I sing the body eclectic

What do flying saucers, fine art and poetry have in common? Why, the Catskills, of course! Nowhere else on Earth can such an eclectic melange of events be found on any given weekend. From Narrowsburg, NY to Wurtsboro, NY, with a pit stop in Callicoon, NY, I found myself immersed in culture, with an emphasis on “body, mind and spirit” this week as I traversed the countryside, in search of enlightenment...

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New isms

The Nasty Word of the Day was… “socialism.”

The day before Election Day found me in Honesdale’s Central Park, hanging out with some members of CLEAR, the local “Tea Party” group ( clear4teaparty.com ). In keeping with the saying of one of my teachers that “people who make you squirm probably have something to teach you,” I had decided to come to their rally, say a few uncontroversial words, and mostly listen.

It was, as you might imagine, a very interesting experience—and yes, I did learn a few things. I learned some things about the Tea Party view of the world, about their fears, and about their internal contradictions and paradoxes.

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Locked out

I drag the cigarette in between my lips and look up at my dad’s house. It’s late and dark, he’s been asleep for hours. I stayed up late sorting through some boxes of my old stuff from high school. Feeling very sentimental, I stub my cigarette out on the stone patio and pick up the butt, taking the stairs two at a time. I twist the backdoor knob and my heart sinks—I’ve locked myself out. I don’t have my phone, or a jacket, or a key. My brain races. Inside everything is quiet and still.

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Sit still for a minute

Even though I use cloth napkins, have CFLs in every bulb socket, buy organic carrots and recycle and reuse, I like to get in my car and drive whenever and wherever I want to go. I don’t give it a second thought. I think of my car and the fossil fuel that runs it as my birthright and my freedom.

However, years ago my husband and I conceived of the “No-Car Day,” a day-long moratorium on driving. We were tired of driving all the time, so we scheduled our grocery shopping, dentist appointments and workouts for weekdays after work. Then we designated one day each weekend to religiously refrain from driving, a kind of automotive Sabbath we honored and kept holy.

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