How Beauty Made Me Sober
When I was in kindergarten, I remember seeing the janitor carrying a bundle of day old balloons. They didn’t look old to me at the time or my classmates. The entire class was lined up watching those balloons. In the janitor’s eyes, these balloons probably meant trash. But he must have seen the light in my eyes […]
Perfectionism and Art
You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist . . . It was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas. — The War of Art, Steven Pressfield All journeys of consequence begin with small steps. Creative work means fighting what Steven Pressfield calls […]
How Special Do You Need to Be
“Codependency* has no respect for age, color, social standing, or sex.” Anne Wilson Schaef We had just finished a terrific sushi dinner in New York City. We were enjoying a double date with D and his wife who lived in New Jersey. D had helped us find a babysitter, so we could enjoy driving his […]
Painting Eden
I met Robin Turnipseed on Instagram. Well, that was our official meeting. Robin had been part of my audience for years. I just didn’t know it. From her early days, Robin knew about spiritual manipulation, legalism and control. Something I’ve also survived, hearing God used as the “heavy” to enforce unnecessary, inhumane rules. God’s name […]
Pretender Friends
Let me first admit that Jackson Browne’s lyrics from “The Pretender” inspired the title of this one. I met M years ago in Canada*. When I told her I would be visiting for a month to write a book, M was overjoyed. Near the end of the month, we had made many good memories together. […]
Pretending to be Peaceful
Sometimes the evil, the largeness of evil, threatens to knock me over. Some days, it seems enormous. You know what I mean. And not just on the world stage, where public trust in words like “public health” is mostly gone. On the daily level, we all have our batch of troubles that deceive us into […]
Lights on the Road
*In case you missed it: Grand Opening Portrait Contest ends tomorrow, June 2nd (details)* On a long drive from Maryland to New Hampshire, I sat in the front seat of our converted van. I glanced back to check on our boys and saw them reading in their seats. The sun had set and they were […]
Picking Plums
On a child’s level, the general chaos of the world increases. Take a supermaket. My youngest, O, stands level with the conveyor ramp. Down at his eye level, everything changes. Here on the same plane as knees and thighs and crotches, you feel the sudden ugliness of the world. At three feet, you know most […]
