by Carole Duff | May 23, 2022 | Family |
The Second Stage of Life It’s 1994, and I am in the thick of the second stage of life, a householder earning a living and raising children. Though I make mistakes as a parent, I make sure my children have their basic needs: security and survival, esteem and affection....
by Carole Duff | May 24, 2021 | Faith, Family, Nature |
The basement in my dream was large, windowless, and poorly lit. I wore a white cable-knit sweater from my teen years. The sweater became increasingly dirty as I sorted through years of detritus. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung posited that dream houses represent the...
by Carole Duff | Apr 13, 2020 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Family, Local or Human Interest, Nature |
It rained last night here at Vanaprastha—more than I’d imagined while lying in bed and listening to that comforting sound. Early this morning, when I opened the door to walk our new puppy Cato, I heard the roar. The ravine’s moss-covered, slow-trickle was now a...
by Carole Duff | Dec 23, 2019 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Family, Local or Human Interest, Nature |
Heathcliff loves this little person, who had her first encounter with snow today. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas—today’s note from Vanaprastha.
by Carole Duff | Aug 4, 2014 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Family, Local or Human Interest, Nature |
I’ve written about Vanaprastha, the third stage of Hindu life when one retreats to the forest in pursuit of solitude. It is also a time to reap the rewards of one’s labor and reconnect with family and friends. Part of a connected harvest involves correction. Proverbs...