This morning, Michael, my favorite yoga teacher, started class with a prompt.
Fill in this blank, he said: “I should be ______________.
The first word that popped into my mind was “writing.” Continue reading
Focus
A Letter to My Professor
Dear Bob,
You have probably seen this New York Times column already, but I wanted you to know that even 30 years later, when I ask myself Frank Bruni’s question, “What’s the most transformative educational experience you’ve had?” I think of your freshman seminar.
I’ve often tried to describe the mash up of psychology and philosophy you called “Identity, Alienation and Freedom,” but my descriptions never do it justice. Continue reading
Favorites
My children want to know about my favorites. What’s your favorite color? Your favorite food? Favorite place? What was your favorite part of the summer? The movie? The book?
Do you like blue best? Green? Chocolate? Pizza? Jazz?
My answers never satisfy. I don’t have a favorite. I am not being coy.
At our wedding, we danced a clumsy foxtrot to Van Morrison’s Moondance, not because we loved it best, but because Buster Poindexter’s growling take on Castle in Spain would not have been appropriate; nor Love Cats or anything by Tom Waits. Continue reading
One Thing at a Time
My six-year-old walked into the kitchen with a box of dominoes in both hands, the cordless phone cradled between left ear and shoulder.
“I love you, too, Daddy. Here’s Sammy,” he said as he navigated the dog gate and handed the phone to his brother.
Like mother like son, I suppose. And I laughed; but I also stopped short. I am trying to re-learn to do one thing at a time. For an inveterate multi-tasker, this can be painful. Continue reading
The Calm During the Storm
The bat mitzvah countdown is officially upon us, and I am strangely calm. So calm that when my six-year-old told me yesterday (for the second day in a row) that he had looked everywhere, but still couldn’t find his snow boots at school, I took him to Famous Footwear at 5 pm, on the cusp of the snowstorm. It turns out that if you can find your size this time of year, you can get a really good deal on superhero boots. Continue reading
Doing Yoga with the Dog
I’m thinking of teaching my dog some yoga breathing.
After he gets the hang of “down” and “sit” and “leave it.” Once he finally understands “If you destroy that stuffed tiger you’re toast” and “Cabbages belong on the counter, not in your mouth.”
Writing It Down 