This week, my mind is a kaleidoscope—spinning with synchronicities, tangled in ear infections and fevers, lit up by superhero capes and Zen poetry: simple days, complex thoughts, an undercurrent of searching for meaning.
It’s been a week of ear infections, fevers, superhero capes, old T-shirts bearing life-guiding messages, Zen poets, background political drama, drag queen TED Talks and quiet contemplation.
At the center of it all, I’ve been wrestling with a question: What does it mean to be like nature—present and accepting of what is—even amid the mind’s chaos? Alongside that, I found myself Googling “What are the most important characteristics of a superhero?” before deciding to come up with my own list: kindness, courage, belief in self, passion, joy, energy, and the sense that anything is possible.
And then my mind does what it does—it jumps.
What if the Gaza Strip did become the next Mayan Riviera? The thought makes me feel sick inside. Something about that glossy, packaged version of paradise feels hollow. The Mayan Riviera itself, in all its pristine luxury, feels soulless. But the Gaza Strip, for all its suffering and destruction, is brimming with something raw and undeniable: love, passion, and the energy of both creation and devastation.
Rawness and depth in the dark side of nature
I circle back to Zen poet Gary Snyder, whose words haunt me this week. Suddenly, I’m deep in a haphazard research project, devouring everything Snyder wrote.
I stop and breathe in these lines:
Life in the wild is not just eating berries in the sunlight. I like to imagine a “depth ecology” that would go to the dark side of nature—the ball of crunched bones in a scat, the feathers in the snow, the tales of insatiable appetite. Wild systems are in one elevated sense above criticism, but they can also be seen as irrational, moldy, cruel, parasitic… Life is not just diurnal and a property of large interesting vertebrates; it is also nocturnal, anaerobic, cannibalistic, microscopic, digestive, fermentative: cooking away in the warm dark.(~Gary Snyder, Mountains Hidden in Mountains)
Something in this loosens my thorn of wrongness—the unease I felt about turning the Gaza Strip into a sanitized, berries-in-the-sunlight paradise.
But I digress. Again.
Synchronicity – aka Divine Winks
I turn back to a favorite topic: synchronicity.
What does it mean that my daughter, Sanni, and I have been thinking similarly and that her creative process recently reflected near-identical themes? I don’t know, but it makes me feel in sync with the world and Sanni. Thinking of Sanni brings me to thoughts about my granddaughters. The very thought of children brings me joy. Especially playing and reading with my grandkids.
This week, I fulfilled a promise and made a cape for Juney. She had been asking for one, and while I had made a few quick versions before, I knew she wanted a real superhero cape. And it had to be pink. I made the perfect cape (if I say so myself) and felt genuine glee in my heart when she ran through the house, arms outstretched Superman-style, calling out, “SUPER JUNE!”
Later that night, I read another chapter to Cedar over the phone. We started a “big girl” book—Night of the Ninjas, from the Magic Treehouse series. Pictures are sparse, so we reviewed each chapter after reading, naming the characters (Annie, Jack, and the ninjas) and recapping what happened. Cedar ensured I didn’t forget Peanut!—the stowaway mouse.
Be Nature.
In the last chapter, the Ninja Master tells Annie and Jack they must find their way back to the treehouse alone. The Master tells them they have seen the way of the ninja and must now practice it for themselves. He gives them three guiding principles:
Use nature. Be nature. Follow nature.
And there it is again, showing up in a new way.
The following day, I take Juney to school and remind her gleefully that she gets to bring her cape today—it’s Superhero Day! I’m so proud that her superhero of choice is herself: SUPER JUNE!
Joy as the path forward
On the way home, I reflect on how much joy I feel and how, more than anything, I sense that is the path forward.
When I get home, I check my email and see one from Pattie Gonia—environmental activist drag queen extraordinaire. I had the great joy of dancing with Pattie (think: me, in Jay’s suit) at an Outwild™ retreat. And Naked in the Now received a stellar endorsement from her too.
“My drag is my personal practice of self-love, acceptance, and expression—it’s my playground where anything is possible. I see the practices Marijke offers with her inner striptease doing the same thing. Her practices encourage us to discard old conditioning and reveal our wild and authentic inner selves. Either way, it’s about getting naked in the now!”
Pattie’s TED talk is about how joy is one of our best tools for change. She says, “Joy is strategic. Joy is an inside job.” We can take fighting for things seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
I reflect on my superhero trait list and see joy squarely among them.
So, what brings me joy? Play. Not taking myself too seriously. Loving life just as it is. I seek to spread love wherever I can, notwithstanding whatever is happening.
Through all of this—the synchronicities, the unexpected connections, the playful moments—I see how joy, playfulness, and synchronicity can guide us through uncertainty. They remind us that life isn’t about control but about noticing, trusting, and embracing the beauty of what unfolds.
In a world that often demands action, I am reminded that joy can be a revolutionary act.
And that, my friends, is why this newsletter is unpolished, haphazard, and full of divine winks and JOY, mirroring life just as it is.
A Valentine’s Day Note of Joy and Play
As we approach Valentine’s Day, I’m reminded that joy is not just a feeling, but an action—a choice to laugh, be fully present, and engage with life from a place of lightness.
This year, I invite you to embrace moments of spontaneous connection and notice the divine winks life offers—those little signs of alignment and presence. Perhaps share Naked in the Now with someone special—it’s a gift that invites deeper presence and connection. 😊
Good News
Submitted my article, The Ageless Art of Embracing Creative Vitality, to Spirituality & Health Magazine. Stay tuned for the release date!
Write by the Sea Virtual Community – Originally formed in Loreto Bay, BCS (hence the name), this gathering is evolving into a new online weekly or bi-weekly space for writers and awareness practitioners seeking inspiration and connection. I haven’t finalized the details due to illness, but I’m working on it!
Suggested Juicy Practices:
Notice Synchronicities: This week, allow yourself to notice the surprising connections and moments of divine winks that show up. What threads are being woven in your life that could help you find joy and meaning? What synchronicities arise when you step into joy?
Be Nature: What would it feel like to imagine yourself as an aspect of nature this week? Would you allow yourself to be stormy? Perhaps you’re a tree rooted deeply in the earth or a flowing stream, moving effortlessly with the current. Maybe you are sending the power of both creation and destruction. Allow space for the more complex, even the dark side of nature—its rawness and depth—and let it guide you to moments of stillness or when you’re seeking balance.
Play Like a Superhero: Channel your inner Super June! What if you could approach your day with the playful joy and confidence of a superhero? How can you be your own hero, joyfully tapping into your strengths and passions?
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