Mindfulness

She breathes, deeply allowing space for the tomorrows to meet her with gentle hands. In with the maybe’s Out with the hope not’s In and out she breathes while the tomorrows patiently wait. Choice -a simple breath away, a thought, a moment, an inhale away. Tomorrow holds it out and whispers “Take it, it’s yours.” ... Continue Reading »

While reading Ken Wilber’s A Sociable God, I learned something that helped me to understand a concept that I have struggled with for many years. I think this is so important that I want to share it with you, even if it doesn’t have much to do with gardening. However, it has everything to do ... Continue Reading »

I have it all. I have a husband, and kids. A house, debt a pet chinchilla and a dog that is too cute for it’s own good. I have long friendships, caring parents, and a pantry full of food. I have vacations, clothing and an education. I have the seasons, the daylight and sleep. I ... Continue Reading »

As teachers and leaders of communities that promote the development of compassion and mindfulness, we are writing to express our solidarity with the Occupy movement now active in more than 1,900 cities worldwide. We are particularly inspired by the nonviolent tactics of this movement, its methods of self-governance and its emergent communities founded in open ... Continue Reading »

Carl Jung said, Enlightenment doesn’t occur from sitting around visualizing images of light, but from integrating the darker aspects of the Self into the conscious personality. This is a guided visualization on becoming. It involves healing different parts of who you are, dark and light, into one integrated whole. Sit comfortably, with your feet firmly ... Continue Reading »

Early in October Deepak Chopra visited the Occupy Wall Street gathering in Zuccotti Park, New York, and led the following meditation. His words were spoken without amplification and spread through the crowd via the human megaphone. I just want to do a two minute meditation, or even less. Put your hand on your heart and ... Continue Reading »

This week I’ve been writing about Occupy Wall Street. I see it as a transformational movement that gets beyond the usual divide and conquer politics. It’s a movement that is waiting on change, not passively, but actively reading the signs of the time to know when to move and when to shake. I also see ... Continue Reading »

Hands leaf through pages with long ago words. Hearts search through stages with long ago hurts. The story keeps changing from this day to next. The mind rearranging, to what it likes best. A tale told over, a familiar groove. A place to take cover no need to move. But it’s time to tear up ... Continue Reading »

This ad was posted on Craig’s List-  “Broken guitar for sale – no strings attached.” I’ve heard of giving with no strings attached, but strumming with no strings attached …… unless you’re playing Guitar Hero, it’s going to be a challenge. I’ve been thinking about what it means to live with no strings attached; giving ... Continue Reading »

Life really does have an uncanny way of imitating art. It was Labor Day of 2010. I’d just finished penning the final revisions to my latest book “Fried: Why You Burn Out and How to Revive.”  My husband Gordon and I returned from an early-morning hike and spotted smoke in the gulch below the house. ... Continue Reading »

We all have behaviors that we want to change – whether it’s the way we eat, how often we exercise, or a lingering smoking habit. Interestingly, new research shows that one strong predictor of whether or not we will be successful in getting rid of bad habits has to do with how engaged brain areas ... Continue Reading »

How far does responsibility stretch? Your own life and actions? Care for your immediate family? Your extended family? As a parent, you might imagine that your job is done when the kids leave home. But they keep coming back! And the family keeps getting larger. Now your family includes grandkids, and in-laws and their extended ... Continue Reading »

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” — Dalai Lama We learn to deepen our compassion through understanding that we are all here doing the best with the tools and skills we have at the time. Most of us handle life much differently than we ... Continue Reading »

“No more stuff”. This is my code of being. Let me tell you a story. It begins with a garage sale It ends with $750 in my pocket. Let me tell you another 3 stories They are all just like the first. -how did this happen? I want to know right now, who fed the ... Continue Reading »

One child holds the misspelled sign One child holds a big glass jar One child encourages the other One child sits to rest a while. Two children and a simple idea. Two children on a street corner. Two children believe they can make a difference. Two children do. Many days standing out there Many pedestrians ... Continue Reading »