consider myself to be creative but trying to explain who I am, always makes me draws a blank. For your sake, I’ll do my best.
Family and Childhood
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I have a love/hate relationship with the city, but so far I’m still here. The biggest contributing factor for not leaving is that family means everything to me, and most of mine are in Portland.
My parents were — are — soulmates, although my dad passed away on December 15, 2020 — two weeks ago. Nothing is worse than cancer. Thankfully, if anything, our grief has brought my family even closer together. Especially since one of my brothers and I live in our childhood home with Mom. Speaking of my brothers, you might find it interesting that my older brothers are identical twins, and my younger sister is adopted from China — it’s normal for me, but people tend to have lots of questions about it. …
Creative Nonfiction Contest Finalist
Dreaming of the impossible while driving
“What if,” my Dad would begin, “before you were born, God gave you a mission to fulfill during your time on Earth. Let’s say you loved the idea and immediately depart heaven to begin”. His old truck came to a stop at a red light and he glanced toward me.
We attended our neighborhood Presbyterian church every Sunday, but I found church boring and was known for daydreaming during the sermons. Still, I was pretty sure I knew what he was talking about. “My purpose?” I asked.
“That’s right, Sweet Girl. Now let’s say as soon as you left heaven for Mommy’s belly, God asked for a volunteer to help you achieve your mission. But there’s a catch — in order to help you, they must become your greatest enemy during this lifetime.” He paused a moment for me to process what he said before continuing. “Then, your very best friend in Heaven laughed and said, ‘I’ll do it’, thinking you two could laugh about it all afterward back in Heaven.” …
Your youth is your strength
A letter to a personified United States of America
Dear United States of America,
My words may provide little comfort, but I’m writing them anyway because sometimes when it feels like no one understands, kindness makes all the difference. So here are they are, what you do with them is up to you.
I’d like to begin by saying I know how hard it is to be different. It’s only natural to compare yourself to others. Still, I hope you keep some perspective. Remember, you’re younger than most other countries. There’s still more than half a century before your 300th birthday.
Despite your naivety, you’re mature beyond your years. It’s no wonder the world watches and judges your every move. It may not feel like it now, but your youth is not a weakness — it’s your strength. …
More than 2,000 years later he’s still right
Socrates’ love of questions is only one part of what made him a bit of an enigma throughout his home of Athens during the 5th century BCE. He understood the power questions held and realized when everything’s said and done, no one knows anything at all.
Known as the Father of Ethics, Socrates spent his life searching for answers to arguably some of life’s most important questions — most of which we still struggle to answer. If nothing else, Socrates showed the power questions hold and they shape our lives and what we know about ourselves and society at large.
“True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.” …
Ethical dilemmas are the moments that define you
Have you ever been in a situation where following the rules felt wrong? Maybe something about it just didn’t sit right with you, or perhaps the wrongness was blatant. What did you do?
We’ve all been raised to follow the rules. Whether at home, work, or school. While driving or shopping, socializing, and of course, government laws. Most rules are there for a reason and bring order to what would otherwise be chaos. There’s a reason we see rules literally everywhere. Personally, I find it amazing we remember all of them. …
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