time2muse

Decency

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:21:00 GMT

"The thin precarious crust of decency is all the separates any civilization, however impressive, from the hells of anarchy or systematic tyranny which lie in wait beneath the surface." Aldous Huxley ...

Thank You, Michael

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:26:00 GMT

The King of Pop was a broken man. Fabulous entertainer, master musician, choreographer, divorcee, suspected pedophile, recluse: how to reconcile the extremes in this single extraordinary man? James Hillman wrote in The Soul’s Code of the inhuman encased in the human—divine talent housed in a fragile shell. ...

Are You Ready?

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:51:00 GMT

"Creativity is not a gift from the gods...but is the product of preparation and effort," says Twila Tharp, the great American choreographer, in her book, The Creative Habit. Though all of us are born with certain gifts and talents, it is in the development of these gifts that we ...

Will Smith

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:50:00 GMT

"There's nothing you've ever been successful at that you didn't work on every day." -- in Time magazine ...

Rapid Response Email and Phone Calls can Backfire

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:45:00 GMT

This column was originally published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Tuesday, Feb. 05 2008

Contrary to conventional adult sentiments, I love snow days as much as my kids. I delight in a snowstorm's ability to slow down our life, giving us quality time with each ...

Finding Santa: It Depends on How You Look

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:52:00 GMT

This column was originally published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Thursday, Dec. 13 2007:

On Nov. 30, the European Space Agency reported that Santa Claus was in the
Orion nebula.

Santa's ...

Music on the Brain: Turns Out, it's Not "Only" Rock 'n' Roll

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 02:47:00 GMT

This essay originally appeared in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Tuesday, Oct. 02 2007

Celebrating our 15th anniversary, my husband and I were a case study in
neuromusicology.

Neuromusicology is an exciting field of research that explores the connections
between music and the human brain. In recent years, ...

There's nothing wrong with being weird; St. Louis should try it

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:34:00 GMT

This column was originally published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on August 2, 2007.

Sitting in rush hour traffic the other day, I heard a radio host mention that the staff of Fast Company magazine had labeled St. Louis one of the world's slowest cities. In one section of the magazine's ...

Protecting Memories and Looking to the Future

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:40:00 GMT

This column was originally published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on March 29, 2007.

Last year, my siblings and I scaled a two-story mountain — the accumulated possessions of 40-plus years — and emerged dusty but wiser.

The five of us, with help from spouses and ...

Multi-Tasking: Saving Time but Missing Life's Important Moments

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:33:00 GMT

This essay was originally published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Tuesday, June 5, 2007

What time is it? Let me check the phone.

People and electronics are multi-tasking these days. Time was when a clock told
the time, conversations were held by phone and ...

A New Season

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:43:00 GMT

In honor of spring training, here's the story of two of my great loves: my dad…and baseball.My dad and I were avid Cardinal fans. It started with the straight-A seats I earned as a 7th grader. Dad was my best date, and he treated me to many ...

Midlife? Mamma Mia!

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 01:53:00 GMT

Midlife caught me by surprise. I was born the youngest of six at the tail end of the baby boom. Although I launched a career, married, and had two children, I still felt like a kid inside. Now in my 40’s, midlife began creeping in when I ...

Fear Season

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:59:00 GMT

It’s the time of year when the days get shorter. We see dry leaves swirling in the breeze, and many lawns bedecked with masked creatures, signs and jack-o-lanterns. As dusk settles, ghosts appear in the shadows and strangers knock on our door with the season’s request: “Can ...

Stop and Smell the Primroses

Maria Rodgers O'Rourke — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:56:00 GMT

Each long summer evening, as dusk settles on my neighborhood, there’s a show that’s better than anything on cable or dish. The show starts gently, without fanfare, yet bursting with beauty, dance and song in every movement. Slowly, like the coming of night, it begins—shining like the stars, ...