What has Life given you today to create with? Last week, as I left the sushi takeaway near my flat, I stepped out onto the sidewalk and turned toward home. Suddenly I realized, out of the corner of my eye I had glimpsed something extraordinary. I turned back to see a tiny bird’s nest in the middle of the sidewalk. No bird in sight. I had almost missed it. Instead I turned back, picked it up, and held it carefully between two fingers. The walk home, with this tiny treasure...
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Today, as floodwaters sweep people’s lives away in some of the Earth’s most beautiful countries, my heart is swirling with sadness, concern and gratitude. In yesterday’s New York Times, a Reuters report showed the devastation of the Countries Hit by Widespread Flooding. More than a million people have been affected by the flooding, as hundreds of dams have burst under the pressure of La Nina’s heavy rains. Those images turned the already heartbreaking images of recent weeks...
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I have a theory. If we gave respectful attention to what we eat, not only would we eat differently, but our entire world would also be a different place. The Japanese use a word at the start of a meal the way the French might say, “Bon Appetit!” or Americans might say Grace. Itadakimasu honors all the hands that brought the food to the table, from the waiter who served it to the farmer who grew it. The literal meaning of the word is, “I take this life,” and it recognizes...
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This week, while I am visiting family in Houston Texas, Hurricane Alex is moving across the Gulf of Mexico toward Brownsville, where it is predicted to hit land around midnight tonight. Still hundreds of miles away from here, Alex began having his effect yesterday afternoon. Within minutes, the storm’s high winds had cracked open the blackened sky and filled the streets with water. Nature poured a drink into her glass and started stirring. Growing up in Houston, I have...
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