Marietta McCarty
is a New York Times bestselling author, philosopher, and teacher. She defines philosophy as “the art of clear thinking," and invites every one she encounters (or anyone who picks up one of her books) into the good life, marked by simplicity and the fullness of life's greatest treasures.
Dawn never flashes her signal on an old day. Thank you, pansy and bluebird pairings. Freshly-squeezed limes. Coffee aromas. Simmering onions. Loosening muscles. missing capital letters, thank you. Thank you, Webb Telescope. Thank you, awaited envelope. Thank you, cracks in everything. Seeing hearts singing, thank you
Read More2023, be like eggs—few scrambled, most sunny sides up. Look out your windows— sacks of resolve dropping at your front and back doors. May the full-bodied laughter delighting each of you be your youthful own. Bit by bit. Wink back at the face in the mirror. Step by step.
Read MoreIs there much to learn about Ukraine? Yes. Will I look for organizations providing medical relief such as the International Red Cross? Yes. Today, for my medicine I turn to good news that’s so much more than fit to print. Fill social media with these stories. Shout them out.
Read MoreExuding mighty grit, whether up close or from a distance, they don’t miss a beat. Caregivers stay ready and ramped, exhausted and worried—trying to think ahead in the stiff wind of ever-changing hurdles. And those already physically and/or mentally tested, forced into deeper isolation by a pandemic, adapt like champs. Listen in with me. Heroes.
Read MoreWe’ve taxied 2021’s long runway. One day very soon, light as a feather, we’ll lift up into cloudless skies.
Read MoreAnd what did any of these superheroes ever want for me? To be kind. To be happy. To love the world and to feel it love me back. So be it. So be me.
Read MoreImagine the relief provided by the smallpox vaccine. I have friends, polio victims, who have devoted their lives to eradicating the disease. Kindergarten entry vaccines, college admission vaccines, international travel vaccines. Tetanus. Mumps. What advances, such advantages.
Read MoreSpring forward. Ta-Dum. Inhale—exhale. Heel—toe. Here—Now. Cha-cha-cha. Ta-Dah.
Read MoreAccept fear, anxiety, heartbreak, mood swings, and mind games as part of daily life. You are not alone. Nothing has proven more dramatically how interconnected we are—the planet and its inhabitants just one wool scarf, knitted together for warmth. All stitches must hold. Empathy cements those stitches.
Read More"The only mistake you can make is to give up hope." I often think of this statement from the Dalai Lama which closed his talk that I attended in 1998. His visit to this country last week heartened many, including President Obama in their meeting at the White House. About to turn 81, His Holiness was 77 when I wrote this blog. Truth ages well.
Read MoreThen, in 1993, Maya Angelou stole Michael Jordan’s star power. I happily picture the young philosophers as they watched rebroadcasts of her reciting her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at the Clinton Inauguration—their eyes wide, bodies completely still, posture growing more erect, big smiles when she included “children” in her invitation to a new day. A rocking celebrity poet! Dr. Angelou was the cool one now. I repeatedly used her poem to discuss the concept of Justice with them and I also suggest an activity based on it in Little Big Minds. Quite a delight it was to witness the children’s first tiptoes into poetry—from Virginia to Chicago to California.
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four-legged Luna / watches her namesake show off / best moon pie dog treat. The wind hints at rain so we see grandpa off and head for home, its windows “brazen in the setting sun.” pansy faces wink / as four Beatles sing their song / “I Want to Hold Your Hand”