(Editor’s note: This is if the first in a three-part review of “Buddha.”)

Curious about the man known as the Buddha, I read three books about him, and my favorite, by far, is Karen Armstrong’s “Buddha” (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000, 171 pp). The reviewer for The Times of London describes it like this: “A fascinating book … It is hard to imagine a clearer, more concise or more authoritative introduction to one of the world’s most influential (yet shadowy) spiritual figures.”  

One can learn a lot by shopping at Trader Joe’s, and I’m not talking about the difference between tofu and tempeh or which seasonal items are in stock. I’m referring to life skills and reminders of humanity that shine brightly at this gem of an establishment. Though I live in Haywood County, I’m in Asheville a couple of times each week and on at least one of those occasions, I visit Trader Joe’s. 

When Jackson commissioners on May 5 reviewed a draft document outlining the framework of a new county library board upon departure from Fontana Regional Library system, Commissioner Jenny Lynn Hooper, clad in a Turning Point USA T-shirt, was quick to express her central grievance: “I don’t think [a board member] ought to have a library card.” 

Bitter laughter erupted from the audience. 

As of April 1, I marked my first full year as the Executive Director of REACH of Haywood County. After nearly a decade working in this field — seven years as a Title IX Coordinator and now leading a nonprofit that serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault — I’ve come to believe something deeply: awareness is only the beginning. Prevention must be the goal. 

In the part of southern Appalachia where I was raised, there were certain things you learned early: how to be polite, how to mind your elders, how to carry yourself in a way that didn’t invite trouble. And then there were the things no one quite said out loud, but you still somehow understood: good girls don’t talk about sex, don’t think about it and certainly don’t have it. 

The older and wiser I become, the more I appreciate people who vibrate at a high frequency, not because they make everyone around them feel better (although that is part of it), but because vibrating at a high frequency requires openness, honesty and authenticity, traits I highly respect and admire in others. 

In previous columns, I referenced a book by Dr. David Hawkins called “Power vs. Force,” and I’ve noticed myself referring to his teachings on several recent occasions, especially when it comes to parenting. This book is an impactful resource. 

I now realize why coloring books and sidewalk chalk were so appealing when I was a child, why watching snow fall out the window and staring at the flame of a candle calmed my racing thoughts, why exploring our wooded backyard, collecting leaves and rocks, felt like a grand adventure. 

“All things are bound together. All things connect.” 
— Chief Seattle

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."
— Dakota

In maybe one of the most alluring covers I’ve ever seen for a book of poems, John C. Mannone’s book “Sacred Flute” (Iris Press, 2024, 77 pgs.) — with a photo of an indigenousYuma musician taken sometime around 1900 — makes you want to turn the page and see what’s on the inside.

This past Sunday at church, someone quoted the old Greek proverb, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.” As the speaker continued to make a connection with the proverb and the future of our church, I quietly sat with the words and let them wash over me. 

Recently, I was gifted the use of a book to read on Native American wisdom by my Sylva dentist Dr. David McGuire. Thousands of years ago, the Toltec were known throughout southern Mexico as “women and men of knowledge” and who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones.