Understanding we are Worthy, Capable, Connected, and Called to Adventure for a more Joyful and Resilient Life
Is your life filled with enchantment? I did a quick Google search of the word enchantment, and Google defines it this way: Usually I fill in my drawings with watercolors and then scan them. But I am without my usual tools of the trade currently, so I'm going old school. That sounds about right. But… Continue reading Cultivating Everyday Enchantment
All of us find ourselves in places of grief at various times in our life, and we might wonder if we will ever find hope again. Recently, a friend posted a meme that read “To grieve and lament is an act of hope.” This quote startles me. Maybe it does you, too. After all, we… Continue reading Grief and Hope
I have been thinking this morning about the most important voting value. For the last few weeks, I have wanted to write about voting and values, but I haven’t known quite what to write about. Initially, I thought about writing about how I am trying to vote my values this election, but you probably don’t… Continue reading The Most Important Voting Value
The other day, I found a bumblebee asleep on a flower. At the beginning of the school year, I had a lot of flowers in bloom in my garden. So, I decided to take some to school to have on my desk in my office. So, I went outside in the morning to cut some… Continue reading Bumblebee Asleep on a Flower: a Whimsical Watercolor
I want to thank you this morning. There are a lot of hard things in the world. Bad things of course. But this morning, I was thinking of all the beautiful things for which I am thankful. These beautiful things are always around us, and we can always hold onto them when things get hard.… Continue reading “Thank You”: A Poem
This weekend, I had the privilege of presenting a paper on the work of Paulo Freire, and I realized today that Freire helped me understand how to have political hope. Even when everything feels hopeless. I want to tell you about that, but first let me give you important background context from Freire’s life. Freire… Continue reading Paulo Freire on Cultivating Political Hope
The other day, I was reflecting on how tumultuous politics feels right now (and, in fact, has for the last decade or so.) My reflections led me to make this flow chart on how to handle politics. If you are anything like me, politics regularly feels really upsetting. Sometimes we feel like we have to… Continue reading A Flow Chart for Dealing with Politics
I want to tell you about an interesting man name Allan Lichtman who has an impressive knack for predicting elections. But first, let me tell you who I am writing this post for. And I will do that by telling you who I am not writing it for. I am not writing this post for… Continue reading Allan Lichtman on How to Predict Presidential Elections
Coneflowers and goldfinches: They have been bringing me a lot of happiness this summer. We have a rain garden in our front yard, which my husband planted a couple of years ago. And it has been in full bloom this summer. All photos in the post are by Shelly P. Johnson. It has a lot… Continue reading Coneflowers and Goldfinches: A Whimsical Watercolor
Lately I have been thinking about how it is actually possible to fail your way to success. I used to view failure as a liability, but I am starting to view it as a strength. Here's why. It seems that it's actually possible to fail our way to success. Sometimes we feel like failures indicate… Continue reading How to Fail Your Way to Success