Kaya McLaren
In January 2020, my new title will be released, WHAT'S WORTH KEEPING, a story of healing and renewal inspired by but not based on my own experience with breast cancer, treatment, and recovery. My other titles include: THE ROAD TO ENCHANTMENT (Jan. 2017), THE FIRELIGHT GIRLS (2014), HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN (2012), ON THE DIVINITY OF SECOND CHANCES (2009), and CHURCH OF THE DOG (2008).
In addition to being an author, I've been an archaeologist, a massage therapist, an art teacher, an elementary teacher. After spending a couple winters in Mexico, I've returned to my roots in Washington, where I'm teaching middle school art.
When I'm not working, I love to play outside-- kayak, telemark ski, cross-country ski, stand-up paddleboard, skate ski, bicycle, ride horses, and attempt to surf. And if I can't be outside, I like to play cello and bass, guitar, and banjo. I enjoy painting, sculpting, and every once in a while I make a quilt or stained glass window. I love to spend time in my garden, too.
My dog, Frida Kahlo, adopted me on the streets of Mexico and has been enriching my life ever since.
“What a tricky balance of safety and risk it is that brings out the best in us?”
“She and Lisa always called that kind of snow heroic, because a person could do no wrong in it. Everyone skied like a hero in that kind of snow.”
“It struck her hard how it was often the ordinary acts that were angelic. Maybe there were angels in the sky and maybe there weren't. Maybe angels helped arrange for Tom to be the one to drive along right at that moment. She didn't know. But what she did know was that there were angels on the ground. She did know that Tom stopped the car, got out, and buried the kid's dead cat. He didn't have to, but he did. It was a small act, but it was huge. And that made Tom an angel to her, one no less divine than any angels that might be in the sky.”
“Most people think love comes from the heart or soul. The heart simple pumps blood, so love can't be created there. Where is the center for what appears to be a persons soul? The brain. And what is created there Jilly? That's right-dopamine. What does dopamine do? creates feelings of love and euphoria. How do we get our brains to create more? Drugs, massage, and or sex. Boil it down and it's all just dopamine. The good news is that you can also get more dopamine pumping through your brain by skiing fast...”
“When someone you love dies, it's normal to lose your faith. I don't want you to lose yours. I want you to believe that there is a bigger force than you in this world, a loving and compassionate force. I want you to believe that your life has meaning and your existence has purpose. And when life is hard, I want you to believe that you'll be given strength to endure it, and that it will get better. I want you to have the peace in your heart you can only have when you believe there is a reason for everything, even if you cannot see it.”
“If you ever start thinking that any of them are developmentally more mature than a high school boy, just remember they named their dogs after beer.”
“Here's what Mike knew about kids: They did stupid stuff. Pretty much all of them.”
“You're going to stay here. You're going to get strong. And then, when your mind is as empty as your glass, you'll know what to do.”
“So at the end of the day, here was what Mike was able to believe in: people.It was people and their kindness the made him feel blessed. It was people who were the heroes, and people who were generous, and people who comforted one another.”
“Why, he wondered, was it so hard to see humankind as capable of creating miracles? Miracles were just second chances if you really thought about it-second chances when all hope was lost.”
“It brought him the most peace to simply believe that people were imperfect, and life was imperfect and sometimes bad things just happened.”
“We can fix that. We can fix anything. So the real question remains whether every problem is worth fixing.”
“Go spend time with the aspen trees. They'll tell you how it works. They'll tell you to look to your roots for energy. They'll tell you there's warmth below the surface.”
“If you can, judge less and observe more.”
“there is no grief more devastating than the grief for what could have been.”
“Earth life is giant field day where we willingly choose the limitation of racing with both feet in a potato sack, or sometimes we join up with another and agree to the limitation of racing as a team where each person has one leg tied to the leg of the other....Agreeing to run a race with limitations or live a life with limitations doesn't mean you're slow, clumsy, or unenlightened. It just means you're showing up on field day, participating, and if you're really good, you try your best despite the obstacles.”