Too much of my state is on fire again this summer. The six hundred-plus residents of the small town of Pateros had to evacuate last night, and I understand somewhere around one hundred of their homes won't be there when they return. From the cool joy of talking and learning about writing and books over … Continue reading Do good with a good book
Friends
Independence Celebrations
My annual ritual on Independence Day (July 4 here in the US) is to celebrate independence from something meaningful. Past years I tried spending a day being independent from worry, from judging others, and from clinging to expectations. (For last year's piece on my No Expectations holiday, click here.) As I've been promoting You, Jane … Continue reading Independence Celebrations
Summer Arrives
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, summer arrived this past weekend. Depending on where you were, it might have appeared in the form of storms, floods, lightning, wind, heat and humidity, or gentle sunshine and delicate breezes. Here it is, nonetheless, and we mark another turning point in another year in our sojourn … Continue reading Summer Arrives
May’s Lucky 13: Friends & Mothers
This month's Lucky 13 post is dedicated to friends and mothers. My friend Jennifer's mother is no longer on this planet; nearly forty years ago she created a home-away-from-home for her family near Palm Springs. Jennifer inherited her mother's taste, graciousness, intelligence, and sense of humor. And Jennifer generously invited me to join her on … Continue reading May’s Lucky 13: Friends & Mothers
Or do it anyway.
In honor of our annual celebration of MLK Jr's contributions, I read through some of his more famous quotes. This one spoke to me today. “Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict … Continue reading Or do it anyway.
To be full of thanks
Do you think it is a coincidence that we eat ourselves silly on the holiday devoted to gratitude? Or perhaps, as we strive to be full of thanks, we decide to settle for being full of mashed potatoes. (I'm not complaining. I love mashed potatoes, and mine are simmering on my stove as I write … Continue reading To be full of thanks
The Journey: an experiment
In The Law of Immediate Forgiveness, the story I'm revising to prepare for submitting to agents and publishers later this summer, Amy June and her Grandpa take a road trip from central Washington to South Dakota. This is a trip I've never done myself, so I asked friends and family who have to contribute their … Continue reading The Journey: an experiment
A good day starts with “what if…?”
A story starts with an idea. An idea that usually comes in the form of a question: “What if…?” What if misfits here on Earth turned out to be beings from other planets, all trying to figure out how to fit in? What if alien CEO’s were just as incompetent as many Earth bosses? What … Continue reading A good day starts with “what if…?”
Creation: It’s contagious (Project Create)
It is, as a friend of mine said, contagious. This idea of committing to doing something crazy and wonderful, like writing fifty-thousand words of a novel in thirty days, or publishing a new demo song each week for a whole year, or walking a labyrinth at least once a day, or getting a short story … Continue reading Creation: It’s contagious (Project Create)
Sacred Road
I'm using Sacred Road Tattoo's first anniversary as an excuse to recycle this post from August 2010. Congrats to my brother for following his Sacred Road for a whole year now. If you think of life as a journey, maybe it makes sense to say we all walk a sacred road. If the chance to … Continue reading Sacred Road
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 