A decade ago, when I was in my son’s room folding laundry, he told me about an experience he was having on a school sport’s team. The exact details don’t matter – all kids deal with some sort of challenge in the middle school years. But if I had to name this one it … Continue reading It’s Just Material: Writing as a Coping Strategy
Writing & Meditation
Owl Watching
In the same week that I decided to put up bird feeders along the busy road in front of my home, an owl moved into the owl house outside my kitchen window. The house has been there for years. I watched it often in the time period immediately after Dave put it up – naively … Continue reading Owl Watching
The Unexpected Thing That Happened When I Gave Up Sugar: A Public Service Announcement
My proclivity for sweets remained with me over time. Chocolate, in particular, served an important role. A piece of it was really the only way my brain knew that the meal was over. Like the credits at the end of the movie, I only seemed to stop eating if I sent the specific ‘sweet’ signal to my brain.
Jumping off the High Dive Again and Again
I have probably announced, dozens of times, that I want to practice meditation. I started my official announcing of this goal nearly a decade or more ago. Declarations are my first step toward taking action and I even recommend my wishes on others -- before I do them myself -- in the form of sentences … Continue reading Jumping off the High Dive Again and Again
Do Not “Like” This
My high school English teacher, Mrs. Michael, rarely gave compliments or A’s. She was renowned throughout the school for her high standards and tough grading. I never got above a 'B' until one noteworthy essay my senior year. When I wrote the essay, however, I didn’t think it was noteworthy at all. It seemed … Continue reading Do Not “Like” This
The Thing I Hadn’t Seen Because I’d Never Really Looked
It was an attempt to get them to sit there longer – my reading of story books at the dinner table. I had several little boys and a husband who worked late and a lack of patience at day’s end. I also had a picky eater, the tipping point of it all. He … Continue reading The Thing I Hadn’t Seen Because I’d Never Really Looked
On Meditation and a Dog’s Batting Paw
What happens upon returning home after a week at a writing and meditation retreat? I realized soon upon reentry that what I lack most is discipline. But I also lack people around me engaged in the same thing. There is no group dynamic, no army to make me fall into step. To wake up in … Continue reading On Meditation and a Dog’s Batting Paw
When Crows Yell Freeze
Sometimes I will be sitting on my back porch and something will shift in the yard. The Tufted Titmice, for instance, will fly from the bird feeder in groups of ten at once, a sudden rush to leave. It is that specific feeling of emergency that makes me look up from my work. The wind … Continue reading When Crows Yell Freeze
Megan Houston Sager 