Category: Social issues
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On “The Shapes of Native Nonfiction”

A bright, seasonably cool day. The stiff breezes of the past few days have finally subsided somewhat. Wait! As soon as I wrote this the wind picked up and is moving the mostly bare tree branches vigorously. I’ve been reading experimental essays by a host of Native American writers in Shapes of Native Nonfiction, edited…
Michael Watson PhD
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Sitting With Suffering

At sunrise, the sun illumines the brilliant red leaves of our maples. It is a cooler day of sun and cloud, the breeze producing brief showers of leaves from the trees. We’ve moved the overwintering plants into the house and this morning I wander room to room with a watering can. I’m reading through Natalie…
Michael Watson PhD
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The Best We Can Do

A bright, cool morning. The crows converse loudly in the field next door. Last week we received almost three inches of rain, which put a big dent in our deficit. The rain seems to have deepened the leaf colour, so the greens, yellows, and reds are all more vibrant. Water wise, we did better than…
Michael Watson PhD
Arts, autumn, Climate Change, creativity, Cycles, denial, Drought, family, gratitude, Grief and Fear, Landscape, Nature, Racism, Terror, self care, Social issues, spirituality, TeachingArts, autumn, birds, climate change, despair, dread, fear, healing, nature, osprey, photography, resilience, Salons, stories, wildlife -
Imagining Rosh Hashanah

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” -widely attributed to Rabbi Tarfon who lived in the generation following the destruction of the second temple. I am…
Michael Watson PhD