TreeHouseLetter

A memoir about Jesse Itzler's 30 day regimen with a Navy SEAL makes me laugh out loud. It also has me doing more push-ups this week than I've done in the last year. 

An Ancient Counselor offers counsel and solace at midlife, with children on the cusp of adulthood. The language in two translations may vary, but the wisdom is eternal. Marcus Aurelius is dubbed the Philosopher King and his stoic writing has survived nearly two millennia.

My friend Kenny Mintz walks across America; I join him in Maryland and we walk into Pennsylvania together. 

It made me feel flawed as a human to read this passage in Lucia St. Clair Robson's Tokaido Road. What does a woman warrior learn from a poet and from poetry on the classic hero's journey?

For puzzlers and word nerds: Nonsense and numbers, Schrodinger's Cat and Edward Gorey have something in common. As do the numbers 91, 32, and 4122. Happy Spring!

Hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon at sunset. The wildlife on the way and the ups and downs of spontaneity. 

What we intend to say and what we accomplish may not be the same thing.

Who were these people at an industrial facility where sugar packs, creamer, and stir sticks were arranged at the bar in green ammo cans? Welcome to the new coffee craze with outposts across the country and an outlandish and irreverent brand. Vietnamese cousins find comfort in hot sauce and hot coffee. 

Dreaming big: true story of a baller in Philly. Visit TreeHouseLetter.com to see photos.

The essay had me going back to it, not in the tangible way of opening the book though I did that, but in my mind. Have I inherited my mother’s view of home or my friends’ and what are my principles? Cusk chronicles the complete remodeling of her London flat and near compete personal breakdown. How much space does a body need? What makes a house a home?

How do you write when you're traveling? How do you know you're a writer?  Thoughts on the creative process with highlights from 4 writing books. Writing tight and making every word count while keeping true to your voice. Toolbox, ages 9 to 99. Learn more about the books on treehouseletter.com. 

2 poems for  a  crazy world as we think of our friends of freedom in Ukraine, who have everything at stake. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Howard Nemerov wrote: Poetry is a way of getting something right in language. Learn about the Soldier Scholar and Warrior Poet, why rhetoric and courage are essential in dire times. 

2 Books, 2 Rhetorical Devices, and the Music in the Prose of Flaubert's Madame Bovary and Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. How the language of sex has changed over 70 years and why we still read these classics. 

Adult child is an oxymoron but you never stop worrying about your children, whether they're 18 or 48. A ski story, 2.5 Zen koans, and the em dash. Bonus Footnotes: the Easter egg of the TreeHouseLetter. 

The only love you can be sure about is the love you give. This episode considers the Music in the Prose of Carson McCullers' story, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe. Just what is it about her writing that makes the tale timeless? What does she teach us about love?

These holidays can seem a chore, another small way to feel defeated if I don't get it right. When I skip it like I did this year, opting to adopt this shepherd mutt from Texas, I figure I'm rebelling against the commercial mandate. Isn't it better to show love and affection on my own schedule? or in my own way?

Toolbox:  On Sentences and How to Improve Your Writing Immediately. No one ever taught me this. But, as someone who wanted to improve my writing as a craft, this is something I set out to understand: why is writing good? The best writing has rhythm and readers might not even be aware of it, but that’s why we return to the writing again and again. The story and structure have to be there, but...

Your job will change, where you live will change, the people in your life will change, but you will always have your music. What is the meaning in music? And, what makes it lasting ? The best music is like the best writing. Without analysis, we know this: we like what we like and we love what we love. Here's why. 

If you're like me and have to work with people, at home or in the work place, then you're looking for ways to improve interactions and relationships. Here's insight from Global Coaching Guru, Michael Bungay Stanier, with a link to his TEDx video.

I have a book problem. It's a good kind of problem, if a heavy one. Learn the difference between these terms and hear a bonus passage about the Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges, a scene from Jay Parini's memoir, Borges and Me: an Encounter. 

A tribute to the Vietnamese Zen monk: I read his book No Death, No Fear after my father passed away. Thay (name for teacher) was from my mother's town of Hue and I imagine he approached his death in the manner in which he wrote. 

Loved and loathed, the semicolon has survived 500+ years. What you need to know, Orwell's Sixth Rule, and why the winking mark is sexy.

Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and I'm scared. Tragedy befell friends and a go-to for me has been poetry. Thomas at daybreak is a restorative for the soul.

What are your resolutions and goals? Consider focusing on habits instead.  Learn about Chi Running and the benefits of good habits.

I learned more from two friends in death than I had learned from them in life.  Giving thanks to those departed souls.