by Dawn | Feb 26, 2013 | family, parenting, simplicity
Declan is a sophisticated five-year old. He’s evolved from Nick and Disney Jr to regular Nick and Disney Channels. This is a milestone in our lives. One I don’t love. There are some shows I avoid on the Big Kid stations. I stand firm on censorship with...
by Dawn | Feb 25, 2013 | education reform, gratitude, leadership, motivation, nature, self-improvement, simplicity, spirituality, Teaching
Driving down the road, I see a flock of birds in the sky. A flock of about 150 birds. So many birds, it’s like a giant cloud, except there is so much more grace and beauty. They sail on the wind–all flying together. Changing directions, zigzagging. In...
by Dawn | Feb 22, 2013 | family, organization, parenting, self-improvement, simplicity, spirituality
We are making paper airplanes, Declan and I. Listen to the sound of crumpling and fits. “I CAN’T DO THIS!!!” “Sure you can. Let me show you….you just crease it right here…” Two seconds of effort. Crumple. Toss, Yell....
by Dawn | Feb 17, 2013 | gratitude, self-improvement, simplicity, spirituality, writing
Geoff Talbot’s blog, Seven Sentences , was the first thing I read today. His goal–inspiring the world daily in just seven sentences. Brilliant. I am the opposite of “seven sentences.” I’m “seven million sentences.” I look...
by Dawn | Feb 15, 2013 | gratitude, martial arts, motivation, nature, self-improvement, simplicity
I was looking at a picture of bamboo. I love bamboo. I have spent so many hours painting it. In my sumi-e practice, I have painted a million bamboo plants. In the beginning, I thought this was insane repetition. In Western schools you don’t sit and write the...
by Dawn | Feb 12, 2013 | education reform, food, gratitude, politics, simplicity, social justice, spirituality, Teaching
I was running the other day—disobeying myself since I’m taking a short hiatus from running, but I promised myself “just a quick mile.” Of course it’s never quick or a mile. Somewhere around mile five a song kicked in. Not even sure how it made my...
