My eyes widened and my jaw dropped when I learned about the Mankato Hangings of 1862. At a drum making circle near Seattle, I learned that the largest mass execution in America’s history happened in the same city where I got my four year college degree. I was a cheerleader at Mankato State University in … Continue reading The Mankato Hangings
My head hurts. I just returned from a memorial service of a good friend who passed away a few months ago. Her Dad tells a story about his 53 year old daughter by the tree where her ashes are scattered. I know her family has done their share of crying, but today they’re in good … Continue reading The Benefits of Feeling our Emotions
My One-woman show is about the roles we play in life. And how they can keep us from fully participating in life. I just returned from a solo 54-day road trip spending time in nature, visiting friends and performing my show in California and Arizona. It was an expansive and invigorating adventure. The closer … Continue reading Do the Roles we Play Limit our Freedom?
Years ago, I bought an organic t-shirt for my Dad. We were in a food coop together when he saw it. I could tell he liked it. It was next to some that were half-off. He was tempted, but didn’t buy it. When he went to buy food at the deli, I grabbed it … Continue reading Let Go. Choose a Better Path
As I age, I realize there are no accidents and everything happens for a reason. Last winter I told myself I’d get away to someplace sunny and warm for a few months and that’s exactly what’s happening. My show If I Were Me… I’d Know What I Want was chosen to be part of the … Continue reading Claiming my Crone dom
I’ll admit. I wasn’t looking forward to going to New York City. All the people, the traffic, the noise. Surprisingly the first person I spot on W. 47th Street is the shoeshine guy from the documentary called Shiners. He was one of the main characters in the film I’d seen at the Port Townsend Film … Continue reading What I Learned from a Shoeshiner: How to Build Character
The last few days of September are picture-perfect on the Olympic Peninsula. I want to sleep in my new van, test it out for an upcoming road trip before winter arrives. There’s one more night of warm temperatures and I’m going to make the most of it. Hurricane Ridge is located in the majestic Olympic … Continue reading To be Seen or Not to be Seen. That is the Question
My Dad was a family guy. He’d entice his grandkids to go with him on the most mundane errands just to be able to spend more time with them. He and Mom regularly ventured cross country to visit dozens of relatives. He loved being with his family yet that fateful night in a hospital room … Continue reading Family, Flesh, Blood and Strangers. Can you tell the truth?
I used to think healing was purely physical. Now I feel the depth of emotional healing possible for myself, audience members and generations of women in my family because of my one-woman show. I’ve had experiences in my life that left me ashamed, angry, annoyed. I feel better when I identify them and use them … Continue reading Healing Past, Present and Future Generations
Do You Believe in Magic? That song plays in my head as I think about Leonard Olson. The short little guy with white hair and a white beard whose character delights audience members in my one-woman show “If I Were Me… I’d Know What I Want.” He looks like a gnome in overalls straight out of … Continue reading Do You Believe in Magic? My Journey back to My True Nature