NYC, Philadelphia (2), San Antonio- City photos by the author, Laelia Watt The Allentown, PA Symphony Orchestra was performing Ralph Vaughn William’s cantata, Dona Nobis Pacem, when I recalled my first impression of war. The piece was written between WWI and WWII as a plea for peace and using lyrics pulled from scripture, Walt Whitman’sContinueContinue reading “Eyeless Buildings and Soulless Bodies”
Tag Archives: essays
The Worst Walk
The Offending Park- photo by the author-Laelia Watt The weather cleared enough after a few weeks of cold that I decided to take a brief stroll before heading to the grocery store. There is a park at the bottom of a hill in town with a pleasant path that follows a creek and a smallContinueContinue reading “The Worst Walk”
Water Buffalos and River Dreams
Wissahickon Valley Park- view near the covered bridge, by Laelia Watt 2024 Wissahickon Creek flowed imperceptibly in the area I chose to relax. I found a large flat boulder, perfect for sitting to write in a small notebook I brought along to work through ideas. The trees along the river mirrored on the surface ofContinueContinue reading “Water Buffalos and River Dreams”
Why Mental Health and Empathy Matter to Me Part 3
Lighthouse near San-Tropez, France (2018) photo by author Laelia Watt- taken while on a ferry boat with my beloved French-American aunt, on a trip that my friend generously invited me to join her when I couldn’t have otherwise afforded to go. Reggie* sauntered by the homeless shelter window wearing a McDonald’s bag on his head.ContinueContinue reading “Why Mental Health and Empathy Matter to Me Part 3”
Why Mental Health and Empathy Matter to Me Part 2
Photo of a dried piece of wood in the mountains of Arizona that looked to me like an animal skull. *Trigger warning- suicide ideation mentioned briefly* The nightmares were unbearable. They plagued me from childhood through my early twenties, but I attributed them to an active imagination and a fearful personality. Even at twenty-four whenContinueContinue reading “Why Mental Health and Empathy Matter to Me Part 2”
Why Mental Health and Empathy Matter to Me Part 1
My first work study job in college was in 2002 as the secretary of the counseling office in a small Christian liberal arts college, smack dab in the middle of what we call the “Bible Belt” in the United States. Even though May was designated Mental Health Awareness month in 1949, there was still aContinueContinue reading “Why Mental Health and Empathy Matter to Me Part 1”
Five Books that Promote Empathy
One of the many reasons I love creative nonfiction and chose to create this brand with creative nonfiction essays at the core of it, is because hearing stories of other people’s worldview and experiences widens the reader’s worldview too. It is easy to paint an entire group of people with a wide brush and dismissContinueContinue reading “Five Books that Promote Empathy”
Who Are You Calling Fragile, Human?
Asian Clipper Butterfly- Hershey Park, PA (photo by the author, Laelia Watt) Definitions of FRAGILE from the online Cambridge Dictionary: Easily damaged or broken Easily destroyed, ended, made to fail weak, or in poor health, mentally or physically UK: feeling slightly ill, upset or tired, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol theContinueContinue reading “Who Are You Calling Fragile, Human?”
FRAGILE HUMAN 