Category: Self
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The Hook of Plenty
This is a collection of writings from a few sessions that just kind of sat here gathering cobwebs, and Valentine’s Day seemed like an appropriate time to scrape it together and shovel it out into the world. It’s been about a year now since I have felt a strong connection with someone, and that year…
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The Joys of Agnosticism
There used to be a merry-go-round in the park where I would play as a child. About eight feet in diameter, its smooth metal deck sat centered on a very well-worn and well-lubricated hub, so that there was almost no limit to the speed with which it could be spun. Grab bars stood sentry at…
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Tempered Glass
A year ago I resolved to pursue personal truth in the haze of what distracts us from it: our expectations, the expectations of others, and the limitations we impose upon ourselves. I had suffered from a kind of fear that disguises itself as discipline, loyalty, or sensibility, and I had just begun, through personal upheaval,…
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Pray for Paris, or Don’t
Bonjour, America: in less than 24 hours, the rhetoric about Paris has become divisive. I can’t say I’m surprised. When I went to bed seeing #prayforparis becoming so popular, I felt uneasy about the implications, but I also realized that I was overthinking it. This morning, while some encourage us to pray for Paris, others…
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Auntie Lin
In the summer of 1987, when I was nine years old, my dad taught me the breast stroke in the cool, clear water of a flooded limestone quarry. My mom taught me how to make meatballs, standing on a chair next to the stove. My Aunt Linda, on the other hand, taught me how to…
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Skiing Lessons
Learning to ski has shown me a metaphor for living as a conscientious adult in a world filled with risk. The first thing one learns is to stand on the skis and balance. But this is not skiing. Then one learns to move on the skis. But this is not skiing either. Learning to stop…
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Digging for Diamonds
It was a little over a year ago that my shovel hit this old hunk of metal in the backyard. It does not have mounting holes and so it is not a license plate. It does not have an address that is found in this neighborhood and so it is likely not a house placard.…