So many demands…So many distractions…Too many options. We can feel overwhelmed with how to prioritize our time, including moments for conversation. Just the other day, I declined an invitation to stop in at my neighbor’s house: the car repair shop was waiting . What a miss! Even for a brief moment, saying “Hello” is the … 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
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
This week is the TEDxMileHighWomen, “It’s About Time” conference and I can’t wait. Although my excitement stems partly from offering A Table In Time’s “Conversation Café’” at the conference, I’m super psyched to feel inspired and learn from the many dynamic speakers on stage, bringing us their “ju-ju” and smarts! Admittedly I have nervous energy, … Read more
At a recent A Table In Time gathering we had one hundred guests. Despite a common spiritual thread and consistent opportunities to see one another, dinner guests came to the table not really knowing much about each other. In our daily lives we focus on “to do’s”, life’s many logistics, leaving little time to go … Read more
Not too long ago a dear friend and I enjoyed conversational banter for almost ninety minutes on the phone. It had been a while since we’d connected. We shared fun stories about random stuff, touching also on a work challenge and my kids’ lives Yet for a few days afterwards, I had a nagging thought … Read more
Sometimes we just don’t understand another person’s viewpoint. We’re befuddled, even distressed. This is particularly evident during an election year. Many of us, myself included, shy away from making too many political references. Or, for others, posts on Facebook seem like the only safe place to be fervent. This past summer the “Nuns on the … Read more
Undoubtedly we will disagree with people. For whatever reason, we don’t see “eye- to-eye”. Around the table, we struggle to thoughtfully engage with our perceived adversaries. During an election year differences feel especially heightened, limiting the depth of our interactions. In our minds, consciously or subconsciously, we’ve already decided that meaningful conversations aren’t possible. Why … Read more