How did we lose civility in public discourse in the first place? Because we, the public, respond to it. A little righteous indignation and a few well-chosen words can translate into votes and Neilsen ratings.
Like the child who throws a temper tantrum and wears down Mommy and Daddy until they get what they want, we reward bad behavior.

I love to write when I love to write; when the muse arrives. And don’t kid yourself; this muse isn’t some ethereal nightgown model. Think hippie gipsy with a touch of biker babe: Xena the Warrior Princess’s companion Gabrielle in a prom dress. She’s about as mystical as she is threatening. “Forget turning off that laptop until you finish!”, she fairly snarls. Which is how I came to be parked in a pullout off of Senator’s Highway near Prescott with the Mac resting on the steering wheel, writing this post

When I was a kid, TV shows had opening music with lyrics. In the 60′s, there was  a TV western called Branded.  Somehow, my aging brain remembers bits and pieces of the theme song: “Branded! Marked with a coward’s shame…”(Stick around, there’s a point to this reference although it may not seem so for a [...]

I’m a hypocrite…I can dish out the criticism (I prefer to think of it as “constructive observations”) but, according to my husband, I can’t accept it. Which is why, as spiritual consultants go, I love the Osho Zen Tarot. A gift from my sister-from-another-mother Linda, the Osho Tarot appeals to my Libra “let all manner [...]

Years ago, I had an employee who kept a white board beside his desk with the following reminder: Yesterday is history Tomorrow’s a mystery Today is a gift called The Present Last week I was looking for something in the storage area of our garage when I stumbled across a scrap of paper with this [...]

When we bid someone goodbye saying, “take care”, or shout out a warning “be careful!” we are assuming a care role by reminding them to take care of themselves… (Click the title of this post to read more)

“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.” — Anne Sexton

“There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It [...]