New England winters can be treacherous! Nor’easters bring astounding amounts of snow, especially to the Boston area, fueled by ocean air and low barometric pressure. Fierce winds batter shutters and houses creak! About ten years ago my family and I experienced a ferocious winter in Hingham, MA. At first, it seemed that everyone was a … Read more
Your name or your body, What is dearer? Your body or your wealth, What is worthier? Gain or loss, What is worse? Greed is costly. Assembled fortunes are lost. Those who are content suffer no disgrace. Those who know when to halt are unharmed. They last long. – Tao Te Ching- Verse 44 We have … Read more
Growing up I remember one of my friend’s mom always saying “that everything was wonderful” and actually feeling that perhaps things weren’t as good as professed. “Wonderful” feels full of hyperbole. Yet feeling inspired is within reach. How? When we recognize and trust the simple good in the universe. “Wonderfuls” might include listening to the … Read more
If we observed ourselves often, we’d probably laugh about our obsessions, quirks and failed attempts at conversation. As someone who admires a quick laugh and feels almost relieved by an impromptu giggle, December is a time for adding extra humor into our lives! As everyone knows, laughter provides a release from stress and sorrow. How … Read more
Dear Friends, Although Thanksgiving was full of gratitude and fun, December’s panic arrived early this week. I became cranky about my “to do” list. Worst of all, conversations stopped at our house as I holed up in my basement determined to master the schedule. Apprehension about the upcoming holidays is about more than timelines. Many of … Read more
Race, race, race! End-of-year schedules demand so much of us. We can’t jump off the treadmill for one moment. The frenzy happens because we’re so responsible. We’re good people, doing our best. We want to “do it right”. We engage so much with the world, not wanting to “let anyone down.”[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left … Read more
Joyous and difficult, two opposing adjectives concurrently describe Thanksgiving emotions. The recent negative, political discourse leads us further astray from feeling acquainted with what’s “good”. Despite our bi-polarized feelings, it’s still possible to “bring thanks into the light”[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” … Read more
This past week Obama and Trump met for the first time. What? How could that be? They had never met before? No wonder their meeting lasted ninety minutes. Until this first rendezvous, information about each other was based on generalities, negative stereotypes and “knowledge” sourced from other people’s opinions. Although the recent campaign rhetoric pains … Read more
Sometimes I wonder about “geeking out” over enabling conversation. My passion has to do with compassion, our ability, regardless of circumstances, to deeply connect with others. Compassion is beautiful to witness and at the recent TEDxMileHigh Conversation Café` great empathy was present! It wasn’t that The Conversation Café was a “cry fest”. The empathy I … Read more
Last July my husband and I attended our first TEDxMileHigh conference, “Make + Believe”. The experience was awe-inspiring. The dynamic speakers gave us much to digest and mull over that truly our brains ached. During the breaks Jay and I headed outside for fresh air, Italian sodas (thank you Backyard Soda Company) and, most importantly, … Read more