Without You There is No Me
I was reminded this week of the concept of ubuntu which Desmond Tutu popularized: We are only who we are thanks to other people. This stands in stark contrast to [...]
Being With It
I’m writing less than 24 hours after the election was called. If I didn’t owe my wonderful assistant Robin this newsletter by tonight, I’d be tempted to hide out. I [...]
Making Room for Grief this Election Season
It’s a big week for all of us. I haven’t used this platform to talk about the election, but it’s too much on my mind this week to pretend I’m [...]
Life Purpose at Any Age
I recently listened to Julia Louis Dreyfuss interview Jane Goodall. Julia asks Jane how it feels to be 90 and Jane says, “Well, I know what my mission on this [...]
None of us Get Out Alive
My friend Emily recently attended her friend Trudy’s “Last Hurrah” party. Emily and Trudy have known one another for 20 years in the context of chaplaincy work. Trudy is 86, [...]
Last Prayer of Summer
I’m reading Luther Allen’s book of poems, The View from Lummi Island, a poem a day from the San Juan Islands. As fall begins, he says, the days shorten [...]
I Have Edges
Several years ago, a colleague gave me some unforgettable feedback. We had been vetting a potential client together over coffee, listening to this leader’s challenges and building a rapport. Walking [...]
What You See is What You Get
In computing, there’s an acronym called WYSIWYG (wiss-ee-wig), which stands for “What you see is what you get.” It implies a user interface that allows the user to view something [...]
No Emptiness, No Fullness
Yesterday, I really wanted to go to Downtown Sounds (free local concert), but I didn’t want to go by myself. My partner was working, my daughter was gone. I could [...]
Intermittent Recovery
I’m fascinated by this tidbit from an HBR article on energy management: “Without intermittent recovery, we’re not physiologically capable of sustaining highly positive emotions for long periods.” If you’re working [...]