First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

Name Your Dream

I’ve spent the last few days in synagogue in honor of the Jewish New Year. The holiday has revelry in common with the annual January 1st celebration. But it’s also a time of honest reflection, assessing the past 12 months – what went right, what went wrong, where is there need for improvement. I look forward to the palpable sense of possibility, articulating dreams for the coming year and imagine them coming true (which I think is the first step). Let’s dream together.

Dream by Yoko Ono

Days of Awe

I’m taking a few days off to celebrate the Jewish New Year. Till then.

Painting by Gioacchino Passini

Be Mine

Shine Bright Like a Raspberry by Vanessa McKeown

Time Out for a Sunset

Earlier this week, I was racing to get to a friend’s house for dinner. I was running late because of construction on a busy thoroughfare, which narrowed two lanes into one, snarling L.A. traffic even more than usual. My shoulders grew knots. As I finally turned the corner, a few minutes from my destination, I caught a glimpse of the sunset in the rearview mirror. There were streaks of crimson and fuchsia interspersed with palm trees. In awe, I pulled over to soak in the view.

Painting by Grant Haffner

Roadmap to Creativity

List by Sister Corita Kent via Brainpickings

Competitive Sharing

Facebook can be such a buzz kill. There are days when I click on, feeling buoyant about myself, until I see photos of a friend’s family vacation to Barcelona, or read about a college roommate’s novel making the Times best seller list or scan a newlywed’s declaration of love after her destination wedding. In a flash, my otherwise spirited life seems dull and lonely. During fragile times, I know to avoid Facebook altogether. But then, it came to me. I could play at this too. Last week, there were endless pics from parents of their kids grinning on the first day of class. So I grabbed a notebook and pen, placing it strategically in front of my dog, and captured her adorable faux back-to-school photo for all my FB friends to enjoy.

Illustration by Toothpaste for Dinner

Dancing into Labor Day

Three-day weekends can make me uneasy, especially when I haven’t done enough social planning. It helps to have at least one anchor to count on. In my case, it’s Westside ballet studio, which is open every holiday except for Christmas. On most long weekends, I take a Monday morning ballet class. Just knowing it’s there, gives my holiday a boost. What’s your anchor?

Mural by Martin Watson

Be Kind to Yourself While You Problem Solve

It’s hard to know the answer until you do.

Illustration by Marc Johns

Is This a Good or a Bad Thing?

What do you think?

Holding on to Summer

At the farmer’s market yesterday, I felt the urgency to buy a cantaloupe. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t eat a tomato. Over the weekend, I made myself gazpacho. These are the culinary pleasures of summer that I’m savoring for as long as I can. It’s already September and I’m getting whiplash.

photo from things organized neatly