Beyond notions of “better vibe”, there are some very good reasons to impose a “shoes-off policy” at home, including the mighty scary ones we’ve just discovered…
Read MoreMary Oliver’s Instructions for Living
In this often dark times, I am grateful for the potent little instructions for living Mary Oliver gave us.
Read MoreBrian Eno’s Early Handwritten Oblique Strategies Cards Inspire Our Own
Brian Eno’s original set of handwritten oblique strategies cards designed to break creative impasses made us wonder about making our own…
Read MoreNotes on Personal Flight via Marc Johns, Anne Sexton and Anonymous
A 2-line to-do list and a Marc Johns drawing made us think hard about the different kinds of personal flight.
Read MoreWe are Still Living with Barbara Kruger’s Questions
Artist Barbara Kruger’s iconic 1990 mural is an artwork for today, and offers an essential lesson about difficult questions.
Read MoreHow to Navigate the Darkness of our Time (Fred Rogers)
The great Mister Rogers who lived in the neighborhood where the Saturday’s heartbreaking shooting took place, had much to say about how to navigating darkness.
Read MoreBenediction for an Ordinary Day (John O’Donohue)
Some of the best blessings, benedictions and well-wishes we know can be found in Irish poet John O’Donohue’s book, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, like this one for an ordinary day.
Read MoreSister Corita Kent’s Visual Meditations on the Moment
Artist and renown educator Sister Corita Kent’s 1977 series around the theme of ‘the moment’ makes a heartening meditation…
Read MoreEven as Things Are Going Wrong, Thousands Are Going Right
It was one of those days, with all manner of things going awry. I posted a message on Facebook to alert readers, along with the a few lines about the strange synchronicity of challenging little events that had occurred. A reader sent back an amazing message..
For all who hit a with a blank screen, a rolling beach ball or the terrible message that Improvised Life could not be found, I apologize for the mishap, a technical glitch that took several hours to resolve.
It was one of those days, with all manner of things going awry and a fine lesson.
Read MoreUsing Limitations As If They Were a Tool For Your Benefit
In this unique view of constraints, not having enough —money, help, whatever— can be a good thing…
Read MoreQuestions that Transform Difficult Situations (Jack Kornfield)
At the height of a crisis, a friend sent us this hugely helpful excerpt from Jack Kornfield’s wise book about becoming at ease with the difficulties of life.
Read MoreWhat Bill Murray Does When He Feels Stuck
Bill Murray never ceases to astonish us for his improvised ways and his very actionable brand of wisdom, like this…
Read MoreWords That Expand (or Contract) Your Universe of Possibilities
This photo of hunks of clay by Gentl and Hyers made us wonder: What are we going to make today? And then we found this hunk of wisdom…
Read MoreAsk This Simple Question to Disarm Your Self-Critical Inner Voice
We found a lovely, simple way to reframe those big existential questions everyone seems to ask themselves about whether they are enough…
Read MoreHappy Passover, Easter, SPRING!
Eggs are a symbol or rebirth and renewal. We embellished one to make a perfect message for Spring.
Read MoreSteven Pinker on How to Live a World We Think is in Dire Straits
We are not alone in feeling that things have never been so bad, that the world is in seriously dire straits. Psychologist Steven Pinker offers some clarifying strategies that shift our view.
Read MoreIkigai: What is Your Reason For Being?
When a friend sent us a VENN diagram of the Japanese concept of Ikigai last week, we found we couldn’t get its big fat question out of our mind.
Read MoreLove is Telepathic
Walking along the Lower East Side of Manhattan, we looked down and found this amazing message pasted onto the curb…
Read MoreImpossible is a Dare! (Mohammed Ali and Fred Astaire)
When we stumbled on this sublime minute-and-a-half of Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling Mohammed Ali’s powerful declaration on IMPOSSIBLE came to mind.
Read MorePeace Writ Large Across War-Torn Rooftops + Bill Evans’ Peace Piece
What are ways that ordinary people can spread light rather than darkness through the day? Lebanese graffiti artists Mohamed and Omar Kabbani, who grew up amidst the brutal civil war in Lebanon, figured out an astonishing way.
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