A Mindful Life

I sit on my couch with a spritely glass of Pinot Grigio from Sonoma beside me, infused with feelings of contentment. Today was the type of day that made me feel gloriously alive.
I left the South Bay at 8 a.m. with my colleague to pick up my other colleagues in San Francisco. As AmeriCorps members, [...]

These are what I knitted on my trip — they are portable and easy to work on. Now my kitchen has fresh new cloths for washing and wiping. There’s something very pleasurable in having made this mundane but essential item.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
–Thomas Edison

Connie’s Pre-O-Bitch-Uary
1. At my funeral, if I have an open casket (which is dubious at best), please DO NOT say, “She looks good.” I don’t look good. I look DEAD.
2. Don’t say I passed. I am not a kidney stone. I’m dead.
3. Don’t say we lost her. I’m not lost. I’m dead. You can’t find [...]

If you were really going to die tonight, would you sit and read through the whole Sunday paper, or most of the magazines you subscribe to? Would you really surf around the TV looking desperately for anything of even minor interest? Would you still go out and spend an hour or two at lunch or [...]

To cut to the chase: our direct flight from Austin (3.5 hours) that was to have gotten us home yesterday by 6:30 p.m. did not happen.
Flights were very late arriving (the rainy Eastern weather?), so our flight was delayed an hour. Then the plane arrived, but we didn’t board for another 45 minutes. When we [...]

One single gift acknowledged in gratefulness has the power to dissolve the ties of our alienation.
–David Steindl-Rast

Dreams are… an expansion of life, an enlightenment, and a discipline. I thank God for my dream life; my daily life would be far poorer, if it wanted the second sight of dreams.
–Amelia E. Barr

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
–Seneca