Full Circle: Lettie and the Final Synchronicity. Throughout the thousands of pages of Loren Eiseley’s 13 books, his greatest single line is, “It’s a great day to be alive!” He was camping on a scientific field trip, got up early on a crisp morning and was overwhelmed by the beauty of nature and … [Read more…]
The Road Not Taken Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” has probably been used at more high school and college graduation ceremonies than any other reference. And, while I like the poem, what is more significant is that its message became a touchstone for the Biodesign Class. As it evolved and progressed it … [Read more…]
Melody—Kay—Vintage –1979-II Early this summer Melody contacted me to say that Kay Cummings (Shaw) was coming from New Zealand to show her husband Napa Valley. She and Melody were spending a week together and hoped to be able to visit with Christie and me. I smiled and did a mental flashback … [Read more…]
Melody—Kay—Vintage—1979 Melody Petersen (Floyd) was one of the earlier ex-Biodesigners to locate this page. She was in the Class of ’79 and intrigued that I had singled out her class as extraordinary. I tried to approach all classes without prejudice or expectations and, not wanting to hurt other student’s feelings, was hesitant to highlight … [Read more…]
Ingrid: “gratefulness, the heart of prayer.” At 17-years-old, she took the courageous step to travel 7,000 miles alone, from her home in tiny Yugoslavia, to St. Helena, Calif. She would attend her senior year of high school with “foreign” students, and live with a strange host family. She would make the grueling 10-mile hike … [Read more…]
We Are Seven William Wordsworth —A simple child, That lightly draws its breath, And feels its life in every limb, What should it know of death? I met a little cottage girl: She was eight years old, she said; Her hair was thick with many a curl That clustered round her head. … [Read more…]
The Lone Ranger Hopefully, readers of this blog will regard the title as semi-facetious and not boorish ego-basking. Being the facilitator of Biodesign was often exhilarating, delightful, humorous, dramatic gratifying and many other positives. It could also be terrifying, aggravating, traumatic, chaotic and many other negatives. Dealing with negative forces sometimes required me to … [Read more…]
Assume The Virtue Though You Have It Not William Shakespeare At least one time each year a student would ask, “You know a thousand quotes, how do you do that? I usually laughed and said, “It really is not as hard as it may appear. It is simply a matter of starting with the … [Read more…]
Thoreau, Lemmings and Simple Gifts When our son-in-law gifted us with a computer, the first thing I “Googled” was the story about the Alaskan Lemmings launching themselves into the sea, as a means of population control. According to Google, Disney had to go to elaborate (and deceptive) staging to accomplish the footage necessary for … [Read more…]
Three Clerics Three clerics, representing three of the world’s great religions, met at a conference on World Unity. They became fast friends and agreed to meet monthly to compare customs, rituals and the logistics of operating their respective houses of worship. During one of the meetings the subject of gathering and disbursing monetary donations arose. … [Read more…]