my gardening story
My gardening story is full of happiness, learning, and gratitude—but it begins with one of the worst experiences of my childhood. The summer before kindergarten, I suffered a severe concussion that left me hospitalized for…
a tribute to Richard Sondah
Today, I found myself thinking about Richard Sondah, someone I worked with during my years as executive director of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless (MCH). Although we were no longer working closely together when…
Have we become numb to homelessness?
Poverty sucks. And, as many of you know, I believe one of its cruelest forms is homelessness. Every night in Minnesota, thousands of people are excluded and forced to live with out a home. Children…
What are the benefits of forgiveness?
As this question notes, withholding forgiveness can function as a kind of self-harm. I just finished reading, The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky. In it, she points to a substantial body of research showing that…
Why I garden the way I do.
1. When I eat food from my garden, I am eating responsibly. 2. When I am in my garden, I feel at peace. 3. The diversity and quality of tastes of food from my garden…
Will we end poverty?
Some people say America will never end poverty. I think that reflects a defeatist view of history. Poverty is not a fixed concept. While there may always be people whom we classify as poor, the…
Breakdancing
Mr. Bobo is a breakdancing wizard. Pictured here, you can see some of the Gang gather as he prepares to do a head spin to Harold Faltermeyer's primo 80's hit, "Axel F." Everyone is chanting,…
losing my prior identity; finding my new self
Six and a half years ago, I experienced a severe episode of Depression and Anxiety. Since then, much of my emotional energy has been spent trying to claw my way back to the person I…
dandelions versus lawns
A few weeks ago, I shared that my puppy Franco and I take long walks every Saturday and Sunday morning. We use that time to solve the world's problems—or, more accurately, I try to solve…
I value good government.
I value good government and good government services provided on the local, state, and federal level. There are many times I've relied on government, and it was there. I am proud to help pay for…
To err is human. To beat oneself up is Michael.
Low self-esteem paired with anxiety is a miserable combination. Because of those anxiety-shaped thought patterns, I frequently call myself stupid—out loud at home and under my breath in public. I blow my mistakes out of…
I detest the phrase “culture of poverty.”
This morning one of my Facebook friends asked what people thought about the phrase "culture of poverty."nThe responses have been thoughtful, passionate, and at times painful. I'm grateful she asked the question because the phrase…
Yesterday, I almost fell into a black hole.
In astronomy, a black hole is a place where gravity becomes so overwhelming that nothing escapes—not matter, not light. Space and time collapse into one another. Lately, I've come to think that's one of the…
Gardens provide ample opportunity for sharing.
Last week, I knocked on one of my neighbors' windows. They opened it, and I asked, "Want some salad tonight? I've got more lettuce than my belly can handle." "Uh, yeah!" came the reply. So…
My mental health meds have stopped working.
The mental health medication cocktail I've relied on for the past several years to keep me “normal” has stopped working. That sucks. But I also know this is often part of life for people who…
Deepening Anxiety
I hate it when anxiety freezes my mind. It's as though my brain transforms from a functioning—sometimes even joyful—organ into a block of concrete: frozen, immobilized, locked in a hyper-defensive posture, preparing for an attack…
If you could set the rules of the game –
Imagine you are moments away from being born. You have no idea who your parents will be. You don't know whether you'll be born into wealth or poverty. You have no say over the country,…
“Talk About Home” demonstrates folks want to end homelessness.
When you think of "home," what comes to mind? What memories surface first? Those are two of the questions I've been asking scores of people over the past several months as part of a project…