Yesterday Abbie and I voted.  After a rainy day it was still misting a bit late afternoon and seemed like a time when less people would be attempting in-person early voting at the Board of Elections on Morse Rd.  So we headed out.  The line was still quite long (partly due to social distancing guidelines, well-marked on the pavement) but it moved surprisingly quickly and we were in and out in about a half hour.  I was encouraged that the large majority of people wore masks, even outside.  People mostly kept to themselves in line, but all the interactions I observed were respectful.  Once inside it was impressive to be part of an efficient and well-organized process of confirming ID and being directed to a voting booth that had plenty of distance from adjacent booths.  For those who want to vote in person but don’t want to wait until election

The prompt was “what I find challenging or difficult now.” A recent experience was and is difficult and challenging.  Nearly weekly since mid-June, I’ve biked with my signs to Cleveland Avenue and shared their messages – “…and justice for ALL” and “Know Justice, Know Peace.”  The latter adds a bit of thinking, which seems in short supply. I learned it from Mennonites and I prefer it to the standard “No justice, No peace” chant that to me sounds aggressive. I made similar signs for the advertised and heavily-attended Black Lives Matter demonstrations at North Broadway and High in early June, then decided my new neighborhood needn’t go without.  And I could go without a crowd or advertising, which was a bit unnerving originally and less so each time.  Cleveland Avenue is less than half the distance to High Street, anyway. So I stand by the road, one sign facing northbound

Recently I was surprised with a package from Julia Cameron. In it was an advance copy of her new book, The Listening Path:  The Creative Art of Attention, scheduled to be released on January 12, 2021. In her introductory letter accompanying the book Cameron writes, “The listening path…asks us to take a moment to stop and listen—and argues that the moment spent tuning in, especially when we think we ‘don’t have time’ doesn’t take time, but gives us time…and clarity, connection, and direction as well.” The book is structured much like her book, The Artist’s Way, in that she provides exercises at the end of each chapter that help us experience what she has just shared. I was gifted with this book because I agreed to read it, do the exercises, and provide thoughtful feedback. So I’ve incorporated it into my morning routine. Listening by its very nature seems to