When the Goal is Hope “It’s never been this bad.” “That’s not the program.  Enrollment will be down.  No one will stay.” “Everyone’s tired.  They can’t create something brand new.” “We don’t have the resources.  We can’t connect.” These are words I hear these days.  But, I don’t hear them from youth.  I hear them […]

Dropping Weight: Redefining Our Goals for Ourselves “Were you an athlete in high school?” someone training at my gym asked me. “No.  I played volleyball, but I don’t know.”  I let my voice trail off into the floor where I was positioned to finish the current exercise.  Though I had played an organized sport, I […]

(Active) Listening Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in conversations with youth ages 9-12 grade.  The themes of the conversations were based on current events and connected to the underlying content of racial equity and social justice.  College aged youth lead these conversations.  What were the adults assigned to do?  To listen.  […]

What’s Next? Is my cactus dying?  What a question?  But, I’m serious.  When I turn my computer on to work in the morning, I worry.  Is my cactus dying?  I can see the plant where I left it in March, atop a bookshelf in the center of my office.  The question matters on more than […]

Distance versus Space In the middle of April, My dad walked into the kitchen while I was pouring my coffee.  “Everybody’s ordering their seeds now.  All backed up.  Never heard of that before.  Glad we got ours already.” I nodded.  Everyone gardening, I considered.  What does that mean? What will that mean?  What will we […]