In some ways, it was easier to get published back in the day. Not self-published, obviously, but published in the traditional manner, or what used to be the traditional manner before self-publishing dominated the market 10-1. Before the onslaught of technology and social media with all its opportunities, freedoms and demands, a talented writer could …
Falling For Twitter
I’m teetering on the edge of the twitterverse, about to fall. After years of avoiding it, I finally accept that it’s not merely a distracting stretch of passing scenery on the human journey. After all, what’s on our minds is the journey, is it not? All action is a result of preceding thought, deliberate or …
WHY WRITERS WRITE
I live and work in an inspiring place overlooking a dynamic river combusting with life. Sailboats, tugs, kayaks, tour boats, and ferries connect me across swirling tidal pools of fresh water and ocean brine to the silver monoliths of Manhattan. I’m stimulated by every muse of man and nature I could ever want, and yet …
How to feed the body, mind, and spirit: 3 tips
Feed the spirit. Faith is not a product of the mind, but of the spirit. In fact, the mind interferes in the process of faith more than it contributes to it. In order for the spirit to triumph over the mind, it must be involved in some regular form of spiritual practice or ritual. Prayer, …
God doesn’t laugh at our plans
I see and hear this line everywhere—in church, on the mouths of well-meaning friends and neighbors, as well as on the little pearls of internet wisdom that travel mindlessly around. Years ago, in the midst of a monstrous catastrophe, I was at the receiving end of this comment countless times. It was usually delivered with …
Stop chasing happiness
Anyone who has ever felt true happiness at any given point in her life knows what a rare and special gift it is. Extensive studies have shown that money can contribute to happiness up to a point, but only the point at which it buys us the basics and a few discretionary dollars. People with …
Who do you profile?
The population of my neighborhood is diverse in every way you can imagine, cutting across the spectrum of race, creed, sexual-orientation, socioeconomics and age. Because of its proximity to Manhattan, there are many languages spoken, and on any given day during my daily river walk, I hear accents and languages from the Near, Middle, and …
Does Hawking’s grand design really exclude God?
I have just finished reading Stephen Hawking’s new book, The Grand Design which was hyped more or less as the book that disproves the existence of God, or at the very least, disproves God’s involvement in the creation of our universe. In the words of the authors (it was co-authored by physicist Leonard Mlodinow), “…the …
Are you “exactly where you are meant to be”?
There is a prayer (*see note) that circulates the web which I’ve received countless times. It contains the line “May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.” Depending on your life, situation, or the day you’re having when you run across this line, it may lift your spirits or crush …
Would you wear the “God Helmet”?
Some of you may already know about this experiment, but if not, watch. You will either be amazed, grateful, upset, or if you’re prone to cynicism—suspicious. But chances are you will feel something. It documents the efforts of a neuroscientist to magnetically stimulate a specific area of the human brain in order to induce a …
