Magical Memoir Moments
Rethinking Middle Age in Community and Envisioning Older Age as Ascent
Yesterday fall sunshine suffused our conference room at the Collegeville Institute. I was “on deck” as the first scholar to present my findings and receive feedback on my project: Jubilación: Vocation in the Third Act of Life. Having colleagues, a community of scholars who challenge and encourage you, is a gift at any stage in…
Waking Up to the News In Lake Wobegon and What I’m Learning About Op-Eds: the Backstory
Today is Hillary Clinton’s 69th birthday. I’ve been thinking about writing a letter to her ever since last February when I visited the Sir Edmund Hillary Museum in New Zealand. I tell the backstory of how I published an Op-Ed about her birthday in the Minneapolis StarTribune.
Finding a Public Voice: At Homecoming
Seth Godin says that you can tell whether or not you have a tribe by discovering they miss you when you don’t show up. I didn’t post last Wednesday, and I didn’t send out a Magical Memoir Moment on Thursday. You probably thought I was just contemplating life beside the lake. Or watching the mist…
On Reviewing Books: We Are What We Read
Remember chewing your pencil when you had to write a book review for school? At some point in the process of writing a book review, I nearly always regret saying “yes” to the assignment. A good review requires at least two readings of the book, note-taking, special attention to themes and structure, and comparisons of…
The Rule of Life: What Saint Benedict Is Teaching Me
What makes a good day in your life? It’s a question we’ve examined on this blog more than once, starting with my mission statement: To prepare for the hour of my death. One good day at a time. And to help others do the same. Now that I’m enjoying all the benefits of living next…
Living in Lake Wobegon
Central Minnesota is home to the Collegeville Institute and to St. John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict. But it’s also Lake Wobegon Country, a place of nostalgia and country wisdom that unites my present with my past.
Joan Rough Takes on a Big Challenge of the Jubilación Years : Forgiveness
My current theme of Jubilación, defined as joyful vocation in the elder years, does not exclude challenges. Far from it! Most people are well aware that aging inevitably has negative consequences and that the pains of youth and middle age continue into the elder years. Fortunately, even trauma and suffering can be met with resilience,…
Beginner’s Mind: A Writing Residency, A New Setting, A New Day
A new environment at the Collegeville Institute, designed by architect Marcel Breuer, inspires me at the beginning of my fall semester residency.
A Golden Jubilee Move-In: How a 50-Year-Old Dorm Room Still Inspires My Future
It’s been 50 years since I set sail for college! Getting there had been a struggle. My parents helped load my earthly possessions into the trunk of our ’57 Dodge. I was breathless with excitement as we left the driveway of the family farm, stones crunching under the wheels. The trouble began as we approached…
The Pilgrim Soul in You: Traveling Toward Jubilación
I traveled to Iona, Scotland, and Lindisfarne, England, in hope of finding “thin places,” May 6-19, 2016. Three months later, I am finally ready to begin speaking about the impact of this trip. The first thing I did was organize my photos into an album in order to make a slide show. I didn’t want…