Luminations
a glimpse of my authentic life
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Buying A Car: The Good, The Bad, and The Bizarre
A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Carolyn went with me to look at a couple of cars I was considering. I didn’t really intend to buy anything that day, but the great beneficent universe had other plans for me. Let me begin by telling you a little about Carolyn, because she’s my hero…

The Force of July
My goal has been to post on this blog twice a month, but for the last few months, this hasn’t been going so well. In May and June I only posted once, and not until the next to the last day of each month. And now, in July, I find myself in the same dilemma. In part this happens when personal challenges — physical, emotional, mental/spiritual — come up with certain intensity, the consequences (and potential gifts, I tell myself) on a path of self-discovery…

Reconnection
It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone to watch and talk about films with. Decades ago, I hosted a Cinéma Soirée group one Sunday a month, where about six or seven of my women friends got together chez moi to watch a film and share a sumptuous pot luck afterwards. I would choose the film, prepare interesting info about the actors or director…

A Letting Go and A Reclaiming
A couple of months ago, on the phone with a dear writerfriend, somehow a poem that I had written in 1998 came up in the conversation. It’s called The Lady of the Lake. I had brought it to the very first writers workshop I attended, which is where I met this sister-of-the-heart. Even though at the time I didn’t consider myself a poet—I was workshopping my novel…

Ridiculously Annoying Wordly Things
As some of you who read my blog know, the practice of Wisdom Healing Qigong has been an important part of my life for seven years now (see Challenge, Choice, and Chi). I recently accepted an invitation to be part of an eleven month mentorship program with my teacher Master Mingtong Gu called The Living Tao. It began on April 1st. One of the primary things we were asked…

Being Happy For No Reason
The past three years for me have been among the most intense of my life. I like to keep my own counsel when it comes to my stories. Too many times a person can become her story to others who often project worry instead of holding the vision of wellness for her. I will, however, share some of my challenges here. Due to the Covid pandemic, plus physical issues…

Reading By Ear
In case you haven’t already figured it out, I’m talking audiobooks. It’s a controversial subject for many like me who love the turn of a deckle-edged page, an exquisite cover, elegant interior design, the comfort of a well-fingered volume lying by my bedside, bookmark in…

A Resurrection Of Words – 2023
I’ve wanted to resurrect this blog for a long time, but it seems my Muses have been on vacation in Bora Bora since right after my memoir, Rare Atmosphere: An Extraordinary Inter-dimensional Affair of the Heart, was published in 2013. I’ve been waiting a long time…