Higher Living Reflections

Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. The reason lies in its simplicity: The day is not laden with fervor. Rather, it is premised on a simple construct: Offering gratitude. My friend…

“Hello, darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again” – Paul Simon Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend. The afternoon’s light will decrease and continue to lose its…

My friend Leadville Laurel McHargue asks her readers’ for their opinions about pumpkins. “When you first see them, do you smile, or does a chill run down your spine because you…

To err is human; to forgive, divine. – from “Essay on Criticism” by Alexander Pope It’s become a proverb in our culture. We know it, but one wonders how well we…

He had been to touch the great death, and found that, after all, it was but the great death. – The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane Death. The thought causes…

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. – Kurt Vonnegut Emojis. They have become…

What is it within one’s psyche that is touched, that causes the world to seem an emptier place when a certain person dies? The loss could be personal or a public…

It’s rare that I agree with the late John Wayne, but his line as Captain Nathan Brittles in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon cuts to one of my pet peeves, what…

Before you can win, you have to believe you are worthy. – Former Chicago Bears’ Coach Mike Ditka For fourteen years, teaching eighth grade was most fulfilling. Colleagues from forty years…

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin. – H.L. Mencken Feeling cynical? It’s a rare person, one would think, who doesn’t at some…

We’re a results-oriented society, thus the outcome of an activity is paramount to Americans. Planning is integral to the process. And with that, control over it. Outcome begins with intent. What…

Imagine stepping out of yourself and becoming the all-seeing, omniscient observer of the person you are and have been. You have full knowledge, of course, and complete, as opposed to flawed,…

Ah, the old writer’s block. What does a writer do when his creative juices seem to be dried up or are at least dammed by a weir, caught in eddy while…

An old friend and I got to talking about how the days, months, seasons, and years pass exponentially quicker as we age. I recall in seventh grade staring out the window…

I am struck by the thoughtful responses to my essay “Saying hi to your anger,” both as comments on the blog and in emails to me. The thoughts range from personal…