An old gum tree served for over twenty years as an expansive umbrella at my home, its branches enveloping festive occasions as well as hours of restful sitting. Feet hopped gingerly on and off its countless gumballs. Having been a planter of trees all my life, I was sorely saddened when this dear one (any one, actually, is dear) came to the end of its days. What to do, other than leave home and not watch as it came down, bit by bit? It stood in the midst of a garden, quite near a bushy acuba started for me as a seedling by my aunt, ruling out grinding the stump. This video captures the sweet gum’s new life, carved out by a master carpenter who is a good friend. I supplied him with adjectives as hints—“light, airy, moving, sinewy, simple,” and he smiled, nodded, and....
Read MoreMarietta 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.
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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?