Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa It's always good to have your faith in humanity restored. Especially when you live in a red state, like Missouri, that too-often measures its success by how much it "owns the libs." (Read: restricts healthcare, defunds … Continue reading On Community, Power in Numbers, and How the People Stepped In Where the State Did Not
What's stopping you? ~John V. The third week in November is always a reflective one for me. It's Thanksgiving Week, so it's a good time to spend time thinking aboutwhat I'm grateful for. But it also marks another anniversary. On a bright and sunny afternoon five years ago, I sat in a cafe, at a … Continue reading A Note of Thanks in Time for Thanksgiving (And Happy Birthday)
We all do better, when we all do better. ~Senator Paul Wellstone We're all on board with the idea that all people matter. Same with the principle that all voters matter. But too often, what that comes down to in practice is "all voters matter but especially all voters in certain swing states that determine … Continue reading On the Importance of Supporting Every State
Don't think of it as losing an election. Think of it as gaining a wakeup call. ~Jon Lovett "[T]o all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams." ~Hillary Rodham … Continue reading On Time, November 9th, and the Woman in the Purple Suit
Most Americans in the age of Trump are not, like the subjects of a totalitarian regime, subjected to state terror. But even before the coronavirus, they were subjected to constant, sometimes debilitating anxiety. One way out of that anxiety is to relieve the mind of stress by accepting Trumpian reality. Another—and this too is an … Continue reading Staying Engaged: Why I Decided to Read A Book
“Going low is easy, which is why people go to it. It’s easy to go low. It’s easy to lead by fear. It’s easy to be divisive. It’s easy to make people feel afraid. ... what I learned from eight years in the White House, this life, this world, our responsibility in it is so … Continue reading Emboldened to Be Their Worst Selves: How Do We Rise Above? More Importantly, Should We?
I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I'll put it before any of the other things like courage, or bravery, or generosity, or anything else. ~Roald Dahl Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. ~FDR Do your little bit of good … Continue reading On Carrots and Sticks: Positive Reinforcement Stands Out in Visceral Times
“We’re still in the midst of a concerted, well-funded effort to undermine American democracy.” ~Hillary Clinton "I'm astonished that more people don't see, or can't face, America's existential crisis." ~Hillary Clinton "Donald Trump has never stopped figuratively shooting people on 5th Avenue. Unsurprising, because that’s who and what Donald Trump is. What is entirely inexplicable … Continue reading Why Our Leaders Need To React, and Act, and What I’m Watching This Week
It’s a bit like these two donkeys are walking along the bridge, and one of them doesn’t have anything on his back and the other one is covered with packages and bales and bundles. The first donkey says, “Jesus, that’s quite a load you got on.” And the second donkey says, “What load?” You get used … Continue reading The Green Backpack, Tired Legs, and Why I Think You’re Doing A Great Job
“The malice of the wicked was reinforced by the weakness of the virtuous” ~Winston Churchill "The bad things are disproportionately destabilizing and the good things are insufficiently fortifying." ~Julia Ioffe, quoting a friend "The trouble is, you think you have time." ~Jack Kornfield (Buddha's Little Instruction Book) I ran across two quotes this week that … Continue reading On Weariness, Weakness, Time, and How You Can Defend Democracy In Five Minutes
Small Deeds Done 