All The Home Forum
Accidental meditation: Finding my peace in the momentYesterday鈥檚 regrets and tomorrow鈥檚 anxieties vanish for this essayist as she focuses on being present in nature.
In Maine, a small secondhand bookstore soldiers onAn essayist ponders the necessity of a local bookstore, which offers the community so much more than just books. It affords a sense of comfort.聽 聽
鈥楴ot all has withered鈥�: A poetry month tribute to Paul O. WilliamsFor National Poetry Month, we revisit the work of Paul O. Williams,聽a decadeslong contributor to The Home Forum.
How an unlikely folk dancer found graceWhen our essayist took up folk dancing, squished fingers, misplaced kicks, even torn clothing ensued. But he kept coming back.
鈥楾hat boy can see!鈥� How I found my way after losing my sight.My guardians urged me to stay home because of my blindness. But I was determined to get聽back on the highway of life.
The immigration debate is political. My choice to feed Mart铆n is not.Once, Mart铆n told me more about his personal story: the long walk from Guatemala, being detained, making his way to Maine with no family or friends.
Kindness linked us on the Mongolian steppeMy host family and I had little language or social experience in common. So instead, kindness linked us.
Think you鈥檝e got winter woes? I've got a slumpy frog.Her boxwood salamander is 12 feet long, but few notice it. Still, she fusses over it when it snows.聽
鈥榃e ring in the spring together鈥�: Sharing the secrets of maple sugaringHere, at the sugarhouse, a rite of spring has built a diverse community of common purpose and celebration.
In Maine鈥檚 winter woods, I鈥檓 never aloneWhile I鈥檓 the only human on a snowy trail at times, I鈥檓 companioned by the tracks and signs of wild creatures.
To each their own valentineWriting a poem to your partner is one thing. But what could be more romantic than smoke-detector maintenance?
Growing in the darkSometimes career plans crumble and prospects fade. But such 鈥渨ilderness experiences鈥� may be but vestibules to achievement.
A warm transactionIf you know where you鈥檒l be living in winter, the best time to acquire firewood is the previous fall. Using wood-fueled heat is all about preparing.
Moments of stillness, in a city of millionsMexico City is a place where you鈥檙e never alone聽鈥撀爓ell, it used to be, before social distancing set in.聽
In the desert, I find my wayThree years after the Six-Day War, I joined other foreigners at a program in Israel鈥檚 Negev, hoping to prove my independence.
The lesson of the leather suitcaseMom had slighted me. I was determined that I鈥檇 show her what life was like without me, and the old suitcase was perfect for my plan to run away.
Unpacking Great-Aunt Gertrude鈥檚 plum puddingAs a child, I knew her only as the quirky lady with the odd gifts. It turns out there was much more.
A holiday lift to play out a long year: Bring on the tubas (animation)While the pandemic has affected many traditions, thoughts of holidays past can be a source of great warmth and comfort. Even if those memories involve pouring rain and a cacophony of tubas.聽
He doesn鈥檛 know it, but he鈥檚 in my book clubI felt a kinship with him immediately when I saw him during jury duty, but we did not speak. The books do the talking.
My helper was closer than I thoughtI was driving an SUV on a lonely road at night when a tire blew out. With no cellphone to call for help, who would rescue me?
