writing : blog
“The flat sound of my wooden clogs on the cobblestones, deep, hollow and powerful, is the note I seek in my painting.”– Paul Gauguin I had two brushes with greatness last week. The first arrived in the mail. I was shocked to open a 9×12 envelope and find a handwritten missive to me from none other than Billy Collins, the…
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One of the smartest people I know is Jeff De Cagna. He and I used to have regular lunches together in Washington, D.C., when I lived there – I miss those wide-ranging philosophical discussions. One of my fondest memories was our co-facilitating a session about learning for a nonprofit organization. We literally papered the floor and walls of the meeting…
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"It’s great to be great, but its greater to be human." – Will RogersWow. We’ve been simply overwhelmed by the response to our 37days retreat (MIND THE GAP: The Power of Personal Stories) on November 10-12 near Asheville, North Carolina–a journey toward being open, human, storied. Thank you for all your interest and kind words, which have buoyed us as…
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Those who are busy making papier mache Johnny Depp masks, handstitching Pippi Longstocking costumes for toddlers, or creating person-sized Chinese take-out boxes to walk around in might enjoy this post from last Halloween: Make your own costume.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard This is for my friend, Mary, and for me. And, perhaps, for you. What would you do with your 37days? That’s the premise behind 37days, after all … and so, a challenge. To myself as much as to you. I know that several 37days readers…
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“You may be capable of great things, but life consists of small things.” – Den Ming-Dao A few years and a lifetime ago, I co-authored a book on global leaders. If you squint and use a magnifying glass, you can even see my name on the cover. Not that I’m bitter about the size of the typeface used for my…
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"We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth…" Virginia Satir Stop. Put down that cup of coffee. Drop the busy business person façade. Before you read any further, watch this video (or click below on the embedded version). Turn up your speakers. Loud. Enjoy…
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Once in a while you meet an extraordinary person. Every so often you meet two of them. And when the moon is full and slightly blue — or when there are Thirteen Moons – sometimes they show just how gracious and giving they are, as artist George Widener and author Charles Frazier have done.
This weekend some of the finest storytellers in the United States will gather at the revered National Storytelling Festival in tiny Jonesborough, Tennessee. It will also be the site of an upcoming Thelma and Louise Roadtrip by me and my older daughter, Emma (minus, of course, the drugs, sex, murder, and Brad Pitt). We went last year and laughed our…
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Walking down the street in Charlotte, North Carolina, a few months ago, I saw a newspaper box that caught my eye; the magazine inside was gorgeous, big art on the cover. Tall, heavy paper, with a look and a feel and a meaning that satisfies. The very size of it thrilled me. The design is fresh, fresh. Reading it brought…
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Patti Digh is the author of six books, including bestsellers Life is a Verb and Creative is a Verb. She travels the world teaching others about mindfulness: to live fully, love well, let go deeply, and make a difference. Patti's comments have appeared on PBS and in The New York Times, Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the London Financial Times, and many other international publications. She writes a thank you note every morning.
