“All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary.”
~ Dr. Sally Ride

Dr. Sally Ride passed away yesterday, leaving a legacy of intelligence, scientific inquiry, and courage. Born in Encino, CA, she was on two space shuttle missions.  One thing I remember about her was her professionalism. Even when members of the press tried to make being a female the issue, she kept the focus on the science.  She was a wonderful model.

Dr. Ride was supportive of a colleague who shared prescient concerns about the space shuttle Challenger prior to its tragic explosion, even when others were not. Her concern was on the science, not the politics.

I bet “Mustang Sally” is playing out there somewhere … “ride, Sally ride.” She will be missed.

Young men and women are needed in the sciences. To learn more, visit Sally Ride Science.

Who says you shouldn’t play with your food?

When the Sacramento heat passes 100 degrees, it’s time to cool off.  About an hour’s drive from town is this beautiful spot on the middle fork of the Cosumnes River.  The water is crystal clear, widening and slowing before splashing over rapids below, then calming again under the bridge. It’s a good old-fashioned swimming hole that even has a rope swing. 

I didn’t try the rope, not knowing how long it had been there, (or its tensile strength). I was happy just floating downstream on the current from beneath the old stone bridge, where I could see swirling swallows and their nests. They and the chameleons probably accounted for the lack of mosquitoes you’d normally find around water. I was sure to pull over before the rapids just below this spot. On such a hot weekend you’d expect a crowd, but the only other folks around while we were swimming were downstream under the road bridge, apparently getting ready for some tubing. You can just make out a tuber in the lower left of this photo, which gives you a sense of the river’s scale.
This is a do-it-yourself place accessed from public land. There’s no risk manager to make sure you are safe at all times. That’s fine with me. I like being responsible for myself, scouting upstream and down, and enjoying a swimming hole without lifeguards or crowds. I’ll do that every time, since the water levels change. I love discovering a place where there’s even a cave too deep for me to see the back wall, and deciding not to bother any animal that might live inside. The private land across the creek is marked “no trespassing.” But there are plenty of places like this on public land. I’ll post a few.

Directions: from 50 east, we took exit 44A, Missouri Flat Road, then turned left where it T’s into Pleasant Valley Road. After driving through Diamond Springs we turned south on Bucks Bar Road. (Just over 5 miles from Pleasant Valley Road) We followed this to the E16 intersection, also known as Mt. Aukum Road, where you find the Somerset Store and Gold Vine Grill. We turned south (right) on E16/Mt. Aukum Road. We followed this to the bridge over the Cosumnes River, then turned left into the parking area behind the left side guard rail. You can walk along the road until you see the path down to the river. We did a quick visual scout from above, then cooled off in the river.

My adorable, muscle-bound dog, Patches, suffered an athlete’s fate here in Maryland on Thursday. She made the mistake of running and turning at the same time. Dogs tend to do that. Our vet identified the cause of her subsequent limp: a torn ACL. He said it tends to happen to very strong, athletic dogs whose muscle strength exceeds their ligament strength. She probably tore it a little bit in the past, and this was the final straw. Poor baby!

First, I didn’t even realize dogs have ACL’s. Yup, along with a miniscus, just like human knees. I never knew that. And they can blow them out on the playing field, just like human athletes. Patches has some surgery and a tough recovery ahead.

My ability to help her is limited. I can’t pick her up, or give her a boost, or much of anything, because I’m still recovering from shoulder surgery. You’d think I’d at least have injured it doing something fun: rock climbing, skiing, sailing, or snowboarding; but no. I blew my shoulder out doing something just as challenging as Patches: I lifted the head rest on a rental car. Pop! What was I thinking, trying something like that? More proof that your body gets the last laugh for everything you put it through.

Hmmm…I think I see a couple of patterns here. Unexpected injuries, and supportive family. Which gets me to the gratitude part. I’m so thankful for my parents, who came to help during my surgery, and now, to my two awesome family members who are supporting Patches through hers. We will both try not to do anything too strenuous. Like turning left.

I like the idea of measuring the success of a nation not solely based on productivity, but on the happiness of its citizens.

As a parent, the wishes I and my friends have for our children always begin with “happy and healthy…”

But, if you believe television, happiness is defined as success, which is defined (by the television programs that are funded by companies that want to sell us things) as having stuff. Happy with a diamond…a BIG diamond. Happy driving a car. It’s great to love the outdoors, but you need a sweet ride to get there. Happy having an attractive person next to you. PS: all the products and surgeries needed to be attractive are available if you just pay for them. Earn a LOT of money. Then you can buy all this stuff. Then you will be happy. Hmmm…

If you’re producing something that is required for survival, like wheat, or vaccinations, then efficiency and productivity are also required for survival. But in what case is efficiency actually less productive?

There is a balance between quantity and quality. If you’re a doctor and can crank through twenty patients in an hour, you’ll earn more money that day. But will you and your patients be happy and healthy? Depends. It costs a lot, on many levels, to miss a diagnosis.

When teaching, I was able to help struggling writers be more successful when the number of students was limited such that I could respond in writing to their journal entries. (Well, if I stayed up most of the night :-D) Having the time to know their interests made writing stories for struggling readers possible; they persevered, decoding and comprehending difficult vocabulary, when the protagonists in the stories were them. Fewer students, but I would argue, more productive.

Is “Meaningful Productivity” a term? I think it brings a lot of happiness. Sometimes exhausted happiness. Satisfaction. Compassion.

Here is the wonderful TED talk that got me thinking about happiness as success: The Happy Planet Index

I hope you enjoy it. Be happy 🙂

Click here to see a beautiful film.

I’d never heard of Louis Schwartzburg before watching his presentation as a TED speaker (Technology, Education, Design). There, I saw his film, Gratitude. It reminded me to feel profoundly grateful to be on this earth. I was also that he captured and so generously shared this work. It made me leave my computer and get outside, that very minute.

Even though I wasn’t familiar with his name, I learned that I was familiar with his work, and you probably are, too.  Did you see E.T., American Beauty, or Men In Black?  He’s also worked with DisneyNature and National Geographic. Louis has many short films online, and available for (surprisingly inexpensive) download on his website, Moving Art.

I went to his website and just watched Wings of Life. Now I must leave this computer, again, and go spend time outdoors. I don’t want to miss the live performance.

Thank you, Louie Schwartzberg 🙂

I miss my dear east coast ones terribly, but here’s one more thing I found living in California that I’d never find in the DC area.

“Learn the basics of Asian tea while deepening your mindfulness practice and using the words of tea masters, poets, and classmates to inspire your creative practice.” ~Mindful Writer

My breathing and heartbeat slow when i even contemplate this. And the corners of my mouth turn up. 😀

Thank you, Moms
by Melinda Bennington

Thank you, Moms:
The one who created me;
Who gave birth to and read to me;
Who held me;
Moms who helped me,
Who raised friends with whom I played,
Studied, and learned;
Moms who fed me;
Moms who asked good questions.
Thank you, Mum
Who raised the man I love, and
The ones who helped.

Thank you Moms
Who love
The children they’ve had
And haven’t.

Thank you, Moms
Who had babies with me,
Took turns with me,
Coaching, room-parenting,
Carpooling, and cheering,
being the parent there, in case;
Thank you, Moms,
Who kept one child while
I took the other to the ER,
Moms at the bus stop,
Moms in the neighborhood,
Moms at school.

Thank you, Moms
Whose kids had already
Had whooping cough and bothered
To tell me about the steamy shower.

Thank you, Moms
Who shared tapes and photos,
Called to say you were late to work, stuck
Driving behind my son going the speed limit;
Thank you Moms who really were
At the party;
Who prayed with me
For our children,
For their safety,
For guidance, for the right people
To be put along the paths
That are their own.

Thank you, Moms
Who raised peacemakers,
Teachers, rascals
And saints.

Thank you, Moms
Whose love surrounds those
On distant shores, in
Perilous places;
Moms who say:
You can do it
If you practice and work hard;
What’s plan B?
Tell me about it;
Be well;
Have fun!
I love you.

Thank you, Moms
Who say
It’s one more part of life;
What an adventure this has been.

© Melinda Bennington

Mindfulness requires no particular time zone or cultural beliefs. Research supports the benefits of secular mindfulness, as you’ll see below. It consists of contemplation, reflection, and observation. These universal human practices can improve concentration and, historically, have been employed in science, social relationships, leadership, diverse religions, arts, and many other areas of life. You may hear these discussed, but at its essence, as practiced in schools, and supported by research around the world, mindfulness is quite pure.

The secret is, it’s as simple as eating a grape. Or taking a shower. Or just breathing.

Mindfulness is practiced internationally. It’s taught in some California schools. Maybe that doesn’t surprise you :-D. But did you know there are also mindful public, private and charter schools in eleven other US states? Mindfulness is taught in Vancouver, Canada public schools. (See what kids have to say about mindfulness, in their own handwriting!)  There’s evidence supporting mindfulness from the program at the University of Massachusetts, where mindfulness research in the US started, to UCLA, to Australia’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program. It’s studied from the point of view of many disciplines – Education, Business, Medicine, and Neuroscience, among others.


Through Dr. Amy Saltzman’s Still Quiet Place curriculum training, I studied and interacted with mindfulness practitioners from around the world. I’m so grateful for this warm, professional international mindfulness community, which shares practices, resources, and experiences. SQP training helped me improve my skills in teaching mindfulness to children, and sustained my own mindfulness practice, in a wonderfully supportive milieu. It’s been such a treat! This week several of us (from Russia, Portugal, California) who completed class together had our own video-conference. We’ll meet again at another hour convenient for our Australian and Chinese colleagues, and elsewhere. 

There has been significant research in the last thirty years demonstrating that mindfulness practice can produce increased density in areas of the brain associated with learning, memory, and introspection, and decreases in areas of anxiety and stress. In addition, there is a greater sense of well being, and decrease in distress associated with pain and physical limitations. Mindfulness has been shown to be an effective tool with eating disorders, and can even increase our bodies’ antibody response to flu vaccine!

“Mindfulness training has shown preliminary evidence of efficacy in the  treatment of psoriasis, type 2 diabetes, sleep disturbance, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other conditions…” including eating disorders. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008

In case you’d like to try it, (or just examine it), I’ll share some mindfulness resources from time to time.

For now, I’m just looking closely, breathing deeply, noticing…

😀