An estimate is a guess
Maybe informed by experience

How long will the project take?
How many treatments will I need?

"Art is never finished. Simply abandoned." Weta Workshop artist on The Making of The Hobbit
Michelanglo's Sistine Chapel stands as counterpoint. 

But tangibles either work or they don't work
Regardless of the estimate
One must grind along from non-working to working

A whole person without any pieces missing

Like a building that cannot stand with a missing support
Denying part of yourself
Creates instability

Leaving pieces out deemed as less than
Undermines the whole

Like a circle missing part of its arc fails to be a circle
A person cannot be whole without embracing all of what it means to be themself

Judging the pieces to be unneeded is folly

Rendering by Fakurian Design

Listen first, then speak

When you think you know what the other is saying, listen yet

Jumping to conclusions
Certain you know their next words
Misunderstandings, mistakes, and conflict arises

Patience-testing waiting for them to finish
Asking clarifying questions
Observing with detachment

Seeing suffering does not necessitate sharing it
Empathy can exist on the sidelines
Empathy gives birth to compassion
Compassion forms correct action

All from the space of waiting

Traditions ground us
They help us know who we are and where we fit

They are comforting and predictable
Creating a cultural framework for us to build on
A root structure or foundation

All cultures have festivals
Most cultures celebrate something at this time of year

May you enjoy the company of those you love as you engage in your traditions

Photo by Zach Reiner

Dawn comes
Brilliant pink fills the sky
The desert bathed in pink

A new day
Filled with promise
Opportunity
Connection
Possibility

A new year
New day
New hour

A time for beginnings

Photo by Robert Murray

People have always had trouble getting along.

It comes down to deciding who is in your pack.

A song I sang in 4th grade choir

All things good come to those who wait

Our times are filled with instant gratification
Waiting has become scarce
You could say we have forgotten how to wait

And yet often waiting does not serve us
Waiting for the "right" job or the "right" time or the "right" mate
The opportunity passes as one waits on the shore for a good time to jump in
Maybe another will arise and maybe it won't

Striding boldly out into the world beats
Passively waiting for a gift of happiness to be delivered to your door
And yet starting something just to start something will likely not work
Consider, plan, strategize, and then act
Wait and then don't wait

Photo by Jakub Brabec

A home for much
Connection
Lifelines
Sharing each other's wins and setbacks
Witnessing

We believe things will remain unchanged forever
Only to find that all things pass
We feel the loss

Trying to ignore or rush through grief is folly
It takes as long as it takes

Creating a new inner world
To match the outer world

Making a memory cocoon to preserve the good
Then I can visit it anytime

Photo by Mateusz Feliksik

A hug
A smile
Reaching out
Intangible gifts of the heart

Icefrost melts in the wake
Of warm hearts embracing
Greeting. Well-wishing. Caring.
Singing. Dancing. Laughing.

I made this for you
I hope you like it
The gift of your company
Best of all

Photo by Suchandra Roy Chowdhury

Wrapping up the year
Putting on the finishing bows
Pulling them tight and tying them off

A pretty package filled with many memories
And emotions
Greetings and partings

A tough year
For all of us

In this season of peace
May you know peace

Photo by Jess Bailey