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Welcome to my website, where you can learn about my writing, photography, and coaching. If I were asked to sum up all my work in one sentence, I’d say: I hope to show my readers and viewers how much beauty the world holds for them, and to help the writers I work with create a nourishing, intimate relationship with their writing.


An Expansion of Small

An Expansion of Small

The past months have been a challenge, and the coming months will continue to be difficult. Three weeks ago I had a mastectomy, and in January I will begin chemotherapy. Every few days–sometimes even hours–I feel as if a tsunami has swallowed me up. But 
One Afternoon

One Afternoon

It had been a delightful afternoon, spent at a local park with our 20-month-old twin grandsons, their seven-year-old brother and their parents. We corralled the little ones into the tot lot, which along with its double slide and swings, features a wooden locomotive with a 
Seeing Small

Seeing Small

Last Saturday, with friends staring at the Pacific from the trestle at Pudding Creek, near Fort Bragg, Stephen remarked that the waves were particularly large. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen waves like that,” he said. “They’re spectacular!” And they were, each long swath of 
Bad News and a Murmuration of Prayers

Bad News and a Murmuration of Prayers

I’d recently gotten some bad news, and although I fought to avoid it, my mind kept returning there. No matter how many times or how firmly I reminded myself to notice what I was passing as Frank and I walked around the block, like a 
Just Say Hello

Just Say Hello

Visitors from other countries or out-of-towners often remark that Californians, despite their casual manner, are not all that friendly. And they offer as proof the absence of greetings or smiles when they pass people on the sidewalk. I can’t remember just when I decided to 
Exciting Discoveries

Exciting Discoveries

I have made a few exciting discoveries about seeing small lately. Several months after Small: The Little We Need for Happiness was published, I happened upon Rick Hanson’s book Hardwiring Happiness, where I read that neuroscientists were already studying what I had experienced that afternoon 
One Milkweed Pod

One Milkweed Pod

Walking this morning with Frank, I passed a milkweed that had produced a large horn-shaped pod, and I felt an immediate upsurge of joy. Given my practice of seeing small, I knew to pay attention. While it’s lovely to take immediate note of what gives 
Aging

Aging

Aging For all those years, I wasn’t aware of all those years accumulating somewhere behind me. Oh, I knew I was a year, and a year, and another year older. Acknowledged in passing, or even celebrated. But each extra year disappeared into a past, more 
Five Words

Five Words

Anyone who is married or lives with a long-term partner understands the challenges, both universal and particular. Once we are well past college age, sharing a living space with another person can be difficult. You appreciate order, your housemate tends toward chaos. You need calm 
Just Hello 2

Just Hello 2

I have been aware of the power of hello for quite a while now. While I was writing my book on small, I discovered that for the most part, I offered perfunctory hellos, pronouncing the word automatically, with little thought to what I was saying. 
A Small Change

A Small Change

My adorable nearly seven-year-old grandson Lucien has lately become obsessed with vaporizing and spawning me, shooting me with invisibility and forgetting bullets, zapping me then respawning me back to life—not to mention all the kung fu kicks and punches that land within inches of my 
A New Use of Small

A New Use of Small

If you read my blog posts regularly, you’ve seen that I have written very irregularly for the past months. Stephen and I were in France, where, for the very first time, everything seemed to go wrong. First, Stephen’s 95-year-old father became gravely ill a week 
A Small French Moment

A Small French Moment

So many small moments and events here in France infuse me with pleasure, like the adorable compact toddler running around the square next to the creperie kicking a soccer ball long and hard with his tiny leg. Or the skinny old couple meandering down our 
A Perfect Moment

A Perfect Moment

It had been a full afternoon at the horse refuge, beginning with a carrot-filled flirtation between Titanic and me. He appeared to have heard my voice when I arrived, and I found him “waiting for me” at the far end of the barn, his soft 
Return to Small

Return to Small

Whenever I first arrive in France, it’s impossible for me to practice small. In the tiny medieval village where we stay I encounter so much beauty and joy, I cannot slow down and concentrate. Whenever I arrive, I have to give myself permission to take 
A New Friend

A New Friend

I’ve seen him every week for the past two years, his home parked on the small street where I visit my acupuncturist each Tuesday. Sometimes he’s sitting at the wheel of his white van; other times, he’s walking back from a shower or a meal 
My Tiny Library

My Tiny Library

I wanted Stephen to build me a Little Library for years, and when he finally did—for my birthday several years ago—I was thrilled. In the first place, I love the concept: miniature lending libraries all over town walkers can both dip into and contribute to. 
A Few Inspiring Words

A Few Inspiring Words

After Stephen and I had walked from our house up the Arlington, I went into Peets to order a latte while he waited for me outside with Frank. As usual, Peets required a bit of a wait, and as usual, I found myself tingling with 
A Moment of Survival

A Moment of Survival

“I feel like I’m on a different planet,” Amelie said a few minutes after we’d arrived at the sand dunes just north of Fort Bragg. Gazing out at the hills, meadows, ripples, swells, and rivulets of luminous sand around us, all covered by the blanket 
Unexpected Contentment

Unexpected Contentment

Stephen’s son and his family drove up from Pasadena to visit for the first time since the Corona Virus outbreak. Miles, Nathan’s five-year-old son, hadn’t seen his six-year-old cousin Lucien for over two years. And our identical twin, just one-year-old grandsons had never even met 
One Among Many

One Among Many

Stephen’s buzzer had just sounded and he was off in search of his arugula/lemon pizza, leaving me to sip my latte and take in the scene around me. We were in the back garden of Café Beaujolais, in Mendocino, an offshoot of the restaurant next 
One Basketball Game

One Basketball Game

As are many of my friends, I’m having a difficult time not thinking constantly about the situation in the Ukraine. So much of what I’m reading and feeling triggers childhood memories of body-chilling buzzers sounding off in elementary school, and all of us children rushing 
One Gesture

One Gesture

We were having dinner with a group of old friends who hadn’t gathered in some time, when somebody asked one of the couples about their estranged daughter. “Has anything changed on that front?” “No,” replied the young woman’s father. “Well, we heard she has a 
One Act

One Act

Because we are all complex beings, it would be difficult to isolate one moment, one act, one statement of our entire life that defines us. And why would we want to do this? Why reduce what is rich and vibrant to a single act? Our 
A Sudden Uplift

A Sudden Uplift

The world is not an easy place these days. There’s so much news about sad, unhappy situations and events, and so little—if any—good news. The world felt grim enough before Putin began his incursion into Ukraine, but add Putin and his troops to the mix, 
The Small of Macro Photography

The Small of Macro Photography

Rather than writing all about my experience with small this past week, I’ll let my photograph speak for me. And isn’t that a perfect rendering of everything I’ve been writing about these past few years!
Using Small to Accomplish What I’ve Been Putting Off

Using Small to Accomplish What I’ve Been Putting Off

I have a confession to make: About four months ago I went to The Looking Glass and bought myself a second-hand macro lens for my camera. Because of my passion for small, I take lots of close-up photos, and it seemed I could go even 
Small and Aging

Small and Aging

While friends struggled with major complaints—heart and circulation problems, joint replacements–and minor inconveniences—loss of their youthful acute memory, aches and pains–aging didn’t bother me. Until my last birthday. After joking for years that I didn’t feel the least bit old because I’d always been immature, 
Another “Small” Success

Another “Small” Success

I often work with people struggling to write, the way I did as a student in college. They may have lots to say, but the minute they sit down to put those words on the page—or even think about sitting down—they feel demoralized. What they 
One Leaf and I

One Leaf and I

My attraction to fallen leaves continues, and now, in addition to swaths of leaves in artistic formations, I’m once again noticing individual leaves, but in a different way than before. When I used to focus on single leaves, I appreciated the forms and shapes they 
Remembering to Think Small

Remembering to Think Small

Thinking small does not happen automatically for me. On my morning walks with Frank, my tendency is to think back on any troubles from the day before, or to anticipate those of the day ahead. An argument I had with Stephen, the health crisis of 
There is Always Hope

There is Always Hope

I’ve long had a habit of eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. When Jonah was a teenager and we’d go out to dinner, he used to tap me on the shoulder and, with a huge smile, remind me, “Mom, I’m the person you’re having dinner with.” 
Ten Perfect Minutes

Ten Perfect Minutes

We’d just finished a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey juicy and tender, the cranberry sauce filled with sweet chunks of apple, the carrots aromatic with five-spice. It was our first holiday together since Corona struck, and I think each of us, some more consciously than 
Reliving a Sweet Moment

Reliving a Sweet Moment

If you allow it to, one sweet moment can keep giving joy. I first learned this when I was writing my book, “Small: The Little We Need for Happiness,” and I have been rediscovering it ever since. The trick is to remember how powerful reimagining 
A Moment

A Moment

Last Saturday, I met Jonah and Amelie, my oldest granddaughter, in a city park in Piedmont, California. Poppy was off at a soccer tournament, but Amelie, who had been exposed to Covid, was quarantining and couldn’t play in hers. Feeling Amelie’s disappointment, and having received 
One Hug

One Hug

My two granddaughters have very different personalities. While Poppy, who is eight, is passionate and affectionate, Amelie, the ten-year-old, tries to keep an even keel and prefers expressions of irony to emotion. I, of course, appreciate Amelie’s humor, but have found myself lately longing for 
In Spite of Goodbye

In Spite of Goodbye

Our first few weeks in Pujols I felt guilty. I had traded an environment where Covid was constantly on everybody’s mind, along with climate change, politics and the imminent possibility of massive wild fires, for a medieval village in the south of France, where for 
Just One Scene

Just One Scene

Stephen and I have been walking the trail around the village for the last few months, down from the top of the hill, around the circumference of the valley below Pujols, then back up to the top, and on once again into the village. The 
A Love Story

A Love Story

Right before Covid hit, a friend went to the Metropolitan Opera film of “Porgy and Bess” at a local movie theatre, in a small village in France. She had been planning to attend with another friend, but that friend had made an unexpected trip to 
One Small Group

One Small Group

Imagine this: Eight friends sitting outdoors around a wooden table overlooking the valley below. The table is filled with bottles of wine, a cheeseboard and baguettes, a beautiful wreath of gougere, and a bowl of rillettes (a confit of pork meat). The sky above the 
One Small Bird

One Small Bird

Several evenings ago, I was working upstairs, and Stephen was preparing dinner downstairs, when he called me to come help him. “What is it?” I yelled, hoping to have time to finish the page I was writing. “Just come!” he said quietly but definitively. So 
A Big Small Story

A Big Small Story

Driving to a picnic with some friends, old and new, Genvieve, a seamstress told a story. The day before, a young woman in a wheelchair had come into her shop. She had admired a skirt and top in the window and wondered if she could 
Seeing Both Small and Large

Seeing Both Small and Large

I had what I can only describe as a “big” experience yesterday. Stephen and I visited the Chateau de Boneguil, about 40 minutes by car from Pujols, where we are staying. Boneguil is a fortified castle, built at the top of a rocky promontory, first 
A Brief Escape

A Brief Escape

We used to subscribe to both the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, but I stopped reading newspapers a while ago. Nothing good seemed to be happening in the world, and spending an hour each morning on the newspaper felt ill advised. I 
A Tiny Bird

A Tiny Bird

Yesterday, to celebrate his birthday, my husband and I walked the pedestrian trail on the Bay Bridge. From where we began in Oakland to Yerba Buena Island, where the trail ends, measures about three miles. For about two and a half of those miles, we 
A Small Gift of Steam

A Small Gift of Steam

I’ve become very dependent on my Zojirushi travel mug to deliver hot tea throughout the day. Unlike Stephen, who prefers his beverages lukewarm, I like mine piping hot. And while most of the mugs I’ve tried are not up to the task, Zojirushi does the 
Gratitude Prompts

Gratitude Prompts

I was recently asked by Mindful Magazine to create a series of gratitude prompts. I was pleased with the assignment, although gratitude lists are not a strategy I find all that useful. If and when I’m feeling really down, listing what I can be grateful 
Three Cellos

Three Cellos

I went to my first musical concerts in high school with my boyfriend, who was passionate about music and a talented singer. We began attending performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Eugene Ormandy, in Orchestra Hall in downtown Philadelphia. The affordable tickets were in 
One Thank You

One Thank You

I never know when small is going to give me a boost. Or more than a boost. At times, practicing small can lead to euphoria. For many years, my mother and I had a very unhappy relationship, and I carried a great deal of resentment—let 
Freed From Anxiety

Freed From Anxiety

My driver’s license has been a large concern for the past few months. I was due to retake the written test over a year ago, which fell in the middle of Covid. The DMV extended all licenses for six months, and I obtained an official 
One Name

One Name

One of Stephen’s and my favorite walks near Mendocino takes us from near Highway 1 to the cliffs above the ocean. We love meandering along the paths, taking in the sweeping views and looking closely at whatever is growing along the way. As we wander, 
Happiness Booster

Happiness Booster

Several months ago, while I was away for the weekend, Stephen surprised me with a Little Free Library mounted in front of our house. I was thrilled. I’m a writer and reader, and it had seemed to me for a while, that a Little Free 
One Tiny Note

One Tiny Note

One morning last week, I found a tiny, turquoise square post-it note fluttering in the breeze on my driver’s side car window: “Be careful. I saw a baby bird under your car.” Oh my, I thought, staring down at the post-it, I hope the bird 
At Last A Smile

At Last A Smile

The news from the CDC has been very positive lately, and we’ve begun to experience the benefits. Though we haven’t yet dined indoors in a restaurant, I’ve had several social lunches outside and Stephen and I have twice had outdoor dinner dates with friends. And 
A Happy Ending

A Happy Ending

I’d been struggling with a sick computer for several weeks. It started with a techno-nervous-breakdown, random files suddenly flashing across the screen. I knew enough to unplug everything and immediately take my Mac to the Mac doctor, where it remained for four days. When I 
A Reminder of the Importance of Small

A Reminder of the Importance of Small

I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of small lately. Over the most intense year of the pandemic, when for days at a time, except for long walks, Stephen and I stayed at home, it became abundantly clear how noticing small moments of beauty 
Practicing Small

Practicing Small

I have a confession: this is the first time since the beginning of Covid 19 that I haven’t been able to isolate a moment of joy within all the uncertainty and anxiety. Not because I haven’t experienced anything positive. Quite the opposite. Life has opened 
A New First

A New First

Stephen and I have been doubly vaccinated for a while, and last weekend we had our first indoor dinner with friends—at our house! I’ve never been a dinner-party person. Not that I don’t enjoy good food and company. But I’m a perfectionist, prone to worry 
Attention to Small

Attention to Small

When Stephen and I attended a mindfulness workshop this weekend, we were given a “bio” break after an hour and a half, and told to return to our screens with a bit of fruit. I had just bought a sac of organic Sweeties—those intensely sweet 
Not a Small Surprise

Not a Small Surprise

Stephen and I found our way to the “right” Briones Park this weekend, which was just as I remembered it—minus all the mountain bikers. Far west of where we landed last week, this section of the park offers meandering trails and multiple topographies, from gentle, 
A Shift in Perspective

A Shift in Perspective

Stephen and I decided to go on a hike last weekend. After quite a bit of discussion—over water or land views—we settled on Briones Regional Park, an inland expanse that I recalled as full of rolling hills, which at this time of year would be 
Second Covid Vaccine

Second Covid Vaccine

My second Covid vaccination was off to a bad start. The day before my appointment I received a voicemail that my appointment had to be changed. While I had been told to appear at 8:30 am, the facility doesn’t open until 9:00! Worried about postponement 
Me, Myself and I

Me, Myself and I

I’m sitting in our house in Rancho Navarro, a fire roaring in the woodstove in front of me, rain tapping on the roof over my head. It’s grey and foggy outside, though the green of the redwood trees surrounding our house holds strong. Frank, our 
Doyle Street Cafe

Doyle Street Cafe

Stephen and I went out to breakfast last Sunday for the first time since March. The weather was gorgeous, and we decided to take a walk in Emeryville, where photo ops for me are often plentiful. I enjoy meandering among the streets of the residential 
A Bunch of Collard Greens

A Bunch of Collard Greens

I’m sitting here gazing at a bunch of baby collard greens, the leaves stacked one upon the other, all green, with deep white spines and veins, the edges tinged with reddish-brown and subtly scalloped. Because these are organic, the leaves are not perfect. Some are 
An Unexpected Celebration

An Unexpected Celebration

Who could have predicted that getting an injection would feel like a celebration? But that’s exactly what it felt like last Friday when I went to get my Covid vaccination. It began with me. After ten months of social distancing and quite a few of 
An Offering of Popcorn

An Offering of Popcorn

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to cook with or for my granddaughters. Before Covid, I picked them up from school each Wednesday, and we spent the afternoon together, then prepared dinner for the family. We made their favorite meals—pasta and marinara 
Positive Thoughts Multiplying

Positive Thoughts Multiplying

I made a happy discovery this week. I had just walked into my acupuncturist’s office, and was closing the door behind me, when I saw the woman whose appointment is just before mine coming down the hall. Holding the door open for her, I stepped 
A Small Change of Scenery

A Small Change of Scenery

Everybody makes jokes these days about being home and available 24/7. And though it’s nice to know how reachable we have all become, with nine months of sheltering in place, most of us are beginning to suffer from sameness. We wake up in the same 
Zoom Comes Bearing Gifts

Zoom Comes Bearing Gifts

Although not as social as I once was, I certainly enjoy spending time with people. What I like most are one-on-one interactions where the two of us can enter a conversation deeply. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to catch up on any personal 
Creating Happiness

Creating Happiness

I’m not a social media user. In fact, I tend to avoid them. My age is partly to blame. My generation is the telephone generation. While our parents used the telephone sparingly, my friends and I couldn’t get enough of it. My high school boyfriend 
A Perfect Moment

A Perfect Moment

Aquatic Park in Berkeley is not one of my favorite places for a walk. While it might appear serene and picturesque from a distance–with its wide stripe of water and green borders–it’s a bit seedy and run down up close, its walkways muddy and often 
Not Feeling Helpless

Not Feeling Helpless

Many of us have been feeling helpless for some time. For some of us, feeling out of control crept in shortly after the 2016 election. For those kind souls, the feeling intensified with the arrival of Covid. Now, Covid’s persistence and rising numbers have spread—and 
On Being Fully Awake

On Being Fully Awake

I’ve worked hard during Covid to keep my spirits up, but have to admit that lately I’ve been experiencing a lot of sameness in my life. While pre-Covid, each day was different from the last—lunch with a friend one day, a hike with another the 
An Unexpected Connection

An Unexpected Connection

I’m feeling particularly happy these days, thanks to refinancing my house. Not because I’ll be saving money every month–although of course I’m pleased about that. For an unexpected but related outcome. If you’ve ever refinanced your home, you know how frustrating and tedious the process 
Living One Day at a Time

Living One Day at a Time

So much negativity swirls around us these days. First there’s Covid and sheltering in place, which not only creates an atmosphere of threat weighing on each of us individually and all of us collectively, but severely limits our activities. Even a trip to the grocery 
Thanks to Harry Potter

Thanks to Harry Potter

It’s been a long time since I’ve read to my granddaughters. When they were very little, we spent a great deal of time with books, gazing at them, turning pages, exclaiming. And I read, but not for very long continuously. As they got older and 
A MORE THAN PERFECT MOMENT

A MORE THAN PERFECT MOMENT

Imagine the setting: among the redwoods, on Jonah’s huge deck, blue sky, the sun bright, a gentle breeze. Jonah and I sitting in Adirondack chairs, Amelie on Jonah’s lap, her lithe nine-year-old body softening into his chest. The three of us are talking, the others—Poppy, 
New-Old Friends

New-Old Friends

I hear many stories about friends reconnecting during—and because of—Covid. Isolation gives all of us more time to think and to reach out to people who were once important to us but with whom we’ve lost contact. It also offers us the space to appreciate 
Focusing on Joy

Focusing on Joy

With so much to fret and worry about these days, it’s easy to overlook the small moments of joy in our life. They are fleeting, while the virus, the state of our country and the world, and for us in California the wild fires and 
My Covid Heightened Awareness

My Covid Heightened Awareness

Yesterday Steve’s back was bothering him, so I took our quarantine walk alone. I walked more slowly than usual, stopping to take photos of small moments that caught my eye. I felt freer to do this knowing I wasn’t holding Steve up. I would have 
Rediscovering the Telephone

Rediscovering the Telephone

It’s been a long time since I’ve talked on the phone. I mean really talked on the phone. While at one time in my life, a ringing phone sounded an invitation, quite a while ago it morphed into an intrusion. In high school, I logged 
Creating Pleasure in the Midst of Deprivation

Creating Pleasure in the Midst of Deprivation

Spending so much time at home sheltering in place, I’ve realized how much “stuff” we have and how little of it we put to use. Before the virus, I was too busy to spend time taking stock of what fills our closets, drawers and shelves, 
A Perfect Day DESPITE . . .

A Perfect Day DESPITE . . .

This weekend, facing double deprivation, I was feeling low. Not only are we dealing with Covid 19, but now the air in Berkeley is frequently unsafe because of the fires raging north and south of here—to say nothing of the crucible of sadness, worry and 
Covid and Appreciation

Covid and Appreciation

Since March we’ve been spending four or five days every other week at our place in Rancho Navarro, just beyond the Anderson Valley, off Route 128. Jonah and I bought the land 20 years ago as a mother-son investment in family togetherness; and over the 
Slow and Simple Cooking

Slow and Simple Cooking

Watching a video of Alice Waters preparing a vegetarian lunch, I was most impressed by her pleasure in the process. She seemed to enjoy every moment and phase of the food preparation, from selecting and appreciating each vegetable, then peeling, cutting or chopping her selections 
Unexpected Pleasures

Unexpected Pleasures

Last year at this time, I would not have thought it possible that five small rectangles on my computer monitor could make me so happy. But there we were, friends from our Brownie days of so long ago, together again, not in person but on 
One Small Song

One Small Song

Joining the Living Room Choir last year fulfilled my lifelong wish of finding a home for my voice nestled among other voices. I’ve always loved to sing. By the time I was in third grade, I’d learned the words to every verse of every Christmas 
A Perfect Interlude

A Perfect Interlude

We were stopped for roadwork on Route 128, waiting behind a short line of cars. Between Boonville and Cloverdale, 128 is a sinuous, narrow two lanes, with enough twists and turns to challenge my composure. I often close my eyes for the 40-minute drive, looking 
Small and Horses: How Not to Be Afraid

Small and Horses: How Not to Be Afraid

On his birthday this year, Jonah organized a horseback ride. Everyone quickly agreed to the excursion, including me. While as a kid, I was terrified of horses, I began to feel drawn to them about a decade ago. When I’m in France I volunteer at 
A Gift of Covid 19

A Gift of Covid 19

We’ve been spending a lot of our quarantine time in Rancho Navarro, where Jonah and I bought some property years ago. We now have two houses on our tract, ours built by Stephen and his guys around 15 years ago, then added on to just 
Another Opportunity for Small

Another Opportunity for Small

I began holding “Writing Workshops” with my granddaughters as soon as the Shelter-In-Place orders hit, and have continued this summer, though modified and less frequently. Last Wednesday, for example, we collaborated on writing a “graphic story” on the sidewalk in front of their house, each 
Deepening Friendship

Deepening Friendship

I’ve been aware that as we age, we become more and more grateful for the friends we made when we were young/er who have stuck with us through the years. My first college roommate and I are still in close touch, and I find our 
The Power of a Hug

The Power of a Hug

Most difficult for me these last months has been not being able to hug and kiss my grandchildren. In this, I know I am not alone: the New York Times recently published instructions on how grandparents can hug their little ones and remain safe. Knowing 
Creating A Whole New Experience

Creating A Whole New Experience

After we had the trees on our Anderson Valley property limbed up several weeks ago, a neighbor cut the downed branches into firewood for us. Since Stephen was busy with another project this weekend, it fell to me to stack the cut wood, a task 
Let’s Dance

Let’s Dance

I admit to feeling a bit down this last week, an accumulation of isolation, some family skirmishes, and my messy garden. The pandemic intensifies small pleasures but it also enlarges what might at other times have been small piques. Hoping for a bit of mood 
A New Opportunity

A New Opportunity

Stephen’s son, Nathan, is a personal trainer devoted to helping his clients lead the most healthful and serene life possible. I keep telling him he should actually call himself a “Living Coach,” since he works with a person’s body, mind and spirit all at once. 
A Small Floral Offering

A Small Floral Offering

I first noticed it several weeks ago during Stephen’s and my morning walk: a low stone bench with a plastic bucket of bouquets composed of flowers from the garden; and next to the bucket, a small pile of yellowed news pages. A handwritten sign taped 
A New Corona Virus Benefit

A New Corona Virus Benefit

The pandemic allows sweet moments to remain with me and grow even sweeter and more powerful, like a fine perfume. I always appreciate my granddaughters, now more than ever. And this weekend, I realized that the pandemic was protracting time, stretching it to allow me 
Renewed Faith in Small

Renewed Faith in Small

During the pandemic my friends and I mention frequently how grateful we are that none of our family or friends has fallen ill. We also talk about the large amount of luck that has landed our way: we all have family who love us, friends 
A Whole New Spring

A Whole New Spring

I’ve always loved and appreciated spring. Who doesn’t? And of course, each spring, we become aware once again of the cycles of nature, the rebirth after a long, and in some places cold winter, the green bursting out on the tree branches and pushing up 
True Empathy

True Empathy

Returning from our long walk a few days ago, Steve and I noticed a woman with a mobile phone walking towards us, apparently oblivious to social distance. We made a wide arc into the street to avoid her, both of us a bit annoyed at 
An Unexpected Show of Art

An Unexpected Show of Art

The Corona Virus deprivation that hurts most is not seeing my grandchildren. Actually, I do “see” them several times a week on Zoom and FaceTime. I’m giving a “Writing Workshop” to Amelie and Poppy, and beginning today, a Word Workshop to four-year-old Lucien. But I’ve 
One Encounter

One Encounter

Last week I allowed myself to be nosy. Stephen and I had been walking daily on a street that connects North Berkeley to Kensington, the town just north of here. A client I was very fond of but haven’t seen in a while lives on 
Hidden Small Jewels

Hidden Small Jewels

The Corona Virus is taking a great deal away from us. I don’t need to enumerate our collective or my personal losses. I can say, however, that the most difficult for me so far is not seeing my grandchildren. I feel their absence as a 
Small and the Corona Virus

Small and the Corona Virus

It’s difficult not to become panicked about the Corona Virus. Even if you remind yourself to remain calm, repeat that you are doing what you need to do, somebody around you fires up, and you’re off and running: Did I remember to use sanitizer after 
My Largest Experience of Small So Far

My Largest Experience of Small So Far

I realized this weekend that small is relative, and that in the scheme of things, one weekend out of an entire lifetime is indeed small. Last Saturday and Sunday, five members of my Brownie Troop reunited. We hadn’t seen each other in many decades. Some 
One Kind Deed

One Kind Deed

Most of us love hearing about good deeds–kindnesses offered from one soul to another. Hearing of one, we feel momentarily uplifted, convinced that the world, despite all that might be going wrong, is a good place. That people are basically kind and good. That war 
The Power of a Tiny Sand Dollar

The Power of a Tiny Sand Dollar

It was a beautiful day in Mendocino, the sun beaming, the breeze blowing softly. Stephen and I were at the beach with our granddaughters, strolling along the shore, watching the waves crest and break about 250 feet out. Poppy was gathering abalone shards from the 
The Large Worlds of Little Libraries

The Large Worlds of Little Libraries

I experienced small in a new way this weekend, on a walk with Berkeley Path Wanderers, led by my dear friend Sandy Friedland. For two hours on Saturday, Sandy led 40 eager wanderers up and down paths and along streets throughout Clarement and Rockridge, CA, 
Five Minutes a Day!

Five Minutes a Day!

Since writing last week’s post, I’ve been thinking about just how much a person can accomplish in only five minutes a day. Years ago, I worked with a writer so anxious about writing that we settled on five minutes each morning as the maximum amount 
Kindred Spirits Embracing Small

Kindred Spirits Embracing Small

When we visited my stepson and his family in Pasadena last weekend, he talked to me about Precision Nutrition, a nutrition course and coaching curriculum he is following. As he described a few of the lessons and practices from the course, in addition to being 
Small Tells Me Who I Am

Small Tells Me Who I Am

Over the past year, a great deal has changed in my life. I’ve added a chi gong practice to my daily meditation, and last summer I joined the Living Room Choir, and sing with them once a week. In addition, I’m seeing an acupuncturist who 
Small Relaunches New Year’s Resolution Tradition

Small Relaunches New Year’s Resolution Tradition

I am old and wise enough not to have made any New Year’s resolutions in quite a few years. Long ago, I made lists each year toward the end of December. While too omuch time has elapsed for me to recall any particular resolutions,I do 
Small Helps Modulate Anger

Small Helps Modulate Anger

I’ll begin with a confession: I’m intensely reactive, both to positive and negative events. Especially to people-generated events. I become quickly ecstatic in response to the kind, thoughtful, considerate, generous act of a friend. And conversely, I can become enraged if I feel overlooked, slighted 
One Small Moment Contains An Entire Afternoon

One Small Moment Contains An Entire Afternoon

My granddaughters offer me endless delight, but I often worry that I won’t be able to remember many of the happy moments we spend together. Our last encounter involved an afternoon of cooking. The girls came up with the menu: homemade pasta; homemade pasta sauce 
A Small Singing Moment

A Small Singing Moment

I’ve never been able to carry a tune. But I’ve always loved to sing. In 7th grade, I joined the school chorus as an alto, and loved every minute of practice. But when I tried out for the chorus in 8th grade, after the same 
Another Lesson From Small

Another Lesson From Small

It had been pouring for two weeks. As I sat cutting carrots for the horses at the refuge where I volunteer, the rain let up, and Jean-Claude asked me to please help move items left over from the white-elephant sale we had held over the 
Small and the Prado Museum

Small and the Prado Museum

Stephen and I recently spent four days in Madrid, and for Stephen the highlight of that trip were the museums. Of course! He’s an artist, and loves noting more than spending entire days gazing at paintings. Unfortunately, I’m not visually gifted like Stephen, who can 
One Small Moment Contains It All

One Small Moment Contains It All

When I left France last April, I missed a major event at the horse rescue where I volunteer–la transhumance–when Marie, the director, and a group of volunteers led twelve horses and donkeys to a chateau nine kilometers from the refuge, to summer pastures. Yesterday, I 
How Small Helped Me With Grief

How Small Helped Me With Grief

I recently read some shocking news on Facebook: a close family friend of Jonah’s had suffered a serious stroke. This woman is married to one of Jonah’s closest high-school friends. She is young—in her early 40’s. She lives a healthful life—she’s vegetarian, aware of and 
How Small Becomes Large

How Small Becomes Large

Sometime during my year of thinking and seeing small, I began taking photos of beauty within decomposition. I’d focus on rust on crumbling metal pipes and fences, peeling paint and cracks on dilapidated buildings, tiny holes in stucco, lichen of all colors on rotting wood. 
Remembering How to Think Small

Remembering How to Think Small

It’s difficult to practice thinking and seeing small when you first arrive in France. Your cell phone isn’t working, you’ve just tasted one of the best cheeses you’ve ever sampled in your life, you’re trying to speak French every chance you get—and at the same 
How Small Suddenly Became Large

How Small Suddenly Became Large

I’ve just understood that at rare moments in a lifetime, something can be simultaneously small and large. And I have Stephen to thank for this discovery. We were on our way to SFO Monday, chatting with our lyft driver, when an awful realization burst in 
Remembering Again to Think Small

Remembering Again to Think Small

Who wouldn’t feel overwhelmed in my shoes? I’m leaving a home I love for two months in France—which I also love. Besides being faced with so very much to complete, arrange, provide and plan for, I’m struggling with all the emotions triggered by separation. This 
A Small Change Can Yield Large Results

A Small Change Can Yield Large Results

Last weekend, when we were in Pasadena visiting my stepson, Nathan, his wife, Corinne, and our grandson Miles, at dinner on Friday night, Nathan suggested putting our fork down after every bite. He’s becoming certified as a nutrition counselor, and this was one of the 
Thinking Small Rescues Me Again

Thinking Small Rescues Me Again

I have to confess to feeling perpetually disappointed that my book has sold so few copies. It’s a disappointment that still hovers over me, sometimes at quite an altitude, other times much closer to my head. For months, I did my best to promote “Small,” 
How Quickly Small Grows

How Quickly Small Grows

Walking to a lunch with friends today, I thought back to my experience at Limontaur, last week, traveling from the beach back to the parking lot. I remembered how, starting out, I was already impatient to arrive, how I caught myself and began paying attention 
Another Small Encounter With Large Implications

Another Small Encounter With Large Implications

Near the end of the block I walk several times a week to the Monterey Market, a young man turned out of a front walk just ahead of me, holding a stack of doorknob announcements in his left hand. As I passed him, I could 
A New Variety of Small

A New Variety of Small

This will be a wonderful experience of small, I thought last Saturday, when I learned about the initial exercise in the communications workshop I had joined: each of us eight participants was to spend a few minutes alone with a pinto named Reno in his 
Small and Vastness

Small and Vastness

The sand dunes north of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, one of Stephen’s and my favorite places, is a goldmine of small. Which is ironic, since one of the area’s attractions is its spaciousness, its vast expanses of sand, and the huge white drifts that 
Another Lesson in Small

Another Lesson in Small

Once again, my granddaughter has taught me a lesson in small. I spent last weekend in the Anderson Valley with Jonah and his family. On Sunday, Poppy invited me on a “feather-hunting walk.” Her plan was to ride her bike while I walked, along a 
Picking Blueberries And Seeing Small

Picking Blueberries And Seeing Small

Today, I brought my attention to picking blueberries. Eight years ago, I planted a row of berry bushes in my backyard, and all the rain this year has produced a bumper crop. Each time I walk from our house to my office, a former potting 
A New Benefit Of Small

A New Benefit Of Small

Although I find it difficult to start conversations with people at parties, I’m known for striking up conversations with people in lines–at the supermarket, the green grocer, the drugstore, or discount center. The reasons for this difference are obvious to me. I have much less 
Small and the Brain

Small and the Brain

To write about my latest experience with small, I have to make a confession: I spend too much time playing a game called “Wordscapes” on my phone. The game involves unscrambling six or seven letters to fill in a small crossword of about ten words, 
Thinking Small Enhances Luck

Thinking Small Enhances Luck

Yesterday, I was feeling down. Nothing in particular, just a collection of annoyances. I had gotten up very early to attend a meeting in San Francisco, and the meeting started late. The delay wasn’t anybody’s fault; there had been serious accidents on the Bay Bridge. 
Break Large Jobs Into Small Tasks

Break Large Jobs Into Small Tasks

A week before I left Berkeley for a month in France, I began to feel overwhelmed—and daunted—by what needed to be done before my departure. I woke up one morning telling myself to begin making a list of everything I must do in the next 
Saved by Small

Saved by Small

Small has saved me once again! One morning I opened Facebook to a slew of postings from AWP (Associated Writing Programs), which is in session in Portland that week: friends and colleagues with their arms around writing celebrities, session presenters, cocktail parties, lobby scenes of 
One Moment of Small Beauty

One Moment of Small Beauty

A friend who lives in the Midwest recently sent me a note: “Today I can see the very first snowdrops bloom near my back door. And the winter aconites (small buttercup-like flowers) are starting to show their tiny yellow buds, jutting barely above the dead 
PLEASE HELP WITH  SMALL REVOLUTION

PLEASE HELP WITH SMALL REVOLUTION

I’m hoping you’ll help me get the small revolution going. Before I publish my next post, will you please: tell one friend about my blog, at janeannestaw.com. Thanks so much. And remember to think small!
Relaunching the Small Revolution

Relaunching the Small Revolution

I want to re-start a small revolution. I’ve been out of the country for a month, and now that I’m back home, I’m full of energy for a fresh start. Let’s relaunch this campaign with renewed vigor and determination. Let the small revolution begin! Those 
Small and a Measure of Music

Small and a Measure of Music

Last night, lying in bed next to my seven-year-old granddaughter Amelie, waiting for her to fall asleep, I began concentrating on the music playing on her boom box. It was a disc titled “Chill with Chopin,” and as I listened to what I think was 
Invitation to Join Me in Seeing Small

Invitation to Join Me in Seeing Small

I want to start a small revolution. Those of you who have been reading my posts most likely know what I mean. For those of you new to my blog, understand that because I have experienced the great benefits of small, I want to help 
Children Have the Gift of Small

Children Have the Gift of Small

Sitting on the sidelines at my granddaughters’ schoolyard one afternoon, I saw how well children know how to celebrate small. After several days of rain, the sun had appeared and the atmosphere felt balmy. When I picked Amelie and Poppy up after school, they wanted 
Small and Adventure

Small and Adventure

Walking home from the local green grocer the other day, my food bag full of fresh vegetables, I noticed a plum tree, its branches covered with tiny red buds just about to burst into bloom. Within a few days, the tree would be a riot 
A Moment of Awakening

A Moment of Awakening

Like many of my friends, I became a news junkie after the last election. As soon as I got up in the morning, I turned to Alexa (a contraption I had sworn I’d never use) and asked her to play MSNBC. The minute I got 
New Year’s Writing Resolution

New Year’s Writing Resolution

It’s the first weeks into the new year, and a perfect time to make one resolution about your writing practice. Remember, only one. Begin by thinking about your writing. How often do you come to the page? For how long? How many pieces have you 
Rewiring Your Brain by Thinking Small

Rewiring Your Brain by Thinking Small

To avoid the crowds on New Year’s Eve day, I went out early-to pick up a few more items for the celebration Stephen and I were hosting that evening. Parties are something we don’t often hold, and this would be a first New Year’s celebration 
Forget a Long List of Resolutions: Think Small Instead

Forget a Long List of Resolutions: Think Small Instead

The new year will be arriving in several days, so naturally, I’ve been thinking about resolutions—even though I’ve never been someone who takes the custom too seriously. It’s not that I don’t understand the tradition and its impulse. It’s tempting to tell yourself that after 
Think Small Instead of Writing To-Do Lists

Think Small Instead of Writing To-Do Lists

I’ve been against “To-Do” lists for a long time.  In all the years I’ve known people who make them—and for all the years I once made them—I’ve never known this strategy to really help the  creator.  Instead, these lists create pressure and guilt in anyone who so much 
The Gift of Writing

The Gift of Writing

Driving home after dark last night, I turned onto a block festooned for Christmas.  With all the colored lights twinkling at me, I realized that, this year, I wanted to help writers give themselves the gift of writingfor Christmas. It’s actually an easy gift to give–and it’s 
Small and Overwhelm

Small and Overwhelm

Weddings can overwhelm me. Being someone who finds crowds—even groups—of people intimidating, the before-and-after-the-wedding-ceremony milling about, greeting those you know and introducing yourself to those you don’t, can be a showstopper for me. And that’s before I’m blasted by all the beauty, wrapped in pomp 
Small Acts Can Produce Large Effects

Small Acts Can Produce Large Effects

I’m reading a wonderful book: “In Pursuit of Silence, by George Prochnik. In the book, Prochnik, who is extremely sensitive to noise, seeks both silence itself and its effects on humans. This might be an excellent companion for small, I thought when I saw the 
Trusting the Writing Process

Trusting the Writing Process

Trusting the writing process is an ongoing practice. Once you’ve learned to trust enough to complete a draft of whatever you set out to write, you then have to practice trusting the revision process, which includes several stages. Most important here, is to remember that 
Small as Respite

Small as Respite

Last Sunday, as Stephen and I drove home from the Anderson Valley after our Thanksgiving celebration, the sky was a clean blue, the sun, a brilliant yellow. This, after two days of heavy rain, and before that, two weeks of smoke from the Camp Fire. 
A Small  Comfort

A Small Comfort

Life in these parts has been dismal for the last week or so. The air is heavy with smoke from the Camp Fire, four hours northwest of here; and the emotional atmosphere is charged with our collective despair for those intimately affected by the disaster. 
Trust the Writing Process

Trust the Writing Process

Once you’ve trusted your imagination enough to sit down and begin writing, next, you have to learn to trust the writing process. So many of the writers I’ve worked with forget—or have never known—that fine writing doesn’t happen all at once; it takes place step 
One Lamp

One Lamp

Below is a lovely Guest Post, from Cookie Murphy-Petee, who lives in Eagle, Colorado. The Guest Post Slot welcomes submissions from readers. Watching an episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” with Itzak Perlman playing the ballad “Someone to Watch Over Me,” I looked 
One Small Moment

One Small Moment

Walking to vote this morning, I was ruminating about the tensions of this mid-term election cycle, feeling gloomy about the anger and hate blanketing this country. As I neared my polling location, I looked up and saw three homeless men standing on the corner. Oh yuck,I 
One Small Person

One Small Person

  My grandson Lucien, and his mother, Amelia, had dinner with Stephen and me last night. Adorable three-year-old Lucien filled the evening with delectable moments, as together the four of us laughed and played, acted silly and serious, danced and raced around the house. I 
First Level of Trust Needed to Write

First Level of Trust Needed to Write

Have you ever gotten an idea for a story or an essay and dismissed it immediately? Too complicated, too ordinary, uninspired, already been done are some of the condemnations my clients toss at their ideas. “But how do you know without even starting?” I ask. 
A Perfect Example of Small

A Perfect Example of Small

Near the beginning of my walk at the Berkeley Marina today a stand of fennel caught my eye, lovely with its combination of textures and hues: the sturdy, celery-colored stalks, the bright green of the feathery leaves, and the sunny yellow of the blooms. All 
The Effectiveness of Small

The Effectiveness of Small

I think I’ve just proved the value of practicing small–in an inadvertent experiment, with one subject only. Over the past few months, I’ve reverted to my former instinctual negative thinking. I gave a talk in Sacramento last Thursday, and when I realized the next morning, 
Small Saves Me Again

Small Saves Me Again

When I opened my eyes, my head was still spinning and my stomach felt sour. I had tossed and turned all night from roiling dreams. What kind of promise could a day born in this state offer? But I didn’t suffer for long. I knew 
Finding an Ideal Reader

Finding an Ideal Reader

Although I’ve led hundreds of writing workshops, I’ve never joined a writing group. The reason: I don’t care what six, or eight, or ten other writers think of what I’ve written. Over the years, I’ve learned that each writer in a workshop will find at 
Small Gets Even Better

Small Gets Even Better

Lately I’ve discovered a new power of seeing small: it can make good things even better. Although I still practice seeing small whenever I catch myself worrying or feeling anxious, I need to invoke small much less than several years ago.  This realization, plus several talks I’ve 
Against Perfectionism

Against Perfectionism

  Many of the writers I work with fuss with their current story, poem, or essay forever, before moving on to the next story, poem, or essay they want to write.  “I just want to read through one more time,” more than a few of 
New Benefits of Small

New Benefits of Small

I’ve discovered a new benefit of small. By the time I finished writing my book, I thought I had explored all the good I could accrue from thinking and seeing small. And ever since my book was published, I’ve continued practicing whenever I find myself 
Experience Small

Experience Small

If you have been reading my posts but have never practiced seeing small, you are missing out on a simple and straightforward way of reducing your stress and bringing serenity and joy into your life. It’s one thing to think that what I’m saying about 
The Willing Suspension of Disbelief

The Willing Suspension of Disbelief

Most people who struggle with writing are intense self-questioners: is this the best topic, is this the best way to open, am I asking the right questions, speaking to the right audience? No wonder these people have such a hard time writing. Can you imagine 
The Real Beauty of Small

The Real Beauty of Small

I recently checked in with Amazon, and was astounded at the number of books on happiness. So many experts and so many methods of achieving this ideal state. Where does small fit in to this universe, I asked myself? And with all these books and 
Let Your Writing Be the Boss

Let Your Writing Be the Boss

I had hoped to write during my month in France, but was too busy and distracted to focus. So I was relieved when an idea for a new essay came to me a few days after returning home. I wanted to write about how speaking 
Rediscovering Small

Rediscovering Small

I just spent a month in France, where I didn’t think about small at all. Not once. When I returned home, I felt completely disconnected from the practice that had been central to my life. The disconnect is understandable. I hadn’t felt the need for 
Getting Started Writing and Starting Up a Power Mower

Getting Started Writing and Starting Up a Power Mower

At the end of the day, the participants in the “Jumpstarting Your Writing” workshop I taught several weeks ago, agreed to settle on a small amount of time—15 minutes to a half hour–Writing and Starting a to write, at least five times a week, and 
Small Helps Resolve a Dilemma

Small Helps Resolve a Dilemma

Today, I was faced with a dilemma: the woman who schedules appointments for my acupuncturist had phoned to ask me to bring a copy of my book to the office for her. “I’ve read some of it and want my own copy,” she told me. 
A Space of Your Own

A Space of Your Own

Last night as I was falling asleep, I felt a strong desire to work on, not in, my office. I pictured myself vacuuming, dusting, emptying and rearranging shelves, then finally re-curating the photos on the walls and the collection of objets I have displayed over 
Big and Small

Big and Small

My friend Tom Friedland phoned this morning to tell me about a David Brooks editorial in the NY Times. “It’s about Mr. Rogers and his views on big and small. Thought you’d be interested.” As soon as I got home, I opened the paper, and 
Finding Time to Write

Finding Time to Write

We are all so busy these days.  I know many people who rush from appointment to appointment, engagement to engagement, without, it seems, a clear sense of just what their priorities are, or what they would most like to be doing.  I’m sometimes tempted to 
Small Makes My Day

Small Makes My Day

Today, small allowed me to have a peak teaching experience. Not that I don’t usually enjoy teaching and appreciate my students. I do. But I haven’t taught in some time and was worried about how an all-day workshop I had scheduled would work out. Did 
If You’re Stuck, Here’s a Suggestion

If You’re Stuck, Here’s a Suggestion

  A client and I were discussing John McPhee’s essay “The Search for Marvin Gardens.” With its richness of form, multiple themes and sources of tension, I thought the essay would make good material for a rich conversation. And it did.  My client recently underwent 
Small As an Antidote to Bad  Dreams

Small As an Antidote to Bad Dreams

I often wake up in the morning depressed from bad dreams.  In one recurring nightmare, I leave my purse in a restaurant, on a park bench, or a bus, and when I realize what I’ve done, a sense of dread courses through my body like 
Embracing Small

Embracing Small

Several months ago, I scheduled a reading at the Boonville Hotel. It’s a delightful weekend retreat, and I speculated that guests at the hotel might enjoy my kind of entertainment. Three weeks before the date, I notified the newspapers in the Anderson Valley and Fort 
Bad Writing Days

Bad Writing Days

I’ve just come through a few days of bad writing. Or perhaps it would be better if I said a few bad days of writing. While both are true, approaching the territory of judgment is never a good idea for us writers. We all have 
A Small Moment Turns Large

A Small Moment Turns Large

Last Wednesday, I took BART into San Francisco to attend a poetry reading at Green Arcade Books on Market Street. A long-ago student and friend, Hazel White, with whom I had lost contact for years, was reading from her new book, “Vigilance is No Orchard,” 

Writing and Small

This week, I offer you a guest post I wrote for the blog “livewritethrive,” which has generated much appreciation. Think Small to Avoid Writer’s Block
A Small Moment

A Small Moment

My youngest granddaughter, Poppy, has always been intensely stage shy. She was “too scared” to dance in her ballet class’s performance when she was four, then declined piano lessons because she didn’t want “the piano teacher looking at me.” And at her class’s Christmas performance 
The Myth of Inspiration

The Myth of Inspiration

Most of us have the wrong idea about inspiration. Popular culture tells us that inspiration is a force that strikes out of the blue, often when we least expect it, energizing us to write, paint, think, make a plan, a decision–even a phone call. And 

How Seeing and Thinking Small Can Help Us These Days

If you want to find out how thinking and seeing small can help you survive these trying political times, listen to my KQED Perspectives piece.  
Book Promotion Part II

Book Promotion Part II

Book Promotion Part II Promoting my book feels a lot like dating, something I was never all that enthusiastic about. In truth, my knowledge of dating comes mostly from friends and clients. And these days, it often involves the Internet. However, whether you meet potential 
The Long Journey of Book Promotion

The Long Journey of Book Promotion

Since I am spending a great deal of my time these days working toward promoting my new book, I thought I should tell other writers about my successes and failures. Promotion seems to be a topic that gets a great deal of attention, from writers 
A “Small” Story

A “Small” Story

Nothing makes me happier than when people tell me their own stories of small. Yesterday, after a book party, a woman approached. “Would you mind if I told you a small story?” she asked. Would I mind? I’d be thrilled! “My name is Mary,” she 
Facing the Blank Page III

Facing the Blank Page III

Many of the writers I work with aren’t aware of just how much the environment in which they write affects their facing the blank page. I learned this lesson accidently, when we needed my study for my step-daughter’s bedroom, and Stephen created a studio for 
Great Minds Embrace Small

Great Minds Embrace Small

I’m in good company when I see and think small. Among my fellow small enthusiasts: Stendhal: “A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.” Aeschylus: “From a small seed, a mighty trunk may grow.” Lao Tzu: “The journey of 
Facing the Blank Page II

Facing the Blank Page II

While limiting their writing time to 15 minutes helps many writers face the blank page, it doesn’t work for others. Even if they give themselves permission to write for only five minutes, some writers cannot sit down and begin. Something else—a phone call, a chore, 
Multiples of Small

Multiples of Small

I’m just back from a week-long writers’ conference on Ambergris Caye, in Belize, where I taught for a week. The morning after I read from my new book, “Small: The Little We Need for Happiness,” two of the writers in my workshop presented me with 
Strategies for Facing the Blank Page, Part I

Strategies for Facing the Blank Page, Part I

Starting a New Piece. Writers have been writing about the blank page for centuries. Mainly about its terrors. Few artists, if any, anticipate with relish beginning anew, whether it be a piece of writing, a painting, or a musical composition. Facing a pure white canvas, 
Scientific Proof for the Value of Thinking Small

Scientific Proof for the Value of Thinking Small

I picked up a book called “Rewiring the Brain” by Rick Hanson at my acupuncturist’s the other day. My own book “Small” is really about happiness, I thought. “This book might be relevant.” I’m glad I didn’t read this before I wrote “Small. I might 
Writing and Risk

Writing and Risk

Recently I met a woman for coffee. WE didn’t know each other, but she wanted a signed copy of my book. I usually say no to this sort of encounter. I’m busy with my clients and my own writing, and prefer to keep my free 
A Brief Interlude That Recaptures the Past

A Brief Interlude That Recaptures the Past

When I picked her up from school on Tuesday, my six-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter told me she didn’t feel good. After we arrived home, I touched her forehead. It was warm. “I think you have a fever,” I told her. I offered her a snack and a 
Writing As Discovery

Writing As Discovery

For well over a month, each time we met, one of my clients repeated that he was almost ready to begin writing. “I’ve got just about another week or so of thinking this through, before my writing will really take off,” he kept assuring me. 
Beautiful, Tiny Things

Beautiful, Tiny Things

This morning, the movers hauled away the last of my mother’s furniture remaining in her condo: Several antique end tables, a roll-top desk that had been my grandfather’s when he was a boy, and a highboy my father had always used to store his clothing. 
Tired of the Rain: Think Small

Tired of the Rain: Think Small

It’s easy to grow irritated when bad weather persists. Days of being snowbound or pummeling rain can turn our moods sour. It’s been pouring here for the past few days, torrents of rain causing freeway accidents and delays, and making going anywhere, even just a 
Writing and Small

Writing and Small

At book parties to promote my book, “Small: The Little We Need for Happiness,” people often ask me about my writing process, something I love talking about. I was once a very blocked writer. Throughout college, I struggled with every term paper, writing the opening 
An Act of Small

An Act of Small

At a book event last Sunday, one of my neighbors called me over to her table. “I’m going to pay for two books, but I’m not going to take them. Instead, I’d like you to give them to two people who might not be able 
Taking Care of Yourself During a Flu of Discouragement

Taking Care of Yourself During a Flu of Discouragement

For writers, feeling discouraged is like having the flu. Here's how to take care of yourself:
The Power of A Single Orange

The Power of A Single Orange

One range saves a life!
It Would Be Enough

It Would Be Enough

A grade-school friend I hadn’t been in touch with for decades, learned about my book, ordered it and began reading it. As she read, she emailed me her responses and reactions. Along the way, she told me something about the life she has lived. In 
A New Form of Writing Block

A New Form of Writing Block

I’m learning something new about writing inhibitions. I’ve always known that a block could inhibit not only the writing itself, but also completing a writing project and even submitting writing for publication. I’ve worked with clients who fall into the latter two categories. They have 
Thinking Small Leaves Room to Have Fun

Thinking Small Leaves Room to Have Fun

We invited several friends for dinner last weekend. My usual mode when we’re having company is panic. There’s so much to do, I think. And what if it the food doesn’t turn out well? I move on from there, to worrying about my dirty living 
How to Be Kind to Yourself When You Write

How to Be Kind to Yourself When You Write

Showering yourself with kindness when you write is essential.
Thinking Small to Quell Anxiety

Thinking Small to Quell Anxiety

Driving home from celebrating our Pasadena grandson’s first birthday, my husband told me he was feeling anxious. “Why?” I asked. “For so many reasons,” he replied, then rattled off a list of concerns, which included events and situations months in the future. “You’re worried about 
Don’t Stop Writing

Don’t Stop Writing

When you hit the wall of deciding what you're writing is no good, don't just up and stop writing altogether.
Small Helps in Dealing with Messes

Small Helps in Dealing with Messes

Researches have proved that messes make people anxious. I couldn't agree more. Put me in a messy room, with dirty dishes littering table tops, discarded apple cores sitting next to chairs, outwear piled on those chairs, and papers scattered here and there, I begin to feel panicky. Now, I've learned how to a void the unease: I find one moment of beauty in the room: an interesting design in the rug, a beautiful ceramic pot, a painting, even a dustball just under the couch, and I focus on that. Within moments, I begin to feel calmer. Try it.
When to think Smaller

When to think Smaller

I’m ashamed to say that after my fabulous book launch last Thursday, I started thinking about all the people who didn’t show up. I did this for several days, and began compiling quite a list, before I caught myself. This is old behavior, I told myself. You know how to stop it. And I did. The next time my mind returned to the list, I shifted my focus from all those who hadn’t been there--for whatever reason—to the first face I could remember, sitting in the audience, smiling, sending me silent good wishes. It worked. I’m no longer thinking about who wasn’t there. And now when people ask how the launch went, I’m able to reply, “It was wonderful!”
How to Talk to the Writing Critics in Your Head

How to Talk to the Writing Critics in Your Head

If you're aware of writing critics residing in your head, this post will help you clear the airwaves.
Thinking Small

Thinking Small

I had a lot to do today and was feeling overwhelmed. I wanted to spend time with my granddaughters, who live 20 minutes from me, do my workout and my meditation, write a blog post, deposit the bags of clothing that had been sitting in the front hall for a week, at Goodwill—all before going out to dinner with a friend. The more I rushed, the more overwhelmed I felt. I’ll never get all of this done became my mantra. I finally realized what I needed to do: Think Small. I need to stop whatever I was doing, go outside for a short walk, and find a tiny, beautiful thing. I did that, and about half a block from my house, I picked up the most beautiful dried berry, mottled in various shades or red, with a graceful arcing stem. The minute I notice the berry, I felt my body relax and my chest expand. The world is such a beautiful place, I whispered to myself. Then I went back to my house and completed by chores, the image of the dried red berry with the arcing stem in my mind.
The Benefits of a Writing companion

The Benefits of a Writing companion

If you don't have a writing companion, you might think about finding one.
The New Year II

The New Year II

Have you discovered the best place to do your writing?
Writing in the New Year

Writing in the New Year

It's a new year, and time to take a look at your writing practice.
Thinking Small About Promoting My Book

Thinking Small About Promoting My Book

It’s happened. I’ve hit a wall with my writing. Well, not exactly with my writing, but with promoting my new book, “Small: The Little We Need for Happiness.” My book will be shipped at the end of this month, just in time for the new 
Praise Yourself When You Write

Praise Yourself When You Write

If you've ever been plagued by writing inhibitions, it's important that you praise yourself once you've established a regular writing practice--no matter how small.
Getting Back to Your Writing After a Break

Getting Back to Your Writing After a Break

It's often difficult to get back to writing after a break. In this post, I offer tips for beginning to write again.

How To Know If You’re A Writer

Here’s a short talk about how to know if you’re a writer. Hope you enjoy it. And please forgive the Thanksgiving wishes. I had hoped to publish this last week.
The Scourge of Perfectionism

The Scourge of Perfectionism

The Scourge of Perfectionism Perfectionism is common among writers with inhibitions. Whenever they write, whatever they are writing, be it a literary essay or a thank you note, they want it to be perfect in every way—all the right, no best –words, punctuation and content. 
Regular Writing Windows May Not be Right for Everyone

Regular Writing Windows May Not be Right for Everyone

Maybe I’m Not So Right After writing on and on about setting aside a regular time to write, I spoke to a writer who, unknowingly, has forced me to rethink my advice. This writer told me that after trying and trying to set aside a 
Creating a Writing Window

Creating a Writing Window

I’ve written a great deal in the past about how important it is to create a safe writing world for yourself. So many of the writers I work with unknowingly allow the wrong people and places to enter their world, and are not aware of 
The Myth of Inspiration

The Myth of Inspiration

Most of the writers I’ve worked with share a common misconception about inspiration. Before we work together, they believed that they couldn’t just sit down and begin writing. They thought they needed to feel “inspired.” When I ask these clients what inspiration means to them, 

How to Talk to Your Internal Writing Critics

Here’s a first for me: A short talk on how to talk to your internal writing critics. Hope you find it helpful.
What Are We Really Afraid Of?

What Are We Really Afraid Of?

The topic of critics is complicated. Most people who struggle with writing inhibitions can think of a family member, friend or teacher who has said unkind words about their writing. My first critic was my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Lauck, who criticized me even for the 
Dealing with Your Nasty Internal Critics

Dealing with Your Nasty Internal Critics

Who cares what you say? You’re a lousy writer! Nobody’s going to read your book. You should be doing something more productive with your time. Writing is selfish. These are just a few of the insults many of the writers I work with hurl at 
Rewards for Writing

Rewards for Writing

These days writing is its own reward for me. Even if it hasn’t been a fabulous writing day—if I’ve felt a bit stiff, or the words have been slow to find their way to the page—I feel good about having written because I’ve honored the 
Diving Deeper

Diving Deeper

Reading Ann Patchett’s delightful collection of essays, “This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage,” I was reminded of what I call “diving deeper” into moments in my writing. When Ann creates a metaphor or offers a musing, instead of quickly moving on to the 
Focussing on Small to Keep Writing

Focussing on Small to Keep Writing

When we are engaged in a writing project, it’s only natural that we think about the whole, from the very first to the very last words. We were taught to do this as early as junior high school, when we learned to write the five-paragraph 
Creating A Writing Window

Creating A Writing Window

I’ve worked with writers who are full of the best intentions. “I’m here at my desk, and about to begin my writing. I’m optimistic that today will be a good day,” one of them might shoot me an email. “Today was a loss,” another writer 
The Trouble With Deadlines

The Trouble With Deadlines

Recently, one of the writers I’m working with was given a deadline to produce a document needed by a colleague. “Having a deadline feels like a relief,” she admitted. “Even if I have to stay up all night, I know I’ll get the writing done.” 
Following My Own Advice

Following My Own Advice

I’ve been needing to heed my own advice these days. As I find myself with a book to appear in the fall, paradoxically, I also find myself not writing. In all my years of creating books and essays, I’ve never before experienced this void. I 
Remembering to Think Small

Remembering to Think Small

Thinking Small About Promoting My Book I should be thrilled. I just found out that my book “Small: The Little We Need for Happiness” will be published in September or October. I’ve been looking forward to this publication for years—all the years that I’ve been 
Making a Small Sacrifice to Reap the Large Rewards of Writing

Making a Small Sacrifice to Reap the Large Rewards of Writing

Finding the Time to Write I recently began working with a new writer who leads a very full life. She’s a professional, has two young children and is active in her community. “I know I’m really busy,” she told me, “but I’ve been creating this 
If You Can’t Sit Down to Write

If You Can’t Sit Down to Write

I’ve written about this before, but the problem comes up so often, I think it bears reflecting upon again: What do you do when you find yourself avoiding writing? This situation often arises with the writers I work with. They might willingly commit to writing 
Taking a Break from Writing

Taking a Break from Writing

  If you’ve been working on a particular writing project for some time—a story, a novel, or a memoir—and begin feeling uninspired, lackluster, or unable to write, is it a good idea to take a break from writing? This is a natural question for a writer 
Thinking Small to Write Big

Thinking Small to Write Big

This summer, I’m going to teach an online course called “Thinking Small to Write Big.” I’ve never taught this course before; the idea emerged from my book Small: The Little We Need for Happiness as a way to incorporate all I’ve discovered about small into 
Writing in Pods

Writing in Pods

Many of the writers I work with believe that writing is–and must be–a linear process. When they first sit down to write, whether it’s a short story, a poem, an essay or a novel, they think they have to start at the very beginning–first words, 
What Should I Be Writing About?

What Should I Be Writing About?

After I received a contract for my book Small: The Little We Need for Happiness several months ago, I found myself at a loss for what I could now begin writing. I had spent so much of the previous few years writing and revising the essays, then submitting the manuscript to small presses, that its acceptance at Shanti Arts left a surprising vacuum in my life.

After a Long Absence

I’m taking up my blog again, hoping to make one posting a week from now–until eternity. I’m taking up my blog again, and at the same time, I’m enlarging it. I originally wrote about writing and writing practice, exploring for my readers how to work 
Choosing to Write

Choosing to Write

Choosing to Write Although I’ve been working with writers for many years, exploring with them and within myself, all the misconceptions and anxieties that keep us from writing, I still do not understand fully—as if we ever understand anything fully—why it is so easy for 

The Solitude of Writing

For Whom Are You Writing? Recently, several clients have talked about how lonely and isolated they feel when they are writing, how the solitude is difficult for them to tolerate. As I’ve reflected on the struggle of these writers, I realized that their difficulty is 
Even Before Sitting Down

Even Before Sitting Down

While sitting down is where writers begin their writing day, even before thinking about sitting down, writers should choose the best place to write. That takes precedence over everything else.