Author: Nicolas

  • Gardening

    I live on a living thing, on whose radiant crown I settle down. Raking the leaves, like combing this elder giant’s hair, I care For the land on which I stand. So much work,  I scratch his head and wonder what it’s worth, but the garden Was first. I arrived late and noticed who was […]

  • To Summer

    This true beauty, soon to leave, I’ll pluck and keep you in my sleeve To scribble down in a brimming poem. The ripples quiet. I create my own, As you throw out your tameless greens and blues, For human hands to gather up and lose. Heaps of curly kale and chard, And dusk turns leaves […]

  • The Love of Labour

    Why tough work makes me happy  …and How to Fix a Wet Basement with Interior Weeping Tile “I don’t like work—no man does—but I like what is in the work—the chance to find yourself. Your own reality—for yourself…what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell […]

  • In Training

    What I learned from my dog Though I grew up with a German shepherd, I had never taken care of a dog myself. Among so many priorities in life, a dog would not fit, I thought. Around our house, which is a garden cottage in a shady neighbourhood, security concerns finally ignited the possibility: could […]

  • We Are in Creation

    An Introduction to the Arts as a Modality for Growth Since 2018, I have been studying the field of Expressive Arts Therapy, a slight misnomer, as the “field” is a sphere of realization available to us all. The “expressive arts” refer to energy in the heart, mind, and body — catalyzed by artistic modes such […]

  • Thoughts from a window cleaner

    Or how to boost productivity, enjoy life, and succeed Popular wisdom says embrace the unknown, brave challenges, fear nothing. Easily said and – like rolling a boulder uphill – done. Before window cleaning, my struggles and successes had been spiritual, but accomplishment was etched into my body by the scrubbing, lifting, and sky-scraping work of […]

  • Engage!

    I was standing over a cliff in New South Wales, Australia, watching the sea pound at the rocks. I suddenly thought of the principle of engagement, like the water that gets into every crevice and relentlessly does its work. There is no need for thoughts, intentions, or beliefs when you simply immerse yourself into a project. The […]