Carpe the fuck out of this diem. ~slogan on a pair of socks Several years ago, a friend gave me a pair of socks with this slogan on each sock. I don’t know what motivated her to give me this gift, especially since I never ever heard a cuss word come out of her mouth. […]
Inspiration for Today Read More »
For by their fruits you shall know them. ~Matthew 7:16 The Bible teaches that we know who people are by their fruits. I’ve been thinking about that lately. By what characteristics do we measure people? What are the qualities manifested by those we hold up as beacons of holiness or enlightenment? What are the attributes
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If a problem has a solution, there is no need to worry. If a problem does not have a solution, there is no need to worry.~the Dalai Lama Worry is so ingrained in most of us that we are not even aware of the “worry loop” spinning in the background of our thoughts. At least
Regardless of your position on any particular spectrum – religious, political, or other – it’s hard to deny that there is a lot of emotion churned up in today’s world. Many people are caught up in “big feelings,” as my daughter would say. The polarized division of “us” and “them” has become a powerful force
Seeing through a Wide Angle Lens Read More »
We sometimes judge ourselves for falling short of how, in our opinion, a “spiritual” person should think and behave. If I am feeling upset, angry, despondent, sad, fearful, then I must not be practicing enough. I must try to do better, be better. Maybe I’m too lazy, or unfocused, or not really committed to the
When pushed and pulled to make differentiationsSimply say “Not two” This quote is from a 5th century Buddhist poem by Sengan, Third Chinese Chan Patriarch, translated by Dan G. Reid in The Thread of Dao. The words reach across the centuries as the perfect reminder for today, election day in the United States, a day
If you paid attention to the thoughts in your mind and the words that you speak, what would you hear? Maybe spend some time today listening to yourself. Listen without intentionally directing, without judging, without self-censoring. Just listen. What do you hear? And perhaps more important, how does what you hear make you feel? Without
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Everything we hold on to will be relinquished. The people we love, the things we have, the beliefs we defend, the identities we treasure, the bodies we inhabit – all will be left behind. Like the great closing sale of life – everything must go! Every loss we fear will come to pass. What does
“You do you” is sometimes used to dismiss someone you do not agree with, similar to phrases like “suit yourself” or “whatever.” Someone said this to me not long ago. I admit that at the time it stung. But later I thought about the phrase itself apart from the context in which it was used.
Years ago when I was researching and writing about happiness, one question kept coming up. If we all say we want to be happy, why aren’t we? Before we go further, let’s expand our concept of happiness to include joy, well being, wonder, awe, contentment, inner peace, enjoyment, just basic okayness, and any other related
Shadow Beliefs about Happiness Read More »
Before enlightenment chop wood carry water. After enlightenment chop wood carry water. ~Zen saying Reflecting the wisdom of this saying, Jack Kornfield titled one of his books “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.” The point of both the saying and the title is that we might have peak mystical experiences of awakening, but then it’s time
The Ecstasy Is IN the Laundry Read More »
I ran across this phrase recently. It caught my attention because I love the word abide. Looking up its etymology, I found that it carries with it a sense of “waiting onward.” I loved that too. Not waiting passively or impatiently, but with an attitude of alert attention, open receptivity, readiness to engage fully with
I haven’t had a word of the year for a decade. In an illustration of cosmic humor of the universe, my last word of the year was in 2013 and my word was “wait.” But as 2013 came to a close, no new word came for 2014. Now, ten years later, as 2023 drew to
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Tonight is winter solstice, the longest night. Tomorrow the light returns just as winter begins. How perfect. A few days ago, I sat on a driftwood log, watching the seagulls swoop over the waves crashing on the shore. All I could think was, “Thank you, God, for letting me live long enough to have this
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I was describing to someone how working on the last stages of my new book as I was preparing for cancer surgery this summer really helped me stay centered. Reading and rereading the chapters to edit and proofread kept the content of the book front and center in my consciousness and was a constant and
This Shit Really Works Read More »
Buddhism is sometimes described as the middle path or the middle way. This has a specific meaning in the context of Buddhism, but for me the general concept of a middle way helped me navigate my journey with cancer this year. I have written over recent months about the challenges and blessings of this journey
The Middle Path of Cancer Read More »
The journey from teaching about love to allowing myself to be loved proved much longer than I realised. ~Henri Nouwen As a spiritual practice, “allowing” is often described as an acceptance of what is. We sometimes think of this acceptance of reality as not struggling against something that we don’t like. But we overlook the
Allowing Ourselves to Receive Love Read More »
Mistakes. We all make them. Yes, even me. I wrote that last sentence with a smile because occasionally someone has a (mistaken!) perception of me that I don’t make mistakes. Perhaps they think that because I write this blog and lead a contemplation group and meditate and so on, that somehow I am always wise.
I was chatting with my daughter about a situation involving my grandchildren. I can’t even remember what we were talking about, but at one point my daughter paused and looked at me. “You’re a ride or die Nana,” she observed. I had to look that up. A ride or die person is someone who will
Several times in recent months, someone has expressed to me hesitation to participate in a get together because, as they said, they felt that they had nothing of value to offer that particular day. Maybe because they were worried about something, or distracted, or just in a slump. They really wanted to come, but they
Permission to Receive Read More »