Wunjo Way of Joy

Years ago, I found The Book of Runes by Ralph H. Blum—a companion for the spiritual warrior, offering guidance through simple stones inscribed with ancient symbols. Among them, the rune Wunjo—joy—kept appearing, quietly insisting that joy is not just a fleeting feeling but a direction, a compass, a way of being. It still feels true. Wunjo is a reminder to orient toward inner alignment, beauty, and the harmonies that arise when we live close to nature and close to ourselves.

I’ve been writing on and off since my teenage years—scribbling into notebooks, chasing questions, trying to remember and reveal who I am and why I’m here in this body, on this Earth. Writing became a way of listening: to my own heart, to the natural world, to the whispers of something larger. Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages showed me how to meet myself on the page, honestly and without judgment. That practice stayed with me. Writing still brings me peace, joy, and the kind of clarity that comes only through attention and reflection.

This blog is an offering from that place—a contemplative space shaped by curiosity, longing, love, and a quiet devotion to beauty. It’s a way of tuning in, of learning through presence, of honoring the seasons both within and without. The Wunjo Way is not a fixed path—it’s a practice of becoming, again and again, with wonder and heart.

Healing the War Inside Myself

I tried to claim to my journal that I don’t understand righteousness, but then I felt and saw that I do. Righteousness lives in me if I can undefend myself enough to see and acknowledge it. I can see ways righteousness owns me, if unchecked. There are layers of impact seared into flesh and strewn…

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Silver Dollar Eucalyptus

This Silver Dollar Eucalyptus tree grows just outside my back gate. Each summer someone cuts it down in the name of fire safety and defensible space. No matter how valid the reason, I feel the loss deeply each time. It feels so wrong to me to unceremoniously cut down a healthy, thriving tree, grind it…

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Loneliness

Sometimes loneliness is gut wrenching. It feels vulnerable to talk about loneliness, but it’s such a real part of life. Facebook memories started pulling on a thread of loneliness today. I saw pictures from 8 years ago of people who came to my house for a pumpkin carving party. If I had a pumpkin carving…

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A rainbow is a spectrum

I love a rainy Sunday. I love a rainbow with my tea. I love right place, right time magic. These moments of peace and beauty feel wonderful and sometimes allow me to feel what has been bubbling underneath and rising to the surface over the last weeks. I might both overcomplicate and oversimplify some things…

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I am included

Today I took the long way home through China Camp. I drove slowly along curvy North San Pedro Road which hugs San Pablo Bay. 4 miles of nourishment. I love when the tide is coming in. I see rhythmic ripples in the smooth, glassy water making their way towards the shore. I admire the marshy…

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Mushrooms

Some notes from the mushrooms… The help that I asked for. … The world, your brain, your body, your awareness, and your consciousness are all much bigger and more expansive than you can grasp. … There are infinitely more possibilities, worlds of experience, and wisdoms available to you in every moment. Just ask for help.…

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Turtle Love

My Aunt Joan has been on my mind a lot lately. She is mostly not in her “right” mind given her dementia, but certain parts of her personality still shine through… A couple of people from Joan’s past have reached out to me after finding the blog post I wrote about her a few years…

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Solstice

Standing still with the Sun to honor the Solstice. Watching the Sun dance with the water, wind, trees, tides, and shining deeply through the clear, blue sky. I find witnessing moments like this so romantic. It’s the romance between nature and me. Sometimes I cry because it is so beautiful and I have only tears,…

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New Choice

New Choice! I remember the feeling of being in an improv scene during a Medicine Theater class and hearing Asher Lyons call out, “New choice!” He was saying to pivot and change the scene, to take it in a new direction by making a new choice. Sometimes that “new choice” energy moves us in the…

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46

Here’s my happiness about being 46. I love the way I’m aging. I love that I get to have more gray hairs, more vibrant flesh, more awareness of my humanity, and more agency and wisdom to live in my sovereignty. I love myself more all the time and that offers me even more love and…

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What Am I Watching?

I saw a friend at a party recently. He seemed excited to know what I’ve been reading and watching on TV. I read & watch tv, but nothing I could think of seemed worth recommending. I wanted to be able to rattle off all the interesting things I’ve learned recently, but my mind was blank.…

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83

My dad took this photo of my mom and me about 42 years ago. Today my mom turns 83 and soon I turn 46. What a blessing it is to have been given all these moments to become who we are today and experience all the human things that life offers. Nothing is promised and…

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