When in doubt, just take the next small step.
— Regina Brett
90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
I’ve just finished Called Out of Darkness – A Spiritual Confession
by Ann Rice. It is beautifully written with wonderful descriptions of New Orleans, Catholic liturgy and the Catholic Churches of the 1940s and ’50s. It was amazing to me both how different from, and how similar to mine, were her experiences.
In the middle of my listening to her book, all of the hubbub about Rice leaving the Catholic Church AGAIN became the subject of much discussion both on talk shows and on the internet. Listening to her describe her complete devotion to Christ and the Catholic Church at the end of the book and then reading her comments online made me feel very sad for her. But more than anything else, it made me envious of her certitude. I don’t know that I’ve ever been as certain as she is of all four stances that she took; first as a devoted Catholic, then as a certain atheist, then as an even more devoted Catholic and finally (at least for now) certain that she can no longer be Continue reading » Faith and Doubt
Every faculty and virtue I possess can be used as an instrument with which to worry myself.
— Mark Rutherford
Lately, fear has been a big topic of conversation. It seems that there have been lots of crazy things going on in the world, even if we ignore the wars. An oil rig blows up right before it goes into production (and, incidentally, right after President Obama endorses off-shore drilling). Another person who hates the US tries to bomb us into submission – and then another person leaves a cooler with water bottles in the middle of Times Square. (Weren’t they embarrassed?) The market drops almost 1,000 points and then rallies back 650 points – all in less than a half an hour. Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!
Life has always been uncertain, yet now it seems even more uncertain than it was a couple of months ago. (Oh, and the clergy in the Catholic Church in Ireland has been abusing minors – I’m not sure why this is a surprise, but it contributes to the general sense of anxiety.) All of this gangs up on us and can leave us feeling Continue reading » Thriving in These Anxious Times
Do you have a favorite mirror – one that lets you see yourself in your best light?
Laugh at yourself, but don’t ever aim your doubt at yourself. Be bold. When you embark for strange places, don’t leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory.
— Alan Alda
My last several posts led me to the startling revelation: I’ve been harboring a very BIG doubt. I’d conjured up a dreamscape with me cast as the captain of a sinking ship. Since then I’ve been boldly sha-booming (Life is like a dream, sha-boom, sha-boom) into this unexplored territory… and, I find myself suddenly weary, tired if you will, of all this introspection. I’m tired of thinking about me, myself and I.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
All this self-examination reminds me of a time when, getting ready for work, I glimpsed myself in the mirror, and groused:
Ellie, what a frump you are!
Later, I stopped at the cleaners where I happened to glance into their full length mirror… and realized:
Wow, I look terrific!
And that revelation changed my entire outlook. Which then made me wonder, how could I have thought myself “frumpy” a few hours ago when now I looked like WOW-ser???
Continue reading » Is That Me I See?
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