A Perfectionist Endeavor
Posted in Family, General, Personal Hygiene, Spirituality on Aug 20th, 2008
I have recently returned from the most PSYCHOTIC family vacation ever.
First the four of us (father, wife, baby, me) board a plane to Arizona to visit my little sister Chloe at her boarding school for wayward girls, although her therapist warns us she has regressed tremendously and it will not be fun or even [...]
Posted in General, Outdoors, Spirituality on Jul 10th, 2008
The week before last I spent three nights camping alone, which is not something I have done very often. I told myself that if I got scared, I should just think about an acquaintance who recently served in the Israeli army. If he could survive eighteen months in the Golan Heights with Hezbollah shooting at [...]
Posted in Community, General, Politics, Spirituality on Jun 23rd, 2008
When I call my boyfriend in the evenings, we often have a great conversation, and then he ruins the whole thing by hustling me off the phone without warning because he wants to brush his teeth or go to bed or something exciting like that. I know he has to get up early and he [...]
Posted in Family, General, Spirituality on Jun 19th, 2008
My recent trip to Scotland was the best thing I have done all year. After months of anxiety, I thought I had tried every kind of stress relief: exercise, healthy diet, yoga, meditation, self-help books. Nothing was working. I felt overwhelmed by the impossibilities of the future, and at some point every week I felt [...]
Posted in Community, Family, General, Spirituality on Jun 13th, 2008
I particularly love it when other people decide they are my long-lost kindergarten teacher. This happened yesterday when I was buying groceries at a small shop.
‘May I have a bag?’ I asked.
The checkout woman put on her most self-righteous tone as she waved the plastic bag in front of my face. ‘Will you promise [...]
Posted in Community, General, Spirituality on May 16th, 2008
When we are perfect, everyone will hate us. Oh well! That is the cross we must bear.
Speaking of crosses, if the life of Jesus tells us anything, it should instruct us that being perfect will only get us killed.
Will we be happy, though? Please tell us that at least we will [...]
Posted in Community, General, Spirituality on May 8th, 2008
On May morning I got up at five a.m. and went into town to welcome in the spring with singing and dancing. I had had enough of Morris dancers in other years, so this year I watched some green people who played wonderful folk music with instruments resembling giant bladders. They had green unwashed hair [...]
Posted in Community, General, Spirituality on May 6th, 2008
If we wish to be respected by the rest of the world, our best bet is to make more money. If this proves difficult or impossible, there is always the alternative path: become a hermit/ barefoot monk/ Jesus.
If we wish to take the path of the impoverished yet spiritually enlightened, we may win [...]
Posted in Beauty, Community, General, Personal Hygiene, Politics, Spirituality on May 3rd, 2008
This advice can apply to men, but mostly it is meant for women – at least, for those who are capable of the feat. Not many women can grow substantial beards, or will admit to the ability, though we have seen some good ones in rural Italy.
Our main aim with these beards [...]
Posted in Community, General, Spirituality on May 1st, 2008
This advice is directed at the weather. More than two days of rain in a row are too much. We don’t like getting wet when we are riding our bike to the library because our jeans stay wet for hours, and then we get pneumonia and die, and the city turns into a ghost town, [...]