See what’s possible in July, Week 2: The law of attraction

The 2007 runaway bestseller, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne drew both fierce devotees (who thought of it as a kind of magic) and fierce detractors (who called it pseudoscience). The book’s premise is that there is a great secret available to anyone — a type of energy that attracts everything that we want if we know how to harness it.

Like most breakout ideas, it has some validity, and the book makes important points. There actually is science to support the idea that we “live into” what we focus on. Essentially, when we believe something is possible, we start to see it showing up in our lives. Read More

Make something beautiful in June: beautiful ground

In 1950, Detroit, Michigan was home to the biggest car companies in the world including Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. At the time, the “Motor City” was the fourth largest city in the U.S. after New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. But as auto companies decentralized manufacturing far and wide, Detroit’s population decreased — in 2021 it had slipped from fourth to 27th — and with that decline went the city’s tax base.

Not only did car manufacturing leave, but so did all the tax-paying businesses that support a vibrant working community, including food stores, banks, Read More

Make something beautiful in June: Week 2

What kind of creativity brings you joy? Gardening, cooking, drawing, writing? Maybe it’s baking or woodworking. There is something, beautiful someone. And you know what? Maybe it isn’t a traditional creative pursuit. Making something beautiful doesn’t necessarily mean creating art or having a unique idea.

Maybe you lose yourself solving a problem at work. Or resolving a dispute between two people in your chosen family. Making a difference in your community is creating beauty. So is trying a new, out-of-the-box solution to a annoying problem. Or encouraging someone who’s feeling despair…all these and more create beauty in the world.

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Make something beautiful in June

“And since all this loveliness cannot be Heaven,
I know in my heart it is June.”

– Abba Woolson

June comes bearing many gifts. Here in the northeast, it’s finally sunny and warm again. Roses and peonies are blooming and strawberries are ripening. We’re planning vacations and sitting poolside.

Surrounded by this gorgeous bounty, I hope we’re inspired to create something beautiful ourselves.

Maybe we plant a single rosebush. Or an entire garden.

Cook a beautiful meal for people we love with unique dishes–in colors, textures, and tastes we’ve never tried before.

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Gratitude is hope

So I wanted a car to replace my 15-year-old Honda with more rust than body, with failing springs (which feels like driving with cinderblocks for wheels), and not one but two broken taillight covers. When I shared this with a cruel narcissist from my early life, I was told to be grateful that I had a car at all.

“You could be riding your bike everywhere or buying a bus pass every month,” he said.

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