Sherrie R. Cronin's Blog, page 29

My Way

This is a post about Aretha Franklin and wearing a hijab and my mother’s funeral, and it comes to you from a cafe in Marrakesh Morocco.

[image error]I’m staring out the window at the crowds of tourists and locals crossing a busy street in front of the Koutoubia Mosque as I write. I’m alone in this city, far out of my comfort zone, and I’ve just ordered my first couscous. I settle into the ornate red pillows, ready for a genuine Moroccan experience, when I recognize the unmistakable voice of Aretha Franklin in the background.

Now I like Aretha as much as anyone and maybe more than most, but she is kind of getting in my way here, and it’s not even one of her better songs. I listen more closely and I feel the ghost of my mother snuggle into the pillows beside me.

Read the entire post on my c3 blog at “My Way.”

Filed under: c3: favorite posts Tagged: acceptance, appearance, be who you are, best music, eyes, freedom, ghosts, individual rights, intolerance, memories, music, music videos, open mind, personal freedom, perspective, sexism, songs in your head, stereotypes, tourists, travel, unwanted attention, women, women's rights, world

I See Ghosts

I like to find the ghosts when I travel, and learn what I can from them. They’ve always come to me, not as shivers in the nights, or flashes of fear or wails of terror. Rather they waft gently into my imagination, almost always in the daylight, often becoming characters standing in a queue in my brain, waiting to tell me their story.

The ghosts I see are often tired, sometimes sad, but seldom angry and never at me. Not once have they made me afraid. “Listen. This is how it happened,” they begin.

Read the rest of the post of my z2 blog at I See Ghosts.

Filed under: z2: favorite posts Tagged: be gentle, connected, ghosts, just listen, psychic powers, quiet, secret, tourists, travel, unexpected, world

It’s an angry world in some countries

Okay, I admit it, I’m not in a forgiving, let’s all come together kind of mood and it looks like I’m not going to get there for awhile. It is probably a good thing that I got to run away for a week, and that it was all the way to Morocco.

This is an ancient land, but one in transition as well. The internet is everywhere, with satellite dishes decorating the top of most of the roofs inside the Medina, the oldest, walled parts of the city. Leaders have worked hard here to eliminate terrorists from their midst, knowing well that it is the peace loving citizenry of a country that suffer the most from its own radicalism.

Read the entire post on my y1 blog at It’s an angry world in some places.

Filed under: y1: favorite posts Tagged: anger, freedom, gay rights, hippies, internet, people who bring you down, politics, travel, world, worrying, writing, writing style

Happy International Day of Peace, Lahcen and Najet

The Airbnb site says my hosts at the Riad speak English, French and Spanish along with the local Arabic, but it only takes a few minutes for me to realize that the claim regarding English has been exaggerated. Lahcen, the helpful house manager who greets me, probably does know several hundred words of English, compared to my several dozen words of French and two of Arabic, but his ability to answer my questions is limited. Najet, the cook and custodian who assists him, speaks some French and no English at all. Soon the three of us are communicating with gestures, key phrases and facial expressions, and it’s not going as poorly as you might think.

Read the entire post on my X0 blog at Happy International Day of Peace, Lahcen and Najet.

Filed under: x0: favorite posts, x0: peace Tagged: acceptance, adventure, communication, empathy, enemies talking, peace, strangers, tourists, travel, world, world peace

Everything is Going to Be Alright

Our needs for certain kinds of music vary with the times. So, let me just ask you straight out — are you seeking out more songs of reassurance these days? I sure am.

Read the entire post on my x0 blog at Everything is Going to Be Alright. You might find yourself feeling better as you relax and enjoy a fun video of Bob Marley’s classic song

Filed under: excerpts, music, x0: favorite posts Tagged: change, excerpts, happiness, joy, music, music videos, overcoming

Seeking your thoughts on world peace

I will soon be publishing a book of essays on world peace, and I am seeking YOUR thoughts on the subject. If you would like to contribute an short essay (approximately one to five thousand words) please read more about this at Seeking your thoughts on world peace.

Filed under: other

Is it over yet?

On October 25 I wrote a post about the upcoming election on my d4 blog. I said

Yes, many of us aren’t going to be completely happy about everything. That doesn’t mean we should not weigh in on the real choices before us. And yes, roughly half of us are going to have to work hard to understand what in the world the other half was thinking. I remain hopeful that everyone, myself included, is capable of making that important effort and moving forward.

Looking back, I know that when I wrote those words I was confident the election was going to turn out differently. It didn’t. Now I’m having to give a lot of thought to what one should accept and what one should fight. Two competing things I’ve read recently stick in my mind.

Not all Trump voters are racist, but they were willing to vote for a racist. Not all Trump voters are sexist, but they were willing to vote for a sexist. ByTamara Draut / BillMoyers.com

and

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” Henry James

Perhaps you, like me, are trying to figure out where these two ideas intersect. If you’d like more food for thought, please check out the my entire Oct. 25 post at Is it over yet?  You’ll also find a link to a fun video of one of my favorite songs ever (“The Dog Days are Over” by Florence and the Machine) and learn a little about how the election stressed out the entire nation (and maybe still is.)

 

Filed under: d4: favorite posts, excerpts, music Tagged: acceptance, anger, be better, best music, excerpts, fairness, mental-health, music videos, obnoxious men, open mind, people who bring you down, politics, predictions, tolerance, unexpected, working together, worrying

We need to talk about this, just maybe not so much

So I get to write a book about human trafficking but you don’t? Who decides when enough about a subject is enough, or whether the handling of a difficult topic is sensitive or exploitative?

I can’t answer that question. I do know that I never want to see ugly topics like disease and assault (and poverty, racism, domestic violence, homophobia, child neglect, human trafficking, war, and gun violence) swept under a giant collective carpet. Awareness can lead to solutions. But I also think it is fair to consider how toxic the atmosphere can become once we are fixated on a difficult subject, especially for those struggling to recover from emotional wounds that get strained a little every time the subject arises.

Please read the entire post on my c3 blog at We need to talk about this, just maybe not so much.

Filed under: c3: courage, c3: favorite posts Tagged: balance, causes, comfort, communication, compassion, creepy, encouragement, health, honesty, how far we have come, human trafficking, mental-health, novel, obnoxious men, overcoming, people who bring you down, perspective, politics, privacy, working together

Happy International Day of Peace, Alberto and Maria!

Those of us not in politics have few ways to steer the human race away from the machinery of war. One of those is travel. As we spend time with others who are currently demonized, or who once were, we learn to question the assumptions about other nations, religions, races, continents, and what ever else you have when you describe “those people” in terms vile enough to make the average citizen believe that they must die. Of course, you can’t just get on a bus or plane and go somewhere. You need to interact.

Read the entire post on my x0 blog at Happy International Day of Peace, Alberto and Maria!

Filed under: x0: favorite posts, x0: peace Tagged: adventure, communication, compassion, empathy, hugs, kindness, pacifism, peace, perspective, strangers, tourists, travel, unexpected, working together, world, world peace

When is it time for “More”?

I’ve spent the last couple of years downsizing, and trying on the idea that a simpler life can be a happier life for me. I’ve turned to finding small pleasures and treasures to be thankful for, and to not basing my actions on always wanting more. This flies in the face of much of my upbringing and culture, so even with this conscious effort I am still far from ascetic. But in spite of the ways that this change in outlook have challenged me, I have to say it has been a joyful journey.

But is it always bad to want more? How about more love? More kindness? More simple decency? More popcorn?

Read the entire post on my y1 blog at When is it time for “More”?

Filed under: excerpts, music, y1: favorite posts, y1: joy Tagged: balance, excerpts, gratitude, happiness, joy, letting go, money, music, music videos, personal freedom, sunsets