Photo credit: farmanddairy.com

I spent a lot of years doing what many women feel is their lot in life, being the family member that held things together. I was a wife and a mom who felt the weight of responsibility for my husband and kids, to nurture and care for them and our home, and still work and share the financial responsibility and keep all the cogs turning and the wheels on the ground. My husband was in medical sales and was on the road a good chunk of time. I had to make a lot of solo decisions and parenting choices that were not always perfect but the best I knew to do at the time. I had to do my part to be a productive team player at my job and again keep boots on the ground and offering the tools to get the work done successfully. And while I loved those years, especially the precious time with Keith and our kids and their many, many activities, I think… no, I know… I buried parts of myself.

Not long ago I took myself on a solo date to a nearby Starbucks, journal in hand, and planned to spend an hour or more pondering life and writing and just enjoying the moment all by myself. I hadn’t been to a Starbucks in eons and wasn’t even sure what to order. The sweet barista helped me get it sorted and when I picked up my beverage when my name was called, this is what I saw:

I sat down at a table outside and though I opened my journal, I wasn’t ready to write. I stared at that cup. “You matter.” So many thoughts came – a whole litany of self-evaluation and even appreciation. The conclusion I came to was, “Yes, indeed. I do matter.”

Since my “retirement”, I’ve been on a journey of figuring out what lights me up, what things add joy incrementally, what makes me feel fulfilled. Of course my husband, kids and grandkids still bring those feelings in a huge way. The writing and creative endeavors I pursue now have fueled me more than ever and I have a whole new community of like-minded friends in the creative world. But giving myself permission to not put myself last led me to truthfully and authentically say, “I matter.”

Photo credit: brightontheday

In the past couple of weeks, the fires in Spokane where so many homes were lost and people displaced, caused me to take pause about what really matters and what is most important. Life, love, relationships, family, friends….the list was actually quite long, but on it was nothing material. And on that list was ME. I matter, too. I have decided to not give up on myself anymore. I will intentionally pursue the things that bring me joy and peace and fulfillment. I will look for adventures to satiate the wanderer in me. I will take time to stop and smell the roses, notice the little delights, allow myself the luxury of diddling away time in my studio, and setting boundaries to protect what keeps me juiced, because I matter.

I want to add this: to all the men and women, whatever age, out there in the trenches of marriage, parenting, working, and keeping the cogs turning and wheels on the ground, you matter. Carve out time to find out who you are apart from all that. Don’t wait until your kids are raised and you “retire” to realize that you needed to find what inspires and fulfills you. Once your kids leave home and all their activities go with them, you will need to know who you are deep down and let that you rise and thrive. I can in complete honesty say that some of your best years are still ahead of you. They will not all be smooth sailing, but you will be confident in your soul that you are the best you yet. You matter. Don’t forget that. You are the author of your own story. Make it a page-turner.

I am seeing incredible stories of people helping people, offering shelter and supplies for displaced families.I see exhausted firefighters who gave their all to save as many homes as they could, local fire crews joined by those from all over the country. There were so many donations that there’s now an abundance of leftovers for anyone in need. The stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help stirs emotions that I can’t easily put into words.

Photo credit: OPB

So much devastation and so much hope all wrapped up together is an emotional roller coaster. My own experience is that the stress, the fear, the sorrow, and even some anger is co-mingled with disbelief, gratitude, and acceptance. To be honest, it’s exhausting. I’ve tried to work through days of going back to routine and re-engaging in life with the usual zest I have for all the things I enjoy about living where I do. Living under a cloud of smoke is not completely unfamiliar territory here in the Inland Empire, but limited time outside is not good for my well-being.

I’m finding myself feeling a brain fog that steals my mental clarity and optimism. I am uninspired to take part in my usual creative endeavors. It’s almost like living in an altered reality where I can’t find “normal” again. I don’t have my usual energy for engaging in conversation nor enthusiasm for accomplishing much of anything. I think some might call it “going through the motions”. It feels very much like grief in some ways. I know it will feel even more real when we can drive through the neighborhoods that no longer exist. I find myself surprised by all these lingering feelings, but I feel strongly that I need to embrace them and let them teach me.

Photo Credit: Spokane Regional Health District

I do know that over time, these feelings will begin to lift. I’m working hard to find the good in a horrible situation and those stories will give me a feeling of resilience and hope. Yesterday I did spend some time outside and found that the local critters are carrying on as usual. I need to do that, too. Right now I accept that letting all the feelings pass through will eventually shift to finding a new normal that focuses on restoration and revival. I’m taking a few intentional steps to refocus and seek those moments of joy that are present in each day. Helping others process will renew my sense of purpose. I can feel a shift beginning to lighten my spirit.

Again I want to thank so many of my followers and online community for the ongoing support and prayers. So many of you have continued to ask how our family is doing. Our daughter and her family were able to return to their home yesterday. The kindness of so many becomes the wind beneath our wings. When the smoke and ash begin to filter away over time, the sky will seem bluer and the bright sun will no longer be filtered in a red haze.

Life events like this one change us, but for the better. We recognize our own strength and resolve growing day by day. We are able to acknowledge that life is precious and that physical buildings can be replaced. We learn the lessons in the surviving and starting again. Gratitude becomes the overwhelming response to having lived through the worst devastation our community has ever seen. And the good in people was not destroyed but fueled. That fuel will be what remains when life “gets back to normal”. Our beautiful city is scarred and damaged on the surface, but is more beautiful than ever in the people who call Spokane home.

Photo Credit: Krem 2 News

I understood the warnings. All my internal alarms warned me to be packed up and ready to evacuate quickly. I had done this kind of prep a few times over the years. Important papers and precious photos loaded into the back of the car and a “go bag” of clothing and toiletries sitting next to the back door. You always hope they won’t be needed. Even this time so far they haven’t been. Yet.

On the morning of Saturday, August 1^st, smoke was spotted in more than one location, sirens could be heard non-stop, and the Watch Duty app and emergency notifications were blowing up our phones one after another. The winds were gusting mightily. One fire northwest of the city began to rage and soon jumped the Spokane River. Another fire started in the Mead area not far from our house in Colbert. It was eating up wheat fields and evergreen trees and soon homes and other structures. We got a message from our daughter that the northwest fire was headed right at their neighborhood and they were on their way to us with the few things they could gather.

If you looked at a fire map of our area, we were wedged in a “crack” between two raging fires. On the map below, our home is south and west of where it says “Colbert”. Winds blew one straight into the city and it was indiscriminately devouring homes at will. The other was skipping into neighborhoods and surrounding agricultural fields. There we were between them hoping and praying. Today, on this third day, winds have decreased but so many hot spots flare up and start the chase all over again. The level 3 evacuations still hold. Our daughter’s family has no idea when they will be able to return to their home. We are grateful for so many fire crews from near and far who have worked around the clock to battle what would be the worst fire, now called the Spokane Complex Fire, our area has ever known.

Photo credit: Fox 13 Seattle

I share all this because today I am struggling. We are beginning to get a few glimpses of the devastation left behind. Early on our son-in-law managed to get to their neighborhood and found their home still standing, but once he left, no one has been allowed back into the evacuation zones. Over 60,000 people have been misplaced and over 700 structures are rubble and parts of these fires are not done. As a few photos begin to appear from the evacuated areas, a large piece of our beautiful city looks like a war zone. I’m heartbroken for those who have lost everything.

Photo credit: Al Jazeera

But even more than those feelings of helplessness and anguish, the anger has surfaced. Today they arrested an arson suspect, a known convicted criminal, who has been identified as the person who intentionally set fire to a tinder box, knowing exactly that the winds would carry those first flames and turn them into a raging inferno. I’m a pretty forgiving person, but I am having a hard time not wanting the worst for him. My human sense of justice wants recompense and for him to be confronted with the outcome of his actions. I know God will ultimately be the judge of all. My human heart is crying out for justice.

I have heard from so many of my followers here offering prayers and support for me, my family and my community. Every message is felt deeply. I am carried on those prayers. I believe that though it may take weeks, months or even years, the Spokane community will thrive once more. Already so many acts of kindness and generosity are easing the pain, the anger, the sorrow, and the loss. I always say that the worst of circumstances always brings out the best in people. We are just getting started with the kind of helping that will rebuild the Spokane we know and love. Our “Near Nature, Near Perfect” city took a huge hit, but we will rise again. And I’ll be right here to share about all the good that overshadowed the Spokane Complex Fire.

Photo Credit: New York Times

Pungent, acrid fingers of wildfire smoke
strangle the clear, blue skies to hazy brown.
The nasty stench is one of death and destruction.
I catch a whiff of ignited wood and leaves.
Manmade structures burning to the ground
in a path of wind-fed blaze gobbling fuel as it builds.
Lightning sparks the parched trees and grasses,
thunder echoes the roar of catastrophic inferno.
In the roiling dark clouds is the salvager,
singular drops begin to lightly fall into forest below.
They gather as an army of heroes coming to the rescue.
Mixing and mingling with the smothering smoke, 
pulling it down, down on top of the feral flames; 
extinguishing, quenching, stealing the power of the fire.
The trees audibly sigh with relief soaking up the steady droplets.
Blazes sizzle with submission as the rain becomes a downpour. 
Smells of musty soil saturated with healing water;
smoke’s heavy vapors doused as clouds begin to part.
I breathe in the perfume of fresh rain and clean air
blended with the subtle scent of smoldering pine.


Over 800 wildfires still burn currently in the US and Canada. 
Pray for rain.  

Photo credit: Chase Walz

I could spend a lot of time talking about our more troubling characteristics, but instead this is a celebration of all the good things we are. It’s been so much fun hearing the responses of so many visitors who have come to take in the World Cup games. A lot of them are talking about all the amazing things about our good ol’ USA that most of the world had no idea existed and that we, as her citizens, take for granted. If you listen to our own mainstream media, you might feel our country is irreparably broken. But I am here to say that if you take the time to observe the world around you, there is much to be celebrated.

Photo Credit: KTLA News

Our makeup as a nation is as varied as the incredible diversity of the scenery around us. There are so many beautiful places to visit that in one lifetime it can’t be done. We can only hope to hit the highlights of the mountains, oceans, deserts, prairies, and forests. We have built incredible cities with so much to see and take in. One of my favorite pastimes is appreciating the photography of those who manage to capture the essence of all the different regions our country offers. And even though we have a lot of residents, there is still a lot of wide open space to explore.

We are made up of good people who strive to make the best of our communities and nation as a whole. My experience is that most people are kind and helpful and want to make the world a better place. I am well aware that we don’t see it in the news regularly, but I promise you it happens in big and little ways each and every day. We are fiercely independent and proud of our heritage, our stories, and how we came to be citizens of this unique place in the world. Our freedoms to choose to be what and whoever we want to be can’t be overlooked. Whatever you think of certain governmental actions from administration to administration, we still have the privilege of being free to believe and express what matters to us. That doesn’t happen in a lot of countries around the world.

While patriotism gets a bad name these days, we still have much to be proud of to be citizens of this place many of us call home. Do we still have work to do to be better? Of course. No place is perfect and sometimes I feel our elected officials make it worse than it needs to be, but there isn’t any place else I would rather live. And there are reasons why so many people want to live here, too. So maybe, in light of this special recognition of 250 years, we can individually be good neighbors, extend kindness and positivity to those around us, support instead of tear down, offer a hand of friendship to people who think differently.

Happy birthday, America! Bring on the party, the flags, the fireworks, the parades, the barbecues and start the next 250 years embracing the freedoms we so often take for granted. “The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become.” - Ronald Reagan

I have to confess that it seemed like quite a commitment of time for someone who rediscovered my creative self about five years ago, but I jumped in feet first (I have a tendency to overachieve) planning to study the material, do every activity, answer every question and finish strong with renewed enthusiasm. I am well into my next big creative project which at times has left me feeling a little overwhelmed, so I was convinced after completing this course, I would be able to finish my second book with fresh ideas and a new spark. Now that the course is complete, I do feel that. However, it didn’t come in a big epiphany and wave of confidence, but more little discoveries about myself and my writing process that have made me feel ready to get to the finish line.

I did not complete every task the book suggested, nor did I score 100% on writing three full journal pages every day and I missed an artist date or two. If I were to be graded on my aptitude, I would probably give myself a B-. I didn’t feel everything in Julia’s book applied to me and I even confess that a time or two I outright rebelled and said out loud, “That’s dumb, I’m not doing that.” Clearly grades don’t mean as much to me as when I was in actual school. However, I do feel there was value in what I did take away from completing the course.

There were a lot of little lessons along the way, but my main takeaways are the following three that all happen to start with the letter “P”. (I do love allitration!)

1. Playfulness – The Artist’s Way focused a lot on the importance of connecting with your creative inner child and how allowing yourself to “play” truly does enhance creativity. The artist solo dates helped me realize that I enjoy spending time by myself doing things that bring me joy. I took myself to lunch and coffee, took in parks, went on photographic walks, went on a couple of treasure hunts, fingerpainted and built Legos outside and even went to a movie. It was good for me to realize that I can go and do things alone without feeling intimidated and that treating myself builds a lightness of spirit that lends itself to being more creative.

2. Perfectionism – This was a big lesson for me that I discovered about mid-way through the course. I’ve always known I have a tendency toward perfectionism. What I didn’t fully realize is that the tendency to only do things I do well means that I didn’t take risks to try things I might not be perfect at and that failing is a necessary part of creative growth. I had been missing out on things I might truly enjoy because I didn’t want to not do them right the first time. Watercolor painting has taught me that there is a lot of failure when you first begin and that it takes time and patience to get better. Not every painting is a masterpiece, that’s for certain. But when you do accomplish a “good one” it’s incredibly rewarding. I wouldn’t appreciate them if I hadn’t had a lot of “not so good ones.”

3. Partnership – The Artist’s Way recommends connecting with a group of three other people to share feedback, encouragement, and accountability. My group of four all felt differently about the course and the lessons in the book, but I learned from all of them along the way. I connected with others outside my group as well to compare notes and ideas. I came to realize the importance of those connections to maintain enthusiasm for creative projects and the accountability to stay on track. With the help of my creative partners, I believe I will finish my second book this year.

I’m grateful for this opportunity. I’m grateful for the growth. I’m grateful for the people I shared this journey alongside. I’m so grateful, in fact, that I’m going on to the next phase through Julia’s next book, “It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again”, which is designed for creatives in my stage of life. I have a great group of women who will share the lessons, insights and tasks. I have no doubt I will be playing, taking risks, and growing even more in the next weeks and months. And stay tuned for my second book, “The Other Side of Wilderness”, due out this year!

I started at the main pond area where there is a nice walking path. I circled twice, took a few photos, and stopped to admire the baby ducks and their parents. On my second loop, a great blue heron came flapping down from a tree and landed very near me. What a gift! I continued on to Duncan Gardens and the Geiser Conservatory greenhouse. This area is a European Renaissance style garden featuring cultured beds of annuals all planted by volunteers. It’s a glorious place in summer when everything is in full bloom, but today it was delightful to see the early plantings and first blooms.

From there I moved to the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden. I took my journal and sat and enjoyed the calm feeling this garden produces. It’s a great place to get quiet and let nature speak. I spent about 45 minutes watching the ducks and koi creating ripples on the ponds. I then wandered through the Rose Garden and Perennial Garden which are just beginning to create what will be amazing beauty in a few weeks.

What a gift our local parks are. I would love to spend many more days taking in all the subtleties in outdoor spaces where nature is the star of the show. With time to just roam, observe, and appreciate all the small nuances of preserved spaces, we see the careful thought and care that goes into maintaining them for all to enjoy.

Today reminded me to look for those small, subtle glimpses of the best parts of nature that are just waiting to be discovered and appreciated. And in the observation, I found some small, subtle inspiration that I can’t wait to see play out.

Here are a few photos of my “date”. Maybe you will see some subtle beauty, too.

The downside of living in a “zoo” is that they tend to eat whatever is tasty, which includes most blooming things. I have found a few survivors who provide splashes of brief color in the spring. Deer don’t enjoy iris or peonies and a few flowering bushes such as lavender, butterfly bushes and Russian sage. But I long for some lingering bloomers that last through the summer.

My first attempt this year was tulips. I enjoyed the blooms for about two days before they were discovered and lopped off. My son, a former landscaper, is always trying to help me find “deer resistant” plants and protect them with small fences or barriers. For Mother’s Day this year, his family gave me a packet of wildflowers to drop into corners and beds to bring some added color. Wish me luck!

Today I planted wildflowers.
They represent wishful thinking.
Survival is uncertain at best.
The odds are against actual blossoms.
But hope springs eternal,
because color is a lifeline, 
a symbol of artistry in nature.
I will water them, watch over them,
and protect them best I can.
They’re an invitation to a party
for hummingbirds and dragonflies.
I want to believe they will come
all dressed in finest frocks.

Today I planted wildflowers.
No matter the outcome,
the trying was worthwhile. 

Photo credit: Psychology Today

In my mission to focus on and share the stories of the positive things that happen constantly in our world, I seek out the best storytellers who bring those uplifting narratives to life. I’ve highlighted the work of Steve Hartman before. His job as a journalist and news correspondent is to travel around finding those bright spots that we don’t hear about in the mainstream news. His stories are often featured on CBS Sunday Morning and almost always, I get the lump in my throat or a tear in my eye when Steve the Storyteller shares the good he finds.

Photo Credit: CBS News

This Sunday’s story was about how hard life can be at times and how the kindness and generosity of people can be the lifeline that lifts people back up when they hit bottom. Steve’s stories can be found on Instagram, CBS News and YouTube. Here’s the link to this story on YouTube: Nebraska Ranchers

Did you feel that lump in your throat? Did it remind you of the innate goodness of people who actually put hands and feet on their natural propensity to be helpers? This story touched me in a way that reminded me that I can be that helper. I don’t have hay to donate to farmers who have lost everything, but I do have resources I can share. I am able bodied enough to lend a hand to a neighbor. I can offer my gifts and talents to encourage. I can be the good news of this day. And you can, too.

When we hear of needs, maybe our first response could be “How can I help?” And sometimes the only answer might be to stand in the flames with the person whose life is on fire. Or sometimes it might be bringing in the hose. Whatever the “rescue” looks like, let’s offer up what we can to make life a little easier. That’s the kind of good news all of us need about now even if it doesn’t make the headlines.

We don’t usually venture out camping until weather is more settled, so in March we hopped a plane to visit friends in the Phoenix area and take in a couple of spring training baseball games. We asked for warm. Maybe we should have been more specific in our request as warm was an understatement. The temps ventured into the hundreds and the adjustment took some getting used to! Phew! But we spent time with great friends and we appreciated their backyard pools.

April came and we just couldn’t wait any longer to give the new 5th wheel a test run. We booked a long weekend in our favorite wine country getaway, Prosser, Washington. We caught up with our winemaker friends and enjoyed the warm days and cool nights all while figuring out what all the buttons do in the camper.

We are so blessed to be able to travel and escape our home base once in awhile. I do not take that for granted. And my husband is quite grateful when he sees that antsy unsettled look in my eyes that starts to rise in mid-winter. I described that feeling in a poem I wrote this week.

Restlessness rises into an expanded longing, a need.
Change of scenery, adventure, an explorer’s hunger to feed.
To see the world, a different view, a new place to sojourn
A call to the heart to come and play, to even grow and learn. 

Home is where the heart is, but the soul wants something more
To escape four walls, to follow freedom, to wander outside the door.
Fed by curiosity, a challenge of routine, testing limits of time and space
Wandering from the mundane familiar, feelings of captivity erased. 

Just as the caged bird quietly sings the song of eternal hope
when freed escapes far and away, beyond its former scope.
He never forgets his wings can flutter and carry him away,
We, too, must remember we can fly, in a cage not forced to stay.  

Where will you wander to find that feeling of escape? Far away? Close to home? Day trip? Overnighter? Retreat? Do you get that itch to look at some different scenery? Where is your favorite place to “get away”? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please share in the comments! I’m open to suggestions for our next adventure!

Photo credit: stock photo from vecteezy.com

I was impressed with the team that made up the crew of Artemis 2. There was plenty of diversity and experience and it was exciting to me that there was a seasoned veteran commander who has been an astronaut since 2009, a black pilot with a wide resume of space experience on past missions, a woman with a work history of breaking records for women in space, and a specialist who would be the first Canadian ever to fly to the moon. The names Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will be added to the list of astronauts who will be remembered for breaking new ground in a field that has been secondary on our minds for many years.

Photo courtesy of ABC News

This mission became even more special when I learned that our daughter and her family, two of our grandkids, would get to witness the return of Artemis 2 to the earth while on a spring break trip to San Diego. I became so excited for them to be present for such a monumental moment in history. It suddenly also became very real to me that these are dangerous endeavors into space and sometimes things go wrong. I remembered witnessing on television the explosion of the Challenger flight in which seven astronauts died. On a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, I visited their gravesites. It occurred to me there was a chance that my grandchildren could witness something devastating and I began to pray for the safety of the mission and a successful splashdown. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one praying as I thought about the families of these brave crew members.

Photo credit: NASA

I watched the re-entry and the picture-perfect release of the parachutes and splashdown into the Pacific. It was with a sigh of relief and tearful emotion to see the crew all safely exit the Integrity capsule. The first public appearance and words of the astronauts from Houston clearly indicated the bond, love and friendship this crew had for each other. It was a profound and joyful time of sharing of their initial feelings about the mission being successfully completed. Again, I felt a swell of emotion that caught in my throat.

Photo credit: NASA

Our nation needed this victory. There hasn’t been a lot to cheer about in recent weeks. I can’t speak for anyone else, but watching the Artemis 2 story unfold reminded me that there are still amazing and positive things going on in our world. I’m a little sad that the news was perhaps downplayed in light of other world events, but it gave me a feeling of progress and hope for the future. The brave, brilliant people who made this mission a success deserve our respect and admiration.

My grandkids will not forget this beautiful moment in history. I’m so glad they got to be there. As for me, I am feeling grateful for this uplifting story that I got to watch from the sidelines. We need heroes who exemplify the best characteristics of people who step into the unknown and risk all for the sake of something bigger than all of us. They remind us that earth is really small in the grand scheme and that when you look down on it from the moon it’s still the same beautiful green and blue orb that looks like nothing else in the universe. We are blessed to get to live on it. So when we are down here feeling like it’s all falling apart, pull up the photos of earth from Artemis 2. It’s amazing, beautiful, indescribable, unique and kind of unbelievable that we are tiny dots on another tiny blue dot that continues to share rotation with a smaller piece of rock known as earth’s moon around a big burning star in one tiny corner of the universe. Perspective is everything!

Photo credit: NASA

As I took in all the sights and sounds of spring I felt very energetic and alive, and I was reminded of this poem that I wrote recently. Nature does a wonderful job of igniting our spirits and helping us realize that we, too, are growing and renewing with each new season. Today I definitely felt Abundantly Alive!

Easter blessings on all who celebrate!

A natural spring rising out of the depths
bursts through the surface of the ground.
An eternal source of clarity 
An ever-renewable purity 
A bounty of resource and supply.
Icy water that quenches the deep thirst of earth
and nurtures the external longing of nature.
Abundance appears in unexpected places,
renewing the land and growing spaces.

My spirit has a spring of overflowing water
bubbling up from the hidden deep 
giving life in the parched desert
when I’ve wandered into the wilderness too far.  
It’s more than enough to replenish
internal cisterns and dry, empty vessels
in constant need of the water of life. 
An eternal source of clarity
An ever-renewable purity
A bounty of resource and supply.
My cup runneth over; I am abundantly alive.

All photos are original.

Graceful grasses repeatedly bow in the wind
subtly pointing to the mountainous horizon.
The eagle and osprey soar on the currents, 
deftly overseeing the creatures below.
Rivers beckon as they splash over stones,
singing the song of the previous season’s snows.  
Dragonfly flits from one wildflower to the next;
whitetails wander among the quaking aspen.
The land is home, free and untouched.
Nature feeds the souls of all who inhabit.
We learn from the land resilience and balance,
perseverance, renewal, longevity, provision.  
We are invited to witness without disturbing,
an offer extended to absorb the wonder abounding.
We leave with hesitance in reverence and gratitude,
lessons treasured in the heart and seated in the soul.

Clearwater River, North Idaho

I must confess, however, that I am struggling to keep up with the latest word innovations that I hear in the media I listen to or read online. I feel like social media has created its own foreign language. I find myself running to Google on a regular basis to find out what things mean. I know different generations have their own vocabulary, and I don’t want to lose my edge of being the “cool Grandma”. However, I have not embraced “six-seven” as it’s just dumb in my old lady opinion. It doesn’t even have a real meaning! Ridiculousness!

I often get my news through podcasts so I have started making a list of words to look up later. Give yourself a little quiz to see how many of these words or phrases you know and understand. They are words I have encountered recently:

Virtue signaling

Rage baiting

Psyop

Astroturfing

Slop

Sycophant

Post-truth

Looksmaxxing

Cringe

Mogged

Word salad

Thirst traps

Rizz

Allyship

Intersectionality

Dark Woke

Sentrism

At least I have identified myself as a “boomer” and ignore the online buzz that boomers are all selfish money hogs who are preventing the younger generations from being able to purchase homes. And I don’t feel one speck of guilt when I hop in my RV and head down the road spending our hard-earned money as we go. Sorry, not sorry, Gen-Xers, Millennials, Gen-Zers, and Gen-Alphas. Someday we may pass our savings on, but in the meantime, you will thank us when we pay our own way into the nursing home!

I’ve been writing this blog for five years now. I have written and published a book of poetry and photography. I facilitate a creative writing group on Substack where we write around weekly themes. I’m working on my second book and learning to watercolor paint to illustrate it. Most of you would probably say I have plenty of creativity flowing. Any of you who are creatives for recreation or as professionals already know that inspiration is the key to every creative endeavor. Granted, we can pound something out if we need to meet a deadline, but that doesn’t carry the same kind of joy and resonance as when we create from a base of enlightenment and true inspiration.

I usually find ways to spark my interest or passion by listening and exploring. My bandwidth for multiple projects is usually healthy. However, a couple of months ago, as I shared previously on this page, I began to feel overwhelmed with the commitments I had made around my writing. I mentioned in December that I would be posting less frequently because I needed to save my creative enthusiasm for my book. I had found that after writing a blog post and poem weekly, my book was sitting on the shelf, not because I didn’t have time to write, but because my inspiration was struggling to stretch enough to stay on top of all of it.

Photo Credit: Industrial Scripts

Because my nature is to fulfill commitments and stay the course, I wrestled with what needed to happen to refill my inspiration tank and devote myself to my book project. Writing a story is way different than gathering a collection of poems written over years and finding the right photos to illustrate them. Telling someone’s story involves immersion into the thoughts of your characters and the flow of their journey. With everything else I was writing, my brain ran out of juice to dive in the way I needed to for the book to be inspiring and captivating.

I have been able to spend the last six weeks or so just focusing on the progression of the book and the watercolor illustrations without feeling the pressure to keep up with everything else. It was hard to let go and admit that my commitments were just in my own head and not what was truly being asked of me. But the act of that release has brought amazing progress on a project that has become near and dear to my heart. I hope all my readers will enjoy the journey as well when I finally publish.

Photo Credit: Snow White Writes

This course in “The Artist’s Way” is a big commitment, too, but one I’m hoping will give me ample creative juice to continue to share my work in all the ways I’m passionate about. I’ll be participating in the course with others who want to grow their creative endeavors as well. To all my faithful readers here, I hope you will be patient with my process and I will continue to share when I am truly inspired and not just “coming up with something” to keep my internal commitment once a week. I’d be happy to host “guests” here who would like to share something meaningful and positive or want to grow their audience. After all, we’re all in this together and I believe that encouragement can be just the spark to set something inspiring ablaze. My hope is that taking this course will give me newfound passion for digging out all those light, bright stories that I love to bring to you here.

Again, thank you all for your patience and support. As I discover whatever I can glean from “The Artist’s Way”, I’ll be sure to share. And in the meantime, my characters are waiting for me to sit down and continue to write their stories. See you back here soon!

As I attempt re-entry back into sharing here on a regular schedule, I have opened a few blank pages and found myself trying to write about attempting to figure out how to process what is happening in the world. And at the same time I’m still looking for the glimmers of goodness that are everywhere but are being smoke bombed by the louder, darker seemingly endless barrage of discontent, anger, and bad news that we are inundated with day after day. When I open news sites and social media these days, it’s so heavy and even painful to take in. I can only do so much of that before my soul begins to shrivel.

Photo credit: vecteezy stock photo

If I am to be transparent as I always promise to try to be, I am finding it very frustrating and disturbing to attempt to have meaningful discussions around things happening in our world. So many rigid, thick lines have been drawn around this side or that side that now those of us who spend more time thinking than talking are being accused of not joining the cacophony of noise and not choosing one think tank or the other. Although we don’t magnetize ourselves into pre-determined compartments and tend to embrace values from many viewpoints, we are called all sorts of demeaning names if we don’t sound just like the herd some have joined and chosen to echo. I grew up on a cattle ranch, so forgive me for the metaphor, but the din of what I’m hearing is like cows who start mooing when one in the group does. Often they don’t know exactly why or what they are mooing about, but everybody else is mooing, so every cow chimes in.

If you know me at all, you know I have deep feelings and thoughts about what I see and hear going on in the world. I am paying attention but I don’t get loud about it. To some that may seem wrong and insist we have an obligation to speak. However, I am one who spends a lot of time listening and researching and looking at events and ideas from both sides as a bystander in the middle. I refuse to climb wholly through the barbed wire that keeps so many corralled in one set of ideas and dialogue. Real conversations and debates are slammed shut with intensity. We are not hearing each other. We are merely waiting for our chance to share our “truths” and diminish the truths of others who in some ways think differently.

All that said, I feel compelled to keep looking for the good that I know is all around us, but is softer and quieter. When was the last time you tuned out from the noise and listened for kindness, compassion and peace? I promise you it’s there, but you have to stop shouting to be able to hear it. And please stop accusing those who choose to live in those softer, quieter spaces of not caring. We just go about our caring in unnoticed acts of generosity of spirit and a quiet outpouring of love.

If you feel as I do that there is much to be grateful for in this life we are given, come back and join me here to point to those things. And if you don’t even have the strength left to point or speak, come soak up the positivity I intend to keep sprinkling about.

To quote Motel 6, “I’ll leave the light on for you.” Come find it here and choose to leave your light on, too. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Only light can drive out darkness.” Together we can shine so brightly there will be no room for even a shadow.

Last year at this time I wrote a post about the Latin word “resolvere”, which is the base of our current word “resolution”. The definition of “resolvere” is to release, undo or loosen. It carries with it the idea that in order to set a new path, we may have to let go of the former one.

I did work on letting go of some things last year that I feel were positive steps toward living my best life. I no longer give space in my life to judgement of myself or others, but instead seek unity, reconciliation and grace. I’ve also been trying harder to let go of limiting beliefs and cloudy view of self. Both of these things have freed me to look for the good in those around me and give myself room to learn and grow in all aspects of my life. A few weeks ago I let go of a few personal commitments that were keeping me from pursuing the new directions I want to go. That also involved releasing the pressure to perform and achieve which I have always carried around like unnecessary baggage.

Without those things shackling me down, I am excited for where this next year will take me in personal growth and creativity. I’m open to trying new things and looking for new avenues to think outside of the box for this page as well as the writers’ group I oversee. I want to spend more time in the great outdoors as I find that feeds my soul and fuels my inspiration. I’m going to push myself to get out and about more as I can tend to be a homebody that doesn’t challenge my comfortable routine.

My words for 2026 reflect those intentions and goals: explore, embrace, empower. Over the next few weeks I will start lists under those words that can be steps toward ending up where I hope to be internally and externally by the end of 2026. And I am determining right now that those steps will not involve performance or achievement as much as more freedom to make the most of the time I am given.

To all my faithful readers, I wish for you a year of loving, learning and growing! This life is too great to stay stagnant or frozen in fear, doubt, loneliness, or whatever else might be holding us back. I hope that you will share with me steps that you hope to take in 2026 to live your best life. You all deserve all the best life has to offer! Much love to each and every one of you.