I recently went twice to see A Complete Unknown, the biopic about Bob Dylan’s early rise to stardom from 1961 until 1965 with Timothee Chalamet as Dylan. Both times the audience was mostly age fifty and up. I am eighty-five—two years older than Dylan. We are members of what is called, misleadingly, “The Silent Generation.” The postwar generation are Boomers, who are associated with the upheavals of the 1960s, but as Dylan puts it in his memoir, Chronicles, One, “I had very little in common with, and knew even less about, a generation that I was supposed to be the voice of.” The well-known movers of that era—Dylan, Warhol, Ginsberg, Baez, Beatles, Rolling Stones, and many others—are prewar or war babies.
No Matter Where You Go, You Are in a Watershed!
Our Southeast Michigan watersheds are the Huron River, Rouge River, Clinton River, River Raisin, and Ecorse Creek Watersheds. All of these nets of nomadic water empty into the Detroit River (which has its own watershed). Detroit River waters flow into Lake Erie, then travel through the Niagara River merging into Lake Ontario, narrowing again into the St. Lawrence River, and releasing finally into the Atlantic Ocean.
Book Review: Custodians of Wonder
In Custodians of Wonder, author Eliot Stein embarks on a captivating journey across five continents, introducing readers to ten remarkable individuals dedicated to preserving endangered cultural traditions.
Serpentine
In winter, they brumate. A word that suggests mist and fog: “La brume,” pale smoke twisting and wending, shedding tendrils and opening portals. The etymology is successive. From French, mist and fog; from Old French, winter; this derived from bruma, Latin for the Winter Solstice.
What if You Are the Plucky Comic Relief?
I’d like to think I’m a relatively bright person. By traditional measures, this is certainly true. I have a wall full of degrees and fond memories of being a professor to prove it. And yet, I continue to surprise myself with the levels of idiocy I am capable of. I’m thinking about this right now as I can’t swallow, having tried to gulp down near boiling, extra spicy kimchi soup that I overheated in the microwave. So far, I’ve been too embarrassed to go to the doctor on this one, but I’m pretty sure I have second degree burns on my upper palate and throat.
The Franklin Method® Pelvic Power
To build your pelvic power, it is vital to de-stigmatize the pelvis and its functions. No one feels uncomfortable talking about their arm, leg, or stomach muscles. There are dozens of classes and machines at the gym for building flexibility and strength in these areas—yet none for your pelvic floor.
Lauren Hoffman: Owner of Forged Barbell Holistic Strength Gym
As an accomplished athlete, real-food advocate, and wellness guru, Hoffman seeks to serve the whole person with her unique fitness philosophy.
Growing Trends in Home Gardening
Despite the obvious boost to our health, spending time in a forest, meadow, or by a lakeside can be difficult. For some, access, transportation, and free time may be limited. But you don't need to get away to immerse yourself in the outdoors, as many have discovered since the dawn of the 2020s. Staying home, enjoying time on a porch, patio, or in your own backyard also has benefits, and more and more people are taking advantage.
Book Review: Wild, Willing and Wise: An Interactive Guide for When to Paddle, When to Rest, and When to Jump Naked into the River of Life
HeatherAsh Amara’s Wild, Willing, and Wise: An Interactive Guide for When to Paddle, When to Rest, and When to Jump Naked into the River of Life is a profoundly introspective and empowering book that invites readers, particularly women, to embrace their wild nature, cultivate courage, and grow into wisdom. Known for her teachings in feminine empowerment, Amara has crafted a guidebook that seeks to awaken the primal, creative, and compassionate spirit within. This book blends self-help with spiritual exploration, challenging readers to step into their true power by balancing freedom, bravery, and deep knowing.
Out of My comfort Zone: Finding Light in the Darkness
To jump or not to jump? As I stood in the corner of a six-story parking structure looking down, my thoughts were flooded with pain. Looking up from time to time I would notice the beauty of the colors in the sky as the sun started to set. These were fleeting moments with a heavy darkness and continual thoughts of all the horrors, terror, fear, and pain in the world and my own life.
Nutrient Cycle at Strawbale Studio: An Evolving “Circle of Life”
There are many ways nutrient recycling is implemented at Strawbale Studio that can be used in your home garden. You might even get together with your gardening friends and start an “idea map” of the various natural resources on your site or community garden, and in your region, and how they could be returned to the circle of life!
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols: Singer, Bandleader, and Performer Dani Darling
Last summer, as she has every summer since 2018, Dani Darling performed at the Ann Arbor Summer Fest. This time she took to the main stage with her identical triplet sisters as guests to drop into an electrifying harmony like it was their first language—maybe because it was.
Sustainable Health: Hypnosis For Peace of Mind
Peace is the felt experience of an inner sanctuary—a place of tranquillity and calm detachment that you can always access. Equanimity is composure under stress. It is a deep internal knowing that no matter what happens you will handle it and be okay.
What’s on Your Horizon? The Importance of Your Rising Sign in Astrology
What’s your zodiac sign? If someone’s asked you this, you’ve probably answered with your sun sign–the zodiac sign the sun was in at the time of your birth. According to a recent Harris poll, 95% of Americans know their sun sign and almost two-thirds believe that their sun sign is an “accurate description of themselves.”
Book Suey: Where Books, Art, and Community Collide
To liken Book Suey to an average bookstore would be akin to calling Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein “the boy next door.” It’s missing all the other crucial pieces that make Book Suey a must-stop destination—sure, you can come in for a book, but you can also stop in and read a poem during open-mic night, attend a writing workshop, sell a physical copy of your writing, and more. Think of Book Suey as a bookstore with a side of DIY ethos, a pinch of mischief, and the kind of vibes that make you want to stay a while. Maybe even forever, as co-owners Cat Batsios and Elijah “Eli” Sparkman will explain.
Namaste, Katie: Our Spring 2025 Yoga Column
Whether you're a seasoned yogi or getting ready to roll out your mat for the first time, here you'll find
a variety of useful tips from local yoga instructor, Katie Hoener.
Weekend Getaway: A Visit to the Maryville Retreat Center
As a center established by the Felician Sisters on over 200 acres, I expected a degree of formality, so I was pleasantly surprised that I could casually enter. Moving from the entrance and through the dining area to reach accommodations, the staff member’s warmth and attentiveness complemented the positive vibes from a fellow retreatant, a repeat visitor who told me she/he planned monthly escapes to Maryville.
Fifty Shades of Grey…(Hair) and Gratitude
In a box of Crayola crayons there is only one shade of grey. As for my aging body, there may be fifty shades of grey. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that there is a skill set needed to age gracefully.
Guilt, Judgment, & Forgiveness
Earlier this year an obituary in The New York Times caught my eye. It was of Clint Hill, who died in February at the age of 93. Hill was the Secret Service agent who, on November 22, 1963, immediately after President Kennedy was shot, jumped on the back of the presidential limousine and shielded the President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with his body as the motorcade sped from Dealey Plaza to nearby Parkland Memorial Hospital.
Spirit Seeds: Spring/Summer 2025
I’m feeling stuck in my shadow work, particularly around my past traumas. Are there specific crystals or energy-healing techniques that could help me move forward?
For deeper and more powerful healing, consider using moldavite and black tourmaline. Moldavite is known for its intense, transformative energy often called the “stone of transformation.” It can help accelerate spiritual awakening and deep healing by bringing to light deeply buried traumas. Black tourmaline is a robust, grounding and protective stone that can shield you from negative energies and transmute them into positive ones. In addition to these crystals, energy healing techniques like Reiki and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can be highly effective. Reiki helps balance your chakras by penetrating and clearing blockages with pure universal energy promoting overall well-being.
