Night Ride
I don’t know why it has taken me so long to put my feet back to the pedals. My friend’s bicycle has been resting on its kickstand in the garage waiting for me to get the brakes fixed. Two other hand-me-downs hang from the ceiling with nothing wrong but flat tires. But...
Tracking the Current {Gift from the Sea 8: The Beach at My Back}
When we packed for the beach, we didn’t know whether to take our swimsuits or our hazmat suits. We tracked ocean currents on the web, watched the news and called Gulf Coast locals to see if we should even come. I remembered years ago how I found globs of oil...
Praise for Rain (and what a drought will show you)
Crumbly leaf, rough bark, helicopter seed. We filled our bag with bits of nature. All our friends around us did the same, racing to check off finds on the list. Farah staggered down stair-stepped roots to the creek, looking for one last thing, a shell. There, a...
Curator of the Cape {Gift from the Sea 7: A Few Shells}
I spoon froth into pale brown ripples of coffee and ask for more of the story of this place. Floor-to-ceiling doors wide open bring in a breeze from the bay, and here comes the owner, friend of these friends. He brushes feathery wisps from his brow, tucks some grey...
We Play Marbles
We played marbles today. You lined up thirteen of them in the shape of a cross, tucked the shooter orb between your fingers and flicked it with your thumb. They clicked hard against each other. Half a dozen went spinning off the mat, colors of fire and ice, little...
The Inventor’s Banyan {Gift from the Sea 6: Argonauta}
We were gathered in by branches, a generous canopy shielding sun from shoulders that looked mostly like stewed tomatoes. I had told my husband to wear sunscreen the day before, but he hadn’t listened. So this day, we fled the Gulf beach to find shade along the...
Swimming Strong {Gift from the Sea 5: Oyster Bed}
I’m thrilled to be guest posting for my friend Hayley at The Tiny Twig today. Be sure to swing over there and share your thoughts on how to create a life of “more passion and less fuss”…then come back and join us below for our latest...
The Butterfly Effect {Gift from the Sea 4: Double-Sunrise}
Sometimes I want to forget that summer. I want to forget the tangled strands of brunette and the stomach that knotted as the ferry lurched into the Tangier port, the place where bold turquoise cranes hid earth-toned buildings that stair-stepped the hill, where hefty...
The Art of Making Mulberry Paper {A Fair Trade Giveaway!}
I nestle into my quiet spot on the balcony. My book and pencil are invited, as usual. Graphite settles into grooves in the margins of bound paper, all these pages made from former branches cut from the trunk and given new purpose. Skinny trees along my property line...
I’m Darcy Wiley, co-writer of The Yes Effect: Accepting God’s Invitation to Transform the World Around You. I’m an explorer at heart… Read more