“Give Me the Simple Life”—Song as Sign—Words inside the notes carry a simple message

The good thing about knowing a song and its lyrics is that it doesn’t have to be sung out loud to hear it in your mind. When I walked into the Konocti room that fronts Clear Lake and hosts their weekend buffet, the Swingtones were playing this tune, “Give Me the Simple Life,” and I…

13 Longevity and Healthy Living Secrets–gleaned from my 92 year-old Pop, Erwin A. Thompson

Ponce de Leon was searching for the Fountain of Youth. Now with all of us Boomers coming into our Geezer-hood at the same time we’re looking for models on how to age gracefully. We want to not just rack up a few more years, but contribute to family and culture…to make sure our years counted…

“Home Sweet Home”–poetic excerpt from “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary”

During this time I’m in Lake County in Northern California and walking when I can in Clear Lake State Park, the jewel of the county on Clear Lake and nestled on the shoulders of Mt. Konocti…these lines from my poem HOME SWEET HOME often run through my mind…excerpts below. You can read more from “Sightlines:…

Riehlife Recipe: Easy Pane alla Cioccolata (Chocolate Bread)

If you are in the mood for a taste of something rich, smooth, and choc-late-y, but not too sweet…and nutritious into the bargain, this is the recipe for you. Like all Riehlife Recipes, it’s super-easy…the only way to go. You can eat this as a snack, of as morning lite-bite. INGREDIENTS Chose a good quality…

Sogyal Rinpoche…Compassionate Logic

Sogyal Rinpoche, author of “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” and the head of Rigpa, an international Buddhist group urges us on to follow a compassionate logic.–JGR _____________________________________________ We may say, and even half-believe, that compassion is marvelous, but in practice our actions are deeply uncompassionate and bring us and others mostly frustration and…

Sogyal Rinpoche…Wisdom and Compassion in Action…Rigpa’s 2007 Fall Retreat in Northern California

November 23rd through December 2nd…that’s where I am…and then three more days for the extention retreat. All of this, in the ballroom of the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa on the shores of beautiful Clear Lake (California’s largest self-enclosed lake). I’ve traveled from St. Louis back to one of my homes and it feels good…

Riehl’s “Relishing Writing Rejection” featured on Eliot, a literary blog…St. Louis Writers Guild

Demian Farnsworth invited me to join the chorus of rejection advice and insights on the St. Louis Writers Guild’s keynote blog Eliot, a literary blog (named, of course for T.S. Eliot, for whom St. Louis was a home town.) Head on over there to find out eight ways to put a dollop of relish on…

Bioneering…Who are the Bioneers? by Judy Tart

Here is that wise woman extraordinaire Judy Tart’s grounds-eye view of the groundswell movement, bioneering….JGR ________________________________________ Judy Tart, on vacation in Valley of Fire, Nevada This year I went to the Bioneers conference in Marin for the first time, out of curiosity to see what they were up to and what I might learn or…