Dear President Trump, When we teach veterans mindfulness skills so they can better cope with stress, pain, depression, and PTSD we address both specific strategies (e.g., mindfully attending to one’s in-breath and out-breath and corralling one’s attention back to the breath over and over) and the cultivation of certain attitudes towards oneself and one’s experience. … Continue reading COAL → diamond → CURE
Community
Swallows, roosters, and “Darth Becky”
Dear President Trump Sunday we took the dogs to the Union Bay Natural Area on Lake Washington. About a quarter mile into the walk one of our dogs apparently got too close to a swallow’s nest because suddenly two swallows came at me, screaming and darting around my head. I was furthest away from where … Continue reading Swallows, roosters, and “Darth Becky”
We voted not to spit in your food
Dear President Trump, Laura’s dad was an old guy in the early 1990’s, but he had a pin that said “I’m surrounded by idiots.” I wish we still had that pin. Even more, I wish we still had Laura’s dad. He and I got along really well. We’d sit quietly for hours in his screened-in … Continue reading We voted not to spit in your food
The pieces
Dear President Trump, I need to address three (related) topics today so I am going to allow myself way more than my usual 2500 characters for this letter, which of course doesn’t matter to you because you never read them. First, there is the issue of whether punishments fit crimes or don’t fit crimes. Regardless … Continue reading The pieces
Woke choice
Dear President Trump, The day after the summer solstice always feels bittersweet to me. It means the official start of summer, but it also means we are no longer gaining a couple of minutes more light each day and instead we start losing minutes of light until we get to down to only seven and … Continue reading Woke choice
We need more voices
Dear President Trump, I don’t know what you did today or where things stand with your shameful insistence that families be separated at the border. I bet, though, that you are still flailing between blaming the Democrats and taking credit for inflicting misery on asylum seekers. Even though the specifics of your cruelties are a … Continue reading We need more voices
Monstrous
Dear President Trump, You are getting it from all sides. Even Melania has a carefully crafted statement calling out the reprehensible nature of your cynical family separation policy. You will no doubt want to close your eyes and plug your ears in a “see no evil, hear no evil” kind of defensive defiance, but Mrs. … Continue reading Monstrous
When protection circles are trashed
Dear President Trump, I learned about protection circles today at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. On the ride around the park the guide pointed out several groups of animals laying down or standing in loose circles, all looking out in different directions. The park is set up so the predators aren’t able to get … Continue reading When protection circles are trashed
“The difference between patriotism and nationalism…” is critically important
Dear President Trump, Yesterday I said Steve Kerr is correct; real patriotism is about helping others and supporting the common good. I believe this is true, but I want to unpack the patriotism further. Patriotism has always been a squirmy thing for me, an idea I’ve wrestled with off and on since I was a … Continue reading “The difference between patriotism and nationalism…” is critically important
Real patriotism
Dear President Trump, It’s good you went ahead and slapped the idea of readmitting Russia to the G-7 on the table this morning. I was wondering when someone was going to point out that your baiting of Macron and Trudeau and the wanton tariff leveeing were likely at Vladimir’s behest. I didn’t see anything in … Continue reading Real patriotism
Daily Trump Letters 