Our Creative Lives: Freedom

A week ago today, I was riding across the rocky hills of Texas on a beautiful Appaloosa mare named Dee Dee. The sky was wide and endless. The cypress-lined vistas were peaceful. Dee Dee was a sweet and steady girl. I grew up riding horses, even competitively. Still, it had been at least 30 years since I’d been on a horse. I wondered if I’d remember what to do. But the moment I climbed into that saddle, it all came back to me. The southern…

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We’re Stronger Than We Think

Life is an oddball circus and staying awake is a really good idea. You never known when some unexpected message is going to creep into the room and jump up in your lap. The other night, I went to the gym to row. Rowing is a relatively new thing for me. I’ve only been at it for a few months. I was inspired by my sister Martha. She started a month or so before me. I’m not sure what motivated her to climb on that…

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Our Creative Lives: Fix It

  A few weeks ago, my landlord sent (finally) the maintenance guy (Waffi) over to deal with a variety of problems in the apartment: an oven that wouldn’t light, a bathroom sink that wasn’t draining properly, a busted hinge on the hall closet door and a perpetually dripping faucet in the kitchen. We’d been living in a state of disrepair for several weeks. Waffi is a sweet but incredibly busy guy. Everyone wants a spot on his dance card and we’d been waiting a long…

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Grace & Love

  It seems that all roads lead back to grace and love. For the past several days, I’ve watched as a community has shared collective grief over the untimely passing of one of its own– Joshua Wolff, who died yesterday from pancreatic cancer. Joshua was a highly regarded jazz pianist and even more, a great spirit who clearly touched the hearts of many. From the time of his diagnosis, just over a week ago, to his death yesterday, Joshua’s friends and family have held a…

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