The darker the night the brighter the morning, and we have seen some seriously dark nights this year. Of course there will be more, but for now, I am feeling pretty hopeful that we’ve past the trough and things are heading up. My dad was an amazing guy. People adored him, he was jolly and … More Hope

I breaks my heart when I happen on flame wars. People I personally know to be intelligent and civil folks sometimes cultivate their assholiness online because it makes for a good show. There was time when public executions were considered wholesome entertainment. That time has passed, and hopefully so will this one. Still, most folks … More Kindness

Compassion only seems to be offered to those we can feel as part of our in group. I think the empathic feelings we have when we can feel the common purpose with other living things are a key component to finding or building compassion. I pity the poor ants I kill on my kitchen counter, … More Compassion

I’ve been a student, parent, teacher, or board member at 6 coop preschools. A coop can be a godsend for young moms, isolated with their kids and unsure of their parenting. Less today where dads and grandads have thankfully become common as caregivers, but when my kids were little, a couple of the coops we … More Unity

New Year’s Day in many cultures is an important moment for self reflection. Secular western culture has sort of whittled this down to having a new year’s resolution. But the holiday that has always gotten to me, of course, is the Judaic Days of Awe, starting with Rosh Hashanah where one begins to examine their … More Atonement, Forgiveness, & Redemption

I have lumped these three into a single post in the past, mostly because the hubbub of Christmas makes it hard to find time to keep up with these daily posts. But also because they became philosophically of-a-piece for me back when I was in college. I’m not one to ever accept a revelation from … More Truth, Love, & Courage

The 6th day of Holly Days focuses on Gratitude. It is amazing how much more we have than we know or can appreciate. It’s going to be 2020, and yet when I was 20, I was pretty certain I would not get to experience the 21st century, let alone the first quarter of it. Somehow … More Gratitude

I have been making these posts for almost a decade now. When I open WordPress, it defaults to its statistics page, where I am somewhat painfully reminded, that despite my ruminations, confessions, and philosophizing, almost nobody will be reading this. Part of me figures why bother, but another part, an odd mix of ego, hubris, … More Generosity

Opening the second trinity, on Christmas Eve, is Hope. Things are much better than most of us think. I go to this theme so often because it really infuriates me. I love what Greta Thunberg is doing, I think she is a hero of millenia proportions. But I can’t agree with this sentiment: “I don’t … More Hope

The logline for Klaus, Sergio Pablos’ delightfully dark and lovely animated Netflix holiday feature, is: “A simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place.” It is a fanciful Santa Claus origin story, that is funny and touching, as well as stunningly beautiful, with a visual arc that brilliantly matches the … More Kindness