Author Archives: jthere

If you know someone moving into a new home, expanding rather than downsizing, and you have the means and interest in getting a substantial gift may I recommend a chair? That is the what my Great Aunt Anne offered when I left my 14th Street studio for the apartment with a view of the boroughContinue reading “Annie’s Chair”

Saturday morning I get up earlier than I’d like – though my body craves sleep my mind longs for peace and quiet, those fleeting moments when no one else is awake. I hear V stir and check in on him. He’s still sleeping but clearly was up during the night. I canvas the room, feelingContinue reading “Spiraling Up”

Wabi: the beauty of humble simplicity, and sabi, the passing of time and subsequent deterioration: everything grows and decays. In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Originating in Taoism in China before being passed onto Zen Buddhism, its current meaning embraces impermanence and melancholy.Continue reading “A Wabi Sabi Christmas”

I’m starting out with an old favorite – hard to believe it’s been 10 years since I wrote and lived this. I think it gives a good overview of some of the challenges we face, and how easily we underestimate those who are different from us. Much has changed: we’re all older, obviously. The grrrrlsContinue reading “a different kind of genius (12/24/09!)”

Hi I’m J, also known as Joan. I’ve sporadically posted writing on Grace and Dirt, my blog, for the past decade. I chose the name of the blog to address my ongoing effort to cultivate grace and acceptance through a life that is messy and chaotic. I have two kids and the younger one hasContinue reading “About Me”