Ways of Seeing
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Ways of Seeing: Gatherings bring peace of mind
I’d spent far too many hours scrolling through news items, podcasts, emails, and other missives that had at bottom the same message: This country is in trouble. I…
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Ways of Seeing: Going backwards has its benefits
Middlebury used to be a place where you could get things fixed instead of buying new. It was a time before nearly everything came from chains or big…
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Ways of Seeing: Familiar routines provide solace
On a cold, grisly Saturday, my husband and I had the joy of attending Grandparent’s Day at the Quarry Hill School. The warmth, light and laughter inside the…
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Ways of Seeing: Stand up to power, don’t kneel
It is the big Christmas concert at my junior high school. A young soloist with a piano accompaniment is just finishing the first verse of “O Holy Night,”…
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Ways of Seeing: Learning from Holocaust survivors
Life is challenging right now. And I don’t mean just the price of eggs. Every day the news is filled with stories we never thought could happen outside…
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Ways of Seeing: ‘Active procrastination’ is good
While I was not writing this article that is due imminently, I carried out some research on procrastination to delay actually writing it. Turns out people have studied…
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Ways of Seeing: Practicing Kindness amidst Uncertainty
I implore you — my neighbors — to show up for each other in whatever way you can and to avoid judging others because they may not choose…
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Ways of Seeing: Being OK, even if confronting ‘all this’
With the threat of authoritarianism on the rise and daily news stories of one or another government agency being gutted by an unelected plutocrat, I am disturbed, but…
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Ways of Seeing: ‘Us vs. them’ needs to be left behind
People love opposition. Whether it’s a school rivalry or a business competition, it doesn’t take much difference to turn things into “us v. them.” In fact, it doesn’t…
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Ways of Seeing: Make a statement, shop local
One of my first teaching positions was at a Montessori elementary school a block away from the United Nations. I was thrilled to land this job. The only…
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Ways of Seeing: A fresh look at Queen Esther
We have just passed the Jewish holiday of Purim, a time to commemorate the story of Queen Esther, who saved the Jewish people by persuading her husband that…
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Ways of Seeing: Taking action, but talking kindly
Like so many of us, anxiety for the future of our nation often haunts my sleep. I have nightmares of Trump’s Toadies and Musk’s Maggots crawling over the…
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Ways of Seeing: The sweetness of town meetings
Unlike the divisive national political scene which gives me a stomachache and makes it hard for me to speak with my neighbor and another close friend, the Middlebury…
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Ways of Seeing: Freedom and unity forever
I’ve been a proud Vermonter for my entire life. I love the mountains, valleys, lakes, farms and my family history going back generations, but perhaps the thing I…
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Ways of Seeing: Vermont spirit is one way forward
As a small child, if I got hurt, one of my parents would tend to my injury. Then they would “kiss it to make it better.” Did a…
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Ways of Seeing: We tolerate what others wouldn’t
In December my family took a trip to South Korea. I wanted to write about the amazing food, fantastic free museums, historic palaces and old neighborhoods, and the…