In Just Spring
Welcome to the blossoming new season!
Hey there! To get us started this week, let’s celebrate the bouncing baby new season before us, with this beautiful piano solo by the late, great George Winston…
MUSIC: BLOSSOM/MEADOW BY GEORGE WINSTON
POEM: SINCE FEELING IS FIRST BY E.E. CUMMINGS
Aha, gotcha! You though I’d share Cummings’ “in just spring,” didn’t you? But I really like this one too, which reminds us of the primacy of emotion over logical reasoning, especially when we’re in love…and the time we have to love is short…
MEDITATION: MIND OVER MONKEY
Our church publishes twice-weekly meditations written by our members (great idea, right?) Here’s my latest contribution to the project…
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Mind Over Monkey Meditation
“Just as a monkey, swinging through a forest wilderness, grabs a branch. Letting go of it, it grabs another branch. Letting go of that, it grabs another one. Letting go of that, it grabs another one. In the same way, what’s called ‘mind,’ ‘intellect,’ or ‘consciousness’ by day and by night arises as one thing and ceases as another.”
–the Buddha
In Buddhism, there is something called “monkey mind” (心猿xīnyuán). It refers to those pesky, random thoughts that rocket around inside your brain, distracting you from serenity. This phenomenon is very well named. I can actually hear my mental diversions as high-pitched shrieks, like the ones that make a trip through the primate house at the zoo such a uniquely painful experience.
After several false starts, I decided to try meditation again lately. I really need to find some peace, especially given the current state of the world. I chose a quiet, early morning time at home, lit a candle, and settled in for a few minutes of blessed calm. On cue, my resident mind-monkeys resumed their infernal chattering: “Do we need eggs?” “Who starred on Broadway in Carousel?” “Why did I say that stupid thing to my neighbor the other day?” I sighed and blew out my candle. Monkeys: 1 Elise: 0.
When I confessed my colossal failure, though, my spiritual director was very encouraging. She suggested I relax, accept those intrusive thoughts, and let them pass by. If I don’t let myself be defeated, over time, my mind should begin to quiet down.
Things are going better, I’m happy to report. Oh, there is still plenty of monkey business between my ears, but my attitude is improving. I dare to hope that one of these days, those darned monkeys will depart for good. In the meantime, maybe I can at least tame them.
PRAYER: Lord, I am so easily distracted these days. When the chattering of life overwhelms me, give me calm. When I lose focus, bring me back to clarity. When my heart is in turmoil, give me peace. Amen.
MUSIC: “MONKEY MIND” BY THE OLD QUIET LIGHTHOUSE
HUMOR ESSAY FROM THE NEW YORKER
I’ve been a member of my neighborhood book club for 15 years (which makes me a relative newcomer). Over the decades the gang has read a whopping 200 books, and our discussions have always been terrific (even when the book itself was not). I got such a kick out of this essay…
Welcome to Our First/Final Book Club
By Zoe Pearl
Thank you, everyone, for coming to our first/final book-club meeting. Apologies for how long it’s taken us to settle on a date, but in between work, kids, and the pretense of joining adult recreational sports leagues, it seems that we all have incredibly busy schedules. After months of deliberation and hundreds of messages in the group chat, the third Tuesday of the month, from 4:27 P.M. to 5:36 P.M. (non-gibbous moon), seems to be the only time that works for everyone.
Despite the hours of our lives lost to logistical planning, I’m so glad we’re doing this book club and strengthening our bonds as friends by convening monthly to enrich our minds. Books are so great. They’re like watching a movie with subtitles, except Billie Eilish doesn’t record an original song for them, and there are no hot people to look at, unless you want to go through the effort of imagining them in your brain.
I’m particularly excited for us to discuss this month’s inaugural/terminal book. A hot person who is in movies—which, as we have established, are like books that went to the gym and got buff—recommended this book, and I implicitly trust anyone in the public eye with her own tequila brand! Plus, the book has a little silver badge on it, so you know we’re about to dig into a literary prize hog.
I feel like I’ve been talking a lot. Does anyone want to jump in and share what they thought of this month’s read, or enumerate its various themes? No? O.K., I’ll be honest. I’ve had a pretty busy month—what with trying to find a new coffee table on Facebook Marketplace and interminably reckoning with my own mortality—and did not get a chance to read the book, so maybe I shouldn’t be the one to lead the discussion. Maybe someone else who read the book could—
Oh, O.K. None of us read the book? Well, at least we’re all on the same page! Ha-ha, book-club humor. I’m sure we can cobble together some sort of discussion. Danielle told me that she skimmed the Wikipedia page before falling down a rabbit hole of unsolved air-traffic accidents. And Sasha listened to an audio recording of an entirely different book, one that was actually less a story and more a series of loosely related smut scenes featuring a tortured but deeply empathetic tatted-up centaur with the stamina of a stallion and the emotional intelligence of a man. It was written by a middle-aged woman? Interesting. And, Janine . . . you thought this was just a brunch? Read the group chat for once, Janine! Though clearly reading isn’t one of our strong suits, and, now that you mention brunch, there is a frittata place I’ve been wanting to try.
No, wait. I think we’re getting off topic here, because the topic is books. Books are awesome. They’re like scrolling mindlessly on your phone, except instead of spending two hours in a dissociative state you keep reading the same sentence over and over again because you actually have to pay attention to the words or you’ll forget what’s happening. Maybe we should table this discussion for now, and try again next month, when we’ll inevitably make a few superficial attempts at rescheduling before allowing our book club to die a quiet death, and redirecting the group chat to more realistic goals, like finally planning that girls’ trip to Cancún. ♦
RECIPES FOR SPRING:
Salmon and asparagus: culinary harbingers of Springtime! Here are two of my favorite ways to prepare them!
CRISPY SUYA SPICED SALMON
RACHAEL RAY’S ASPARAGUS PENNE
1lb thin asparagus, trimmed of ends
1lb whole wheat penne
1teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1tablespoon butter
2large garlic cloves, minced
2tablespoons all-purpose flour
3⁄4cup vegetable stock
3⁄4cup half-and-half
2tablespoons Dijon mustard
2teaspoons grated lemon zest
black pepper
2tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped, a couple of sprigs
1lemon, juice of
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. Drop the asparagus in for 2 minutes, then remove, drain, and chop into 2-inch pieces. Add the pasta to the water and cook to al dente.
To a skillet placed over medium heat, add the EVOO and butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the garlic and gently cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Whisk in the stock, half and half, mustard, and lemon zest. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and tarragon, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken. Add the lemon juice, and gently toss the asparagus and pasta with the sauce to coat. Turn off the heat and adjust the salt and pepper to taste, then top with grated cheese and serve.
BLOG PREVIEW: MOTHER NATURE ISSUES HER FINAL WARNING
Oahu, Hawaii (where my sister Carolyn lives) is currently being battered by record rainstorms and flooding—the latest in a rapidly accelerating series of weather disasters around the globe. Hawaii, island paradise of eternal sunshine? Place I’m headed to in just five short weeks? Hey, Mama Nature, what up???
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
”Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Albert Einstein
This Einstein quote, obviously, flies right in the face of the President’s “peace through strength” mantra, and you know what? I side with Albert, 100%. Bullying the world into terrified compliance is NOT peace. Understanding of, and compassion for, our fellow humans, are the only ways to true and lasting peace on earth. We’ve got a long way to go, but we can each do our part. Reach out a hand of friendship to a person you don’t know well this week, and I promise to do the same!