If we’re fortunate during our lifetime, there will be many occasions to celebrate: birthdays, anniversaries, new births, milestone achievements, graduations, marriage, even the end of life. Maybe we’ll travel for the occasion. When life is good, we might leverage any and all opportunities to celebrate. My sisters, for example, created a hashtag to commemorate big … Read more
May You Be Well: A Compassion Practice May you be well without suffering which isn’t also possible in life. Compassion is a reliable companion. May you be well and feel safe with yourself as an ally, wherever you are. May you be well even when facing difficulties, finding solace from within, knowing that you … Read more
A lone traveler on a bike, examining his wrinkled, printed maps, unsure about the route to Fort Collins, traveling with time on his hands. A German-speaking Italian from the Dolomites, Heinz started in Mexico City, met a companion then biked until reaching Colorado. Other than visiting a Hutterite community in North Dakota and Chicago, his … Read more
You’ve already imagined the cancerous spot. The long-anticipated trip to France won’t happen and the money invested will be gone. Even with chemo on the horizon, will you live? Then, in contemplating these dire circumstances, you cognitively decide to create a super tough coping mechanism, fight until cured. You will “win” no matter … Read more
Our sacred miraculous essential bodies… Teacher and performer, Nina Wise shares in her book, A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: “If we are to fully know freedom, we must find that freedom not only in the mind but also in the body, the house of our being. The physical body is our medium for … Read more
As feet hit the ground awareness starts to filter in. A sip of water, teeth brush and splash of water on your face. Birds are calling to one another. Light is gaining strength illuminating what’s in the room and,more importantly, the hope of a new day. The smell of coffee wafts from the machine activating … Read more
All that remained was a packaged hazelnut cookie. From another trip it was five cans of sardines, smelly and tasty. There was a small hand-painted bowl from the Chateau region of France and a ceramic mini-platter from Tuscany. A bottle of Spanish olive oil safely packed in our luggage and savored for months once home. … Read more
With the advent of cellphone cameras our sight has improved. We snap away anytime and anywhere and often end up with a decent image. Using these “cameras” translates to increased focus on what we’re seeing. This tendency can be a lovely centering exercise, bringing us to a moment at hand. Of course, taking tons of … Read more