your daily rock : make art
Art changes lives. It even saves lives. We know this. Aristotle has said that “the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” That’s how art saves us–it’s not the form of the art, but the process of it. And yet we …
your daily rock : forgive and let go
I’ve been thinking a lot about forgiveness. And about letting go deeply. Why is it so hard to forgive and let go? Is it because we are right and they are wrong? Do we hold so tight to our “rightness” and our need to have that “rightness” validated that …
your daily rock : forgive yourself first
I recently felt betrayed by someone very close to me. Lies were told. Secrets were created where none had been before. And so much more. My first reaction? I got angry. But not at him (oh, that would come later). I got angry at myself: “How could you have been …
your daily rock : stay the course
One of my favorite short story writers is Ron Carlson. He also wrote a book about the writing of one of his short stories, walking the reader through the whole process. It’s called “Ron Carlson Writes a Story.” In it, among other things, he says the writer is the person …
your daily rock : make people smile!
When I travel, I play a game in airports where everyone looks serious and stressed and late or disconnected. It’s a really simple game. And it takes my mind off of my own delayed flights. I just count the number of people I can make smile or laugh. It becomes …
your daily rock : travel light
My daughter Emma is getting ready for a six-week study trip this summer, so traveling light is front of mind for us right now–along with memories of my own college travels with a backpack. (And living light is a big part of my internal conversation these days too.) I’ve written …
your daily rock : learn something new every day
I’m on a quest to learn something new every day. Not big things, necessarily. Not exhausting things that take a lot of time and practice to master. Just little things. Like how to pronounce “err” correctly. Or how much 5/8 of a cup is when you’re baking. Or how to …
your daily rock : this is the time of your life
Some of you are saying, “YES! IT IS!” And others of you are saying, “God, I hope not.” Regardless of your first reaction to this daily rock, this very moment is the only time of your life. It’s the only one you have. The next one? Not guaranteed. What happens …
your daily rock : be part of the solution.
We’ve all heard this before: be part of the solution. And yet many of us don’t step up. Sure, we pass along petitions and posters and shocking news stories on Facebook and Twitter, but often that’s the extent of it. Perhaps it’s because there is so, so much that needs …
your daily rock : you are not broken.
It is easy to feel like we’re broken. So many people are willing to tell us we are. We have pathologized being human. Being human means imperfection. It means discomfort as well as joy. It means we screw up and make messes sometimes. It means we hurt as well as …
