Archive for August 2017
The eclipse was underwhelming and a little boring. I wish it happened more often.
I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the eclipse. As infrequent as these things may be, a briefly, slightly darker version of the world for a short period of time did not strike me as warranting the hype. In stark contrast to my cynicism, Elysha hosted an eclipse party. Four other families brought their children…
Read MoreThe ineffectiveness of signage
A rule of signage that people don’t seem to understand: Signs only work on people who obey signs. I worked with teachers this summer who wanted to hang signs on campus to enforce rules that they already had the power to enforce. Parents who were visiting the school weren’t adhering to the limitations outlined during…
Read MoreDon’t forget.
This little baby girl grew up and became a warrior who stood against hate and injustice. Heather Heyer. Say her name. Remember her name.
Read MoreA possible (though not advised) replacement for heart medication
I spent a week at Kripalu Institute for Yoga and Health last week, teaching storytelling to a dozen remarkable people. On Tuesday night I performed my one-man show, and on Thursday evening, ten of the storytellers from class took the stage and performed. It was an extraordinary night. One of my storytellers had not spoken…
Read MoreThoughts on hiring
I think we should hire people for any and all jobs using the following procedure: 1. Interview the last five people who served the candidate in a restaurant. Inquire about how the candidate treated them over the course of the meal. 2. Interview the candidate. Ask the following questions: Please explain the Bill of Rights…
Read MoreTyrion Lannister got it right.
It’s hard to acknowledge your privilege when you’ve enjoyed it for your whole life. It’s even harder to admit that your success is very much the result of that privilege, and that your self-perceived story of hard work, sacrifice, discipline, and skill might be entirely different absent your privilege of race, nation, gender, socioeconomic class,…
Read MoreThis, too, shall pass.
We spent last week in Washington, DC. We visited with good friends, ate good food, toured the museums and the monuments, and had a grand time. What I will always remember about this trip, however, is the way my daughter’s insatiable curiosity, her incessant reading, and her mother’s influence have transformed her into a student…
Read MoreI don’t sleep like a robot. Or Frankenstein. Do I?
I’m teaching storytelling at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health this week. This morning, I returned to my room to find a note from housekeeping: “You don’t need to make the bed.” I laughed. I didn’t make the bed. When I went to sleep last night, I climbed onto the bed and simply fell asleep…
Read MoreReligious folk shouldn’t be filled with so much hate
A waitress with a pro-LGBTQ tattoo received this note from a customer. I realize I am a reluctant atheist, but in my lifetime, I have read the Bible from cover to cover three times (which is more than many ardently religious people), so I am familiar with the teachings of Jesus. And yes, while it…
Read MoreHeather Heyer: Patriot and hero of the first order
Her name was Heather Heyer. She died when a car with an Ohio license plate rammed into a crowd near Charlottesville’s downtown mall after the rally at the city park was dispersed. Heyer was one of the counter-protesters marching in jubilation near the mall after the white nationalists dispersed from the scene. Heather Heyer went…
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