Marietta McCarty
is a New York Times bestselling author, philosopher, and teacher. She defines philosophy as “the art of clear thinking," and invites every one she encounters (or anyone who picks up one of her books) into the good life, marked by simplicity and the fullness of life's greatest treasures.
Tennis fans tune in Saturday for “Breakfast at Wimbledon” to feast on the Women’s Championship played on famed Centre Court. White lines and tennis clothes, fresh strawberries and cream, worn grass and pageantry. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova often met on this Saturday—Evert a 10-time finalist with three titles, Navratilova a 12-time finalist with nine winner’s trophies. This duo wins their sweetest match right now, however, fighting together against a nasty foe.
Read MoreOn November 15, I returned to the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. I arrived having prepared a talk about Zen Buddhist theory and practice for the World Literature class. I departed with so much more.
Read More"The only mistake you can make is to give up hope." I often think of this statement from the Dalai Lama which closed his talk that I attended in 1998. His visit to this country last week heartened many, including President Obama in their meeting at the White House. About to turn 81, His Holiness was 77 when I wrote this blog. Truth ages well.
Read MoreMy father had a favorite passage, still marked by yellowing paper in his tattered biblical copy, from The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (13:2). How much this sentiment meant to him has stayed with me over the years. The following story captures its essence. It was passed along to me Peter’s father, a man much-loved by my own.
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When Lucille Clifton asks, “won’t you celebrate with me,” we answer yes. What does this Black woman decide when she finds no model for how to create her life? “what did i see but to be myself?” she responds. The poet fastens her hands and makes her life of “starshine and clay.” What does a boy from the staunchly-segregated south long to do before he dies? Jimmy Carter casts his ballot for Kamala Harris. Won’t you celebrate the 39th president with me?