Tatsuya Ishiodori

Others: What's going on in your head? Me:

Ying Shu

I believe in the transformative power of literature: how it connects the head and the heart. It connects us to the author, even those long dead, to the words on the page that speak to us as if by magic. And how it, ultimately, connects us to ourselves and the world around us.

Peonies in Moonlight by Kobayashi Noriyuki

The problem with adulthood is there needs to be more time for dilly dallying.

Me: GPS. Give me directions to Tiny Tales Books

The dream

I even had kids today, during fun Friday, picking to read in my reading corner.

Thank you to those of you who have donated from my classroom wishlist . I am delighted when I see the kids in my classes getting excited about the new books you provided. www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...

Anna Evans

It was simply that she was only fully alive when she devoted herself to her singular ability to draw, and when she drew she was naturally always alone. - Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins, was born on this day in 1914

"Alice in Wonderland" illustration by Wooh Na Young

Hashimoto Okiie's "Bamboo Grove"

Raindrops on a cobweb

Alice in Wonderland illustration by Martina Peluso

'Tea Bowl and Fruit', color on silk, by Hayami Gyoshū

I've been reading about all the problems of education, about why teachers are leaving the profession. Found myself asking: Why do I teach? There are so many reasons not to. My answer was: Because I love kids. Because I want them to know they have worth & value. That they matter.

Claire Fletcher

While thinking about the nature of stars, I came across this transcendent poem by @nikitagill.bsky.social

Find myself thinking about these words by Kurt Vonnegut: ...the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.

Yukio Katsuta's "Narcissus"

My dog Dash enjoying the sunset

There is something magical about a bookshop. The smell. Moving slowly along the aisles, not knowing what you will find, but full of expectation and hope. Coming across a book you didn't know you needed but is exactly the right one for this time in your life.

On memory, the loss of, and having a difficult week with my father who has dementia. open.substack.com/pub/begininw...

Anxiety, Uncertainty & Moomins. All about learning how to navigate this often chaotic world through the gentle wisdom of Moominmamma. My latest free piece on Substack open.substack.com/pub/begininw...

How do we stay rooted in a world that often feels utterly uprooted? My latest piece on Substack open.substack.com/pub/begininw...

How can we offer up beauty to the world? To others? To ourselves? open.substack.com/pub/begininw...

Jo Grundy

My current read. What's yours?

Lis Dorrian

I'm with Tolkien

Summer evening sky

A sleeping bee on an Ironweed bloom

Meditations From a Subway Car open.substack.com/pub/begininw... (art by Sophie Blackall)

Hiroo Isono

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, was born on this day in 1900.

I love that the artist Elena Markova named this painting Nature speaks when we are silent

Remember, there is always joy to be found. Be it petting a dog or eating a cupcake. The delight of a new notebook or finding a new book you connect with. Spotting a cloud that resembles a duck. Catching a favorite song on the radio. Enjoy these small pleasures.

How do we find wonder amidst war? Amidst the death and destruction we see in the world around us? How can wonder and beauty change us in such a way that we understand the interconnectedness of all mankind? Some thoughts I wrote on Substack. open.substack.com/pub/begininw...

Olga Kvasha's Mirror of the River

What did I bring back with me from my recent trip to Korea? How did this new experience transform me and how I view the world? A free post on Substack open.substack.com/pub/begininw...

The most direct path to the soul is through beauty. (Art by Xavier Valls)

I feel this so deeply these days

When James Baldwin was asked why he liked the poet Emily Dickinson, he replied, “her solitude and the style of that solitude”.

“The Irises” by Genievre Le Huidoux

One of my favorite artists is Henri Matisse who brought an exuberant, joyful colorfulness to his childlike work. How is seeing the world like a child a way to contentment? My latest free piece on Substack. open.substack.com/pub/begininw...

The vibe I bring to any gathering