"American politics has become detached from reality because it has become detached from consequences." ~Steve Schmidt "Pressure forces choices." ~Timothy Snyder Sometimes the simplest sentences are the most profound. Like "Pressure forces choices." I read that sentence in an essay by Timothy Snyder, Yale professor, Ukraine/Russia expert and author of On Tyranny. And I sat … Continue reading Pressure Forces Choices
Gardens are not made by singing "Oh, how beautiful," and sitting in the shade. ~Rudyard Kipling The other night, my husband and I watched a little hummingbird ride out a summer storm, perched on the feeder under our awning. I had opened the back door to rescue a seedling from the too-big raindrops I saw … Continue reading The Need to Tend
The spectacle of King Charles's coronation this week was a good reminder: Democracy is not the default. Freedom is not humanity’s factory setting. Quite the contrary, actually. Through human history we have organized under an all-powerful king figure. We give them authority over everything and everyone, lots of gold, jewels the size of golf balls, … Continue reading Would You Call Someone Fighting for Democracy a Loser?
It's 2026. Two years have passed since Election '24. It's different this time. After Trump won in 2016, his first years were bumbling, slap-dash affairs. He didn't have the relationships to leverage, or even understand the levers of government enough to know which ones to push and pull. Not this time. This time he's been … Continue reading Fast Forward to Focus on Now
"[A]s you’ve discovered, so many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.” The Phantom Tollbooth I’ll bet when you woke up yesterday you didn’t expect to see the news that Tucker Carlson is being booted from Fox News. I sure didn’t. In fact, the very thought that Tucker Carlson would not … Continue reading Everything’s Impossible Until It’s Not
Note: This week I'm thrilled to again have a guest post by Kelli Dunaway – an elected official, executive and life coach, absolute firecracker... and fantastic friend. When she and I were talking about all of the things going on in the world today, she had some excellent advice and a very fresh perspective. I … Continue reading Find Your Tarot Class, A Guest Post
Yesterday I was reminded of an old experiment – one that sheds light on important aspects of the Republican strategy and how we fight it. The experiment involves a Mason jar and a grasshopper. Maybe you unwittingly ran this experiment yourself as a kid, but if not, here's how it goes. You place (gently, of … Continue reading Learned Optimism and Grasshoppers
The corrupt and powerful used to bury their crimes with silence. Now they do it with noise. ~Sarah Kendzior, They Knew Crime committed brazenly is over time redefined as something other than crime. It is entertainment, and then it is autocracy, and then it is too late." ~Sarah Kendzior, Hiding In Plain Sight Well, here … Continue reading Democracy’s Court Date
“What do you say? Because only in America can you survive a mass shooting and go and make a friend who is the victim of a mass shooting and then go to meet that friend for lunch … and end up in the middle of another mass shooting event.” Ashbey Beasley It's another fairly typical … Continue reading Another Monday in March: Take the Moments, Take the Opportunities
“Some people say that what I did changed the world. But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it.” Judy Heumann Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist. If I have to feel thankful about an … Continue reading Judy Heumann: Willing to Make a Fuss
Small Deeds Done 