Welcome!

In her stunning poem “Summer Day,” Mary Oliver (1992) poses the question:

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

This line of poetry inspired me to name my blog Wild Life and to dwell here on personal history, opinions formed, dreams of today and things to come. I’ve always known that life involves thousands of daily choices, most tiny, some life changing, and many made in a thoughtless robotic way as we respond to each day’s events and the people around us. I try to take responsibility for my own choices and to not blame others when I later regret consequences, even though we all know that others’ actions can deeply affect our choices.

I’ll be writing about topics that continually cycle through my brain, pestering me until I put thoughts into words (the writer’s curse). Among them will be a lot of cultural commentary mostly about books, movies, and art I love or hate, about war and immigration, prejudice, nature, and travel. I’ll be interviewing artists, writers, and others who pique my curiosity.

I hope some posts will stimulate a conversation, that you’ll comment on them and share them with your own readers, family and friends. You don’t have to agree with my conclusions or ideas—but disagreement must be civil. A little snark or humor makes things interesting, but haters are not welcome here.

I look forward to the exchange!

-- Rosemary Carstens