There have been times in my life when I felt I couldn’t keep up with all the change, and times I didn’t want things to change. Have you ever felt that way? Change is an inescapable law of nature, and it doesn’t take into account how we’re going to feel about it. Our best response […]
Category Archives: Mindfulness
Pema Chodron teaches the value of training with slogans–they’re easy to draw on in a pickle. I’m a big fan of doing whatever will work in the moment. I use slogans because they’re easy to access and though they can be trite, the right slogan can speak VOLUMES. Can I share the slogans that help […]
It’s been over a week since I returned from my vipassana meditation retreat. I haven’t fully processed the experience, but I figure it’s time to put some of it down in writing. Vipassana is a ten day, silent retreat. Students are trained in the style of meditation that the Buddha taught. This practice is all […]
In the interest of brevity, I’ve created a “Top 10” list for your dose of personal growth for the week! Hope it grabs you. Accept what is. It’s here (a situation, a feeling, a loss or a gain), no matter how you feel about it. Leaning into it allows you to learn from it. Using […]
There’s a phenomenon I’ve witnessed over the years as I’ve worked with families, and honestly, as I pay closer attention to myself: it’s not always easy to do right. I’m gonna get more specific and and talk about why it’s hard to do right in our relationships. While I think our innate goodness wants us […]
One of my favorite teachers says, “Love everybody and tell the truth.” Sometimes I think about the things we hold ourselves back from saying. Does pride ever keep you from telling someone how much you love them or how wonderful you think they are? Does anxiety ever keep you from sharing your concern for someone […]
Boundaries keep us connected to our true self and they allow us to know if we are safe in the presence of others. How does this work? In my experience, the way we often become aware is by how we feel when we’re not honoring our natural limits. When we’re unable to say no by […]
The skeptical part of my brain sometimes wonders what these buddhist monks really know about relationships, seeing as how they’re living monastically and all. But then I stumble upon teachings (like I did this morning) that reach directly into my heart and remind me that we are all part of a tribe, we were all […]
What draws me to buddhist philosophy is the belief that the nature of our souls is gentle. When I held my nephew for the first time, what I knew about him beyond a doubt was that his nature was love. I continue to be reassured of this because each time I see him, I am […]
My sister and her husband brought a new life into our family ten months ago. It has been nothing but wonderful to watch my nephew blossom before my eyes. Every time I’m with him, I witness the new things he is learning and how happy he is to be a part of it all. It’s […]