Whether it’s a Thought or a Raving is up to you.
Fall seems to be the time of speeding up — but also of slowing down. The academic year begins; schools and families launch into a flurry of activity; summer sleepiness rouses into the frenzy of harvest and winterization (and I don’t just mean the fields and tractors). On the other hand, something in the soul … Read more
Fika is a Swedish term for having coffee, frequently with some sweet dessert, and often with colleagues, friends, or family. I’ve loved this idea ever since I first heard of it, and this year I’ve started my own variation: poetry fika, in which your coffee break date is actually a poet, speaking to you through words on … Read more
Something I really love about the Russian language is that states of silence and color can be verbs. For instance, if something is white, you could express it as a static description — it is white — or, more poetically, as an action: it whites. It’s the same with silence. Someone can be silent, or, on the other hand, … Read more
Ignore, for a minute, the tremendous irony of the title. Some time ago, a friend of mine who is a Benedictine monk (and priest) shared with me a remark made by his novice master: “Every now and then, try to have an unpublished thought.” That small remark has stuck with me in the back of … Read more
Three years ago, I was lucky enough to visit the the most famous art museum in St. Petersburg, Russia — the Hermitage — housed in what was formerly the Winter Palace. It was just as much a monument to beauty as you might expect, except for one thing. Something that rather tarnished the experience overall, … Read more