France
Worlds Apart
Hello dear readers, I have been offline for a while. My son just turned 18 and had his first day of classes at the University of Helsinki in Finland today. It has and continues to be a great adventure for both of us! I just returned to the United States after spending nearly two weeks […]
Merci, les travailleurs de France!
Hello readers, When I lived in France, I enjoyed a simple lifestyle, spending most of my time doing the kind of work I wanted to do. I made about half what I make today in the U.S. (which is not very much), but in France I was able to save money, take vacations, and […]
America is a welfare state…for rich people!
Hello readers, When I lived in France, I never felt poor, even though I never earned very much money. I felt like my life was focused on creativity, on being an artist, then a parent,on living the life I wanted to live. I had to live very frugally in order to accomplish this, and I owned […]
France vs. USA: dare to complain!
Hello readers, Over the last 40 or so years, ordinary working Americans have progressively lost many of our freedoms and most of our rights. Most of us are worried about the future. Most of us worry about money, the environment, about whether or not we can ever afford to stop working and pursue our dreams. […]
Guess what? Universal health care is better and cheaper!
Hello readers, Many politicians and business leaders in America have spread untruths regarding universal healthcare to Americans for many years. They want the average American citizen to believe that they would pay higher taxes if the government were to run our healthcare system. Bernie Sanders (Democrat) is the only candidate running today who supports the […]
Trump=Sanders? Idealism, reality, and the grace of nature
Hello readers, If you read my blog regularly, you have most likely noticed that I am something of an idealist. I want to see our world become a kinder, more compassionate place, and I’d like to be a part of that process by trying to embody those values in my life, by being mindful […]
What we value: let’s change one simple thing
Hello readers, I felt really proud when I heard a comment from French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, who is currently presiding over the Paris climate talks. He noted that it is our responsibility, as western powers, to help countries across the African continent who are currently experiencing significant damage (terrible drought) from climate change. Africa […]
A Letter to Bernie Sanders
Dear Mr. Sanders, I am a single mom, and like many of your supporters, I had to resign from my full-time library job because I was not making enough money to buy food. I was worried I would not be able to send my son to college, and I was starting to accumulate debt despite […]
What do Buddha, Jesus, and C.G. Jung have in common?
Dear readers, I’ve written about how co-dependency is encouraged in our culture and relationships, so much so that most people don’t even notice how their relationship to self and to the world is permeated by drama and the inability to face one’s own shadows and pain honestly. Numbed by overwork, entertainment, and countless distractions, we […]
Is my deodorant making me fat?
Hello readers, Over the last three years or so, I have dedicated a portion of my reading and research to health and wellness. I work in a public library, so I have wide and easy access to a variety of published materials and reference databases. I have made my own comparisons and conclusions, trying to […]
My life of poverty and abundance as a creative person (my story)
Hello readers, As an artist and creative person, my prime preoccupation has always been freedom. Freedom to spend the limited time I have on this planet thinking, dreaming, creating art and thoughts about life and art. The freedom to be a creative person can be conceived on different levels. Each of us has to […]
Krill: A Short Story
The beach was littered with glass eyes. Not the kind that fit into the orbits of human skulls, but rather the type that look like buttons adorning the faces of ragdolls. Seagulls homed in on the sandy strip, lunging for tender tidbits of raw flesh, hoping to satisfy their cavernous appetites. The air was calm […]
Touch and Go: Contemporary Relationships
Photograph by Stephen Willats Hello readers, I work a lot on myself to grow beyond the pain in my life and to let go of negativity. Believe me, I have experienced many challenges in life, but it is a lot more pleasant to accept the love and energy that life has to […]
La Vie de Boheme: a slice of memory
Hello readers, Today a patron at the library where I work used the term “la vie de boheme” to describe a book we had both read, “How Should a Person Be?”, by Canadian author Sheila Heti. The expression brings back to me my younger years in Paris, as well as the eponymous 1992 film directed […]
Living at the Palacio d’Abraxas: A Life Changing Experience
Hello readers, The last nine years I lived in France, I made my home at the Palacio d’Abraxas (see photo above) in Noisy-le-Grand. The Palacio is an income based public housing complex owned by a private company, in which there are renters and owners. Each apartment has a different floor plan, and some are on a single […]
Starving or Feeding the Feminine from within: Some thoughts on eating disorders and spiritual purpose
Hello readers, Yesterday, I read a blog post by Elena on thecitizensoffashion.com (see link below) about how young women are promoting and spreading eating disorders through social media. http://thecitizensoffashion.com/2013/01/09/valeria-levitinthe-worlds-thinnest-woman-campaigns-against-anorexia/ Reading about Valeria Levitin, described as “the thinnest woman in the world” in the article, gave me pause. I remembered N., a former room-mate from art school […]
A Nation Addicted to Fear: Is There Room for Love Here?
Hello readers, As a nation and as individuals, we have all been shaken by the recent violence against the staff and innocent students of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. And it is our responsibility as adults, as citizens, parents, and as human beings to reflect on the reasons behind such senseless violence. In […]
Living Simply: A New Standard of Living
Hello readers, I have always aspired to living simply, and for the most part, I feel I have succeeded. Although I have never earned much more than $20,000 a year, I manage to live simply with a focus on enjoying the moment. I feel that a high standard of living means doing work that has meaning, having […]
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