Happiness 11-29
blowing glass on the island of Murano being asked to dance by a stranger at a wedding the blue of morning glories
Year: 2009
Happiness 11-28
climbing to the top of Diamond Head; the wind in your face; a hearty handshake
Happiness 11-27
the aqua light of tunnels carved inside a glacier; sitting beside someone you’re crazy about at the dinner table; lip balm made of honey
Thanksgiving: Worship Privately, Rejoice Together
I was eighteen when I first moved to the United States after having lived abroad since I was two. Experiencing my first Thanksgiving here, I was cynical. Like the dubious celebration of Guy Fawkes Day in England, Thanksgiving seemed historical propaganda with little resonance of either spirit or nature. My cynicism increased over the years: Read more about Thanksgiving: Worship Privately, Rejoice Together[…]
Happiness 11-26
knowing what the lines on your palm mean; authenticity; a lush meadow of scarlet poppies.
Happiness 11-25
sailing solo around the world; satin ribbons tying a present; the mouth of a river
Mini Memoirs
When I try to explain about how to write a topic sentence for an essay, the eyes of my students tend to glaze and the chatting begins. But when I offered them the opportunity to write a story in six words or less a la Hemingway, they were captivated. Ernest Hemingway wrote perhaps one of Read more about Mini Memoirs[…]
Happiness 11-24
watching a blacksmith at work; a sense of honor; the red sandstone carvings of Banteay Srei
Happiness 11-23
discovering a rare sea-creature while scuba-diving; painting a barn; realizing something you’ve always known.
Language Arts in 7th Grade: Wonder, Wish, and Surprise
Seventh graders have a rich emotional life which may leave them feeling inwardly chaotic. They are excited one moment, despairing the next; they are confident then miserably insecure; socially they swing from being best friends to sworn enemies. How to find balance?
Happiness 11-22
climbing into a cave behind a waterfall riddles cartography: the study of maps
Happiness 11-21
a promise keeper lots of rubies sparkling in the sun history
Happiness 11-20
silk underwear the fragrance of orange blossoms a man’s friendly touch on your arm
Happiness 11-19
the promise of what an acorn becomes courage waking up from a vivid dream
WriteSpa #14 – Genie in a Bottle
WriteSpa – An Oasis for Writers Some of my favorite stories to read when I’m feeling lonely or lost are from the Thousand-and-One Arabian Nights. The free-wheeling sense of adventure, the enticing smells and sounds of a Persian bazaar, the ouds, the spices, the romance, the desert, the music, the waterfalls – all these images Read more about WriteSpa #14 – Genie in a Bottle[…]
Creating a Poem
During the November full moon – called Frost Moon, or Beaver Moon, and in some places (probably farther north) Snow Moon by some Native American tribes – a poet-friend and I decided to try to collaborate on a poem together. He lives near the beach in Florida and I live in the mountains of New Read more about Creating a Poem[…]
Creating a Poem
During the November full moon – called Frost Moon, or Beaver Moon, and in some places (probably farther north) Snow Moon by some Native American tribes – a poet-friend and I decided to try to collaborate on a poem together. He lives near the beach in Florida and I live in the mountains of New Read more about Creating a Poem[…]
Happiness 11-18
the last lines of ‘Ode to a West Wind’ tickets for a Broadway show a small kindness
Happiness 11-17
ginger lemon tea stepping lightly your name picked out of a hat
Happiness 11-16
a glass of Shiraz at noon with nothing else to do spelunking lost in a book
Happiness 11-15
the strong clasp on your arm of an elderly friend resting on a bed of moss a face in the crowd
Happiness 11-14
the petroglyphs at Pu’u Loa an envelope with a hand-written address lunching with a sister