"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Author
March 17, 2019
In 1874, attorney Belva Lockwood was denied access to practice before the U.S. Court of Claims because she was a woman. Belva said, “For the first time in my life I began to realize it’s a crime to be a woman, but it was too late to put in a denial so I pled guilty.” She later went on to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and then ran for president of the United States in the National Equal Rights Party in 1884. She ran again in 1888. Neither time could she vote for herself!
Like Belva, I have been a crusader for peace and women’s equality for most of my life. I have written for newspapers about these issues and hope to include them in more in-depth writings in the future.
Since 2010, I have been thinking more about being in the moment and being satisfied with my life. Gautama Buddha said, “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise, you will miss most of your life.” To do this, one must accept that you are in charge of your life and your choices. And, there are always choices.
So, after a career of writing financial policy, I am venturing into personal essays.
My first essay A Stone in My Pocket is about walking 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago. It’s a heroine’s journey that begins with an ordinary person looking for more meaning in her life. She needs to get away by herself, out of the routine of daily tasks, and do some inner searching. The Camino de Santiago in Spain has been calling pilgrims to experience this arduous journey since the 9thcentury. It promises to test and reward all who walk it. A Stone in My Pocket was published in L'Éphémère Review, August, 2019.
In 1874, attorney Belva Lockwood was denied access to practice before the U.S. Court of Claims because she was a woman. Belva said, “For the first time in my life I began to realize it’s a crime to be a woman, but it was too late to put in a denial so I pled guilty.” She later went on to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and then ran for president of the United States in the National Equal Rights Party in 1884. She ran again in 1888. Neither time could she vote for herself!
Like Belva, I have been a crusader for peace and women’s equality for most of my life. I have written for newspapers about these issues and hope to include them in more in-depth writings in the future.
Since 2010, I have been thinking more about being in the moment and being satisfied with my life. Gautama Buddha said, “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise, you will miss most of your life.” To do this, one must accept that you are in charge of your life and your choices. And, there are always choices.
So, after a career of writing financial policy, I am venturing into personal essays.
My first essay A Stone in My Pocket is about walking 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago. It’s a heroine’s journey that begins with an ordinary person looking for more meaning in her life. She needs to get away by herself, out of the routine of daily tasks, and do some inner searching. The Camino de Santiago in Spain has been calling pilgrims to experience this arduous journey since the 9thcentury. It promises to test and reward all who walk it. A Stone in My Pocket was published in L'Éphémère Review, August, 2019.
My second essay Getting to Oxford follows one of my daughters and me on a walking adventure along the Thames River. It was published in the Spring 2019 issue of the Green Briar Review.
My third essay Redemption reminds us of the days when shopping "rewards" for purchasing food and gas actually allowed middle class people to obtain lavish items they would otherwise forego. It has been accepted for publication in the September 2019 Issue of the Adelaide Literary Magazine.
