“The door itselfmakes no promises.It is only a door”~Adrienne Rich Have you seen the movie Sliding Doors? I have to admit that I don’t really remember the plot very well, other than in tandem story lines, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character misses her train by seconds as the doors slide shut in one, and in the other she makes it and … Continue reading It’s Only A Door
The flames are dancing in the wood stove, sending little flickers of light and shadow around the room. I can hear the clock ticking over my left shoulder, marking the seconds as they go by. It’s dark outside, and overcast. There’s no moonlight. The coyotes who have been chattering every night for weeks have gone … Continue reading Flickers
Depending on where you are currently located in the world, coronavirus has probably impacted you in some way — whether it’s become a central focus (maybe you got sick, or know someone who was potentially exposed..) to something that’s just another blip in an unremarkable day (maybe you’ve just been reading about it on the … Continue reading Flowers Climbing Fences
“In the winter I am writing about, there was much darkness. Darkness of nature, darkness of event, darkness of the spirit. The sprawling darkness of not knowing. We speak of the light of reason. I would speak here of the darkness of the world, and the light of___. But I don’t know what to call … Continue reading Faith and Hope
As the flames dance, the fire tries to burn itself out, and the house settles and sighs, letting its bones relax into the dark softness of night. The snow, first of the season, lingers outside, capping this little part of earth in white. Autumn is upon us, and winter waits in the corner, just about … Continue reading Still the Flames Dance
It’s been almost two years now since I got the news that I was being laid off from a long time job – and in that time a short book about the experience has come into being, and as it gets closer to being released into the world, I am finding myself torn. On one … Continue reading Reason to Pause
Courtney E. Martin, in her new book called The New Better Off argues that our society is moving away from what was once considered “the good life.” For years, people said things like “well, I want my kids to be better off than I was,” and often times that meant hoping those kids got a steadier job, or a nicer/bigger house, or into a better financial situation. But perhaps there’s a cost to putting all of life’s meaning under the old definition of “better off.” In her introduction Martin says,
…what’s more, some of the things we have associated with success actually endanger our health [and leave us unhappy.] Underneath the appearance of uplift, a complex [success] story weighs us down. This could play out in a number of ways…like when people set aside authentic career ambitions in favor of more lucrative paths; or when a father knows his colleagues better than he does his own kids; or a mother leans in so hard she falls flat on her face. Pressure and debt, missed get togethers, living for the weekend, living someone else’s dream. “Better off” left uninterrogated, can be fucking dangerous.
Heidi Barr | Author 