Wynne Leon is an optimist, an enthusiast of endurance sports and a woman intent in charting her own path. Which is a combination that has led to an unconventional life. When she was younger a life of adventure meant climbing mountains, traveling the world and being an entrepreneur. More recently, it’s been starting a family as a single parent at age 46, having another child at age 50 and adopting a highly-strung kitten, even though she really is a dog person. Her writing projects include technical computer manuals, articles about meditation and parenting, and Finding My Father’s Faith, a memoir about spirituality, solace and her relationship with her beloved father.
Among the many stories my ex-husband told me of his precarious childhood, there is one that sticks out. He was five or six years old, living in Florida and his mom was dating the Hat Man, a man who wove and sold palm frond hats to tourists by the side of the road. One night … More The Power of Story
I’m going to do something risky here. First, revisit a topic that my brilliant colleague Jack Canfora recently covered inspirationally and beautifully in Why Sports Help Me. And secondly do something I’m not qualified to do by giving a sports recap. But as Wise and Shine is a community of writers and readers, I’m thinking … More Why Sports Make Me Feel Alive
The other day a friend was telling me how his dad, who was a professor in the business school at the University of Washington, wrote books. He’d shut himself in his home office and for two months would just sit there with a note pad nearby. Sometimes he’d watch a game or organize stacks of … More When I Write
My 7-year-old daughter has a new table mate in her 2nd grade classroom. In the first few weeks of school, this table mate has said to my daughter a couple of times, “You suck.” She’s told him that isn’t nice. Then he responds by saying that he wasn’t saying that about her but about what … More Enough is Enough
As Troy mentioned in his Projects and Podcasts post, we have been working on creating a podcast to compliment the content on Wise & Shine. Troy and Cristiana sat down to have a great conversation: On Home & Place and it is our first published podcast. Music by Todd Fulginiti. Available on Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/01mMqHMxRtb Please … More The First Wise & Shine Podcast
The other day I made a comment off-handedly and the recipient said, “Oh, that’s so nice.” I didn’t like that compliment. Yes, I realize it’s not nice of me to judge a comment about being nice. Upon reflection, it’s because I don’t like the sound of me when I’m doing nice. And believe me, as … More Don’t Call Me Nice…Please
I was traveling last week, something I haven’t done without my kids in 7 years. I’d perfectly engineered the school drop-off and transfer to the nanny, filled the fridge with food, done all the laundry, and even unloaded the dishwasher. I thought I had everything well in-hand. But then I got to the airport and … More The Glass Is Refillable
A couple of weeks ago, I took both my kids to the doctor’s office. When it came time for the flu shots, the tech asked me to pick which child should go first. I picked my 3-year-old son. He reacted with an “ouch” and then was on to the next thing. My 7-year-old daughter went … More Do You Listen To Your Pain?
In March 2020 when Seattle went into lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic, my 4-year-old daughter and I were scheduled to go to a show at the puppet theater. The theater company founder and director was a Seattle fixture who had been delighting families with shows for over 30 years with her troupe of … More Adding Innovation to Grand Theatrical Tradition
More than 10 years after the fact, I can tell the story of my marriage/divorce with succinct clarity. I got married to my husband when I was 33-years-old. He had been married before and told me that he was divorced because wife #1 had a jealousy problem. In the marriage, I thought he just wanted … More Romancing the Stone
The other night my seven-year-old was being short-tempered with her younger brother and snippy with me. I asked her not to take out her mood on others and she replied “I don’t know what to do with the meanness!” Huh. Isn’t that a great question? I was raised in a household that believed “If you … More What To Do With Our Inner Meanness
When my inquisitive daughter was about 3 ½ years old, we had a conversation about perspective. We looked out our back door at the houses around and I asked her to count how many she could see. Three. Then we went to the second floor and I helped her count – seven. And then we … More Expansiveness
My 7-year-old daughter asked me the other day, “You know how I want to be a teenager?” After a pause for me to nod my head she asked, “Do teenagers want to be kids?” I explained that teenagers want to be adults. This is just the latest of her big questions: Where will I go … More Waiting for the Big Answers
As I was writing my post last week, Good Mood of the Soul, I came across the research that joy and gratitude often result in an upward spiral. The more we focus on gratitude, the easier it is to perceive joy. And when in the midst of joy, we are more open to gratitude. So … More Upward Spirals
Recently, a friend sent me a printout of a sermon that my dad, who was a Presbyterian pastor, gave on parenting 36 years ago. She had a printed copy and kept it filed away. Now that her kids are long grown, she sent it to me. In it, my dad gives a quick synopsis of … More Good Mood of the Soul
Last weekend I was sitting around with some parents and telling funny stories about our kids. One mother dramatically acted out what her 7-year-old son has recently started saying about his 5-year-old little brother anytime he perceives there to be a partial truth on the air, “Liar! He’s a liar!” We were all chuckling about … More Conditions of Truth
A few weeks ago I had plans to take my kids to a wedding in Leavenworth, WA a couple of hours away from where I live. On the day we were to leave, my stomach hurt. I chalked it up to a deli sandwich that I’d eaten the day before and loaded the kids into … More Rose Colored Glasses
Last week I was driving in my car with my almost 7-year-old daughter at 8:29am when she said “Darn, I’m always a minute late for my favorite time.” She likes palindromic times – in this case 8:28. It made me think about what I’ve been working on lately. Life feels hectic – summertime means different … More The Quality versus Quantity of Time
The other day my friend, Eric was over and started telling a story that had us all rapt, including my almost 7-year-old daughter and her friend who usually dismiss grown-up talk as boring. The story was about a summer job when he was in high school as a tennis instructor at a little neighborhood beach … More Telling a Good Story
My kids and I went to a wedding out-of-town this past weekend. At the wedding, they gave out fortune cookies. My 6-year-old daughter opened hers and read “You will find a treasure soon.” The next morning we were driving around looking for an alternative to the planned hike because it was raining. I turned in … More Cookie Cutter Faith