Bold Soldiers

Wherever each of us is on the hawk to dove continuum, I think we have to admit that soldiers are bold. They act on their convictions and risk their lives in that action. They also risk coming home with brain damage and/or missing limbs.

So, here's to the bold soldiers of all stripes!

Happy Memorial Day to you and the warriors closest to your heart.


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Theoretically Bold

I'm going to visit my mom this weekend which means I'm also going to the beach (Wrightsville Beach, NC). I was right on the point of scheduling a surfing lesson, the first in my life, when I suddenly remembered that I have tennis elbow in my right arm.

Probably I should wait until I can use both arms.

Frustrating? Or off the hook? Or both?

I do mean to do this thing -- and this summer. I'm not waiting another year. But probably not this weekend.



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Hazel Soares Soars

Bold and persistent, 94 year-old Hazel Soares got her degree in art history from Mills College this past week.

Mills itself is pretty bold. From the website: "Over the decades, Mills “firsts” have been numerous: the first women's college west of the Rockies (chartered 1885); the first laboratory school west of the Mississippi for aspiring teachers (1926); the first women’s college to offer a computer science major (1974) and a 4+1 MBA degree (2001); the first business school in the West for women (2005); and the first MFA program in book art and creative writing in the nation (2009).

Always a leader in the arts, Mills was among the first liberal arts colleges to offer a modern dance degree (1941), and it became the national center for modern dance outside New York City. The Center for Contemporary Music, dedicated in 1967, is a preeminent center for electronic music."

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Do What You Can ...

...to save the world.


Taken at Swan Quarter, NC, near the ferry to Ocracoke

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Say It Flat Out

I've occasionally been accused of over-subtlety in my communications. I occasionally remind myself that it's a gift to the listener to be clear. My therapist once said to me: "it's not intrusive to tell people what they want to know."

Not that they always want to know what I have to say. But if I'm going to say it, nothing is gained by burying it.

Below, a visual reminder of "flat out," a roadside shot on the way the coast last week. I live now in rolling land, but grew up in the flat out kind. It was thrilling to see it spread out like this. This is the kind of behavior I expect of land.

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What's Scary and What Isn't

Different things scare different folks. A bold move for one person is routine for another, and vice versa.

For example, if I tried to take the stand that this bird is so casually doing, I would be bold, indeed. On the other hand, I've done some things that this fellow would absolutely quail at.

My point, punnery aside, is that comparisons, in the case of courage, are not only odious, they simply don't work. Best to avoid comparing ourselves with others in any way.

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Hurrah for Helen!

Helen Mirren's wax likeness was unveiled at Mme. Tussaud's yesterday and the picture of her with the fake version was number one in gossip site Radaronline's Hot Photos.

I applaud the bold Dame Helen for the chutzpah to be totally hot at 65.


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Bold Teacher-Writers

Last week I taught my "Writing Powerful Stories" workshop on Ocracoke Island on the North Carolina Outer Banks.

The participants were public school teachers/guidance counselors/principals, etc. The sponsor was the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

What's bold about this? For one, I, who am primarily a writer, was teaching teachers. And more striking, the courage and honesty of the teachers in writing their own powerful stories. They did good and brave work-- and weathered 30 instructional hours in just a few days.

We went on a couple of outings: one by boat to the long-abandoned town (with its restored one-room school) on nearby Portsmouth Island.

Here's some of the scenery: starting with the ferry taking me to my Ocracoke Island teaching assignment.










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