What’s growing now (a pause)
What’s growing in your garden? Not just in your outside garden, which I hope is flourishing, but in your inner garden as […]
Letting life “cure” us
Every day, life burnishes and “cures” us —sometimes by the unexpected and dramatic, sometimes by the routine and ordinary. We feel, we […]
There Goes the Sun (da, da, da, da, da)
In a world that’s full of darkness, it’s nice, even miraculous, when something pulls us into the light together. Usually, it takes […]
When crazy is sane (or a dog’s life)
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the craziest things we do turn out to be the most sane? Acquiring an animal can […]
How to be embodied in a world that’s increasingly not—eight simple steps
The signs of disembodiment are everywhere. Our 24-7 culture seems better suited to constantly-turned-on robots than to humans who do better when […]
The fog from war
I’m feeling foggy and overwhelmed again. Dang. After two-plus years of Covid-brain, I thought the fog had lifted. But another fog has […]
Coming back to our senses (in the year of the tiger)
Humans are born reactors. Living in a world of saber-toothed tigers, we learned to know danger when we sensed the animal was […]
Walk slowly (RIP Thich Nhat Hanh)
“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment […]
Can the pandemic crack us open?
By some reports, we may be in for another two years of the pandemic. I recently heard it referred to as an era, […]
Pausing for fall colors
Labels are tricky. When we view the world through our labels, we may never see it as it is. Yet, names and labels […]
To Bless the Space Between Us
“What good could live between you and me for the sake of us?” I remember the first days after the Twin Towers […]
We always have choice
Somedays, it’s easy for me to feel powerless as Covid ramps up again and Afghanistan collapses. I need reminders that I always […]
Does age matter?
I remember an experiment from a class in business school. The prof asked us to line up by age. Then he asked: “Does […]
To see the familiar with new eyes
To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower William Blake “Auguries of Innocence” For […]
MMMMMMMMM your way to calm
Given the stresses of daily life combined with growing uncertainty about our global future, I’ve been collecting remedies and techniques to use […]
The past is never past
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” William Faulkner Faulkner’s words were written to describe how the history […]
Seven keys to deep learning from The Octopus Teacher
I finally watched My Octopus Teacher, the much-celebrated Netflix documentary that chronicles the year film-maker Craig Foster spent swimming with a wild, […]
Find rhythm in a pause
I’ve been loving my spring walks athrough our woodlands. They help me to pause when I’m wound up or feel […]
Playing as an ensemble
April is an exciting month for me as I get ready to watch the great performances that will be taking place over […]
Want more of Einstein’s brainpower?
Colossal intelligence that he was, Albert Einstein had a relatively small brain. It measured 1230 grams, on the smaller end of average. […]
Can we celebrate now?
Are you celebrating? It may be long overdue. Life without celebration is like hiking across a snowfield during a whiteout when the […]
Confessions of a judge-aholic.
The poet Rumi once wrote: “Out beyond right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” How I’d love to […]
Let’s sing a new revolution
In Estonia, people sing. An Estonian woman I heard speak in an online singing class talked about Laulupidu, Estonia’s choral song festival. […]
If you need more time
Even though last week I wrote about seeding a new beginning, I’ve had trouble starting up again. The air feels fresher, yet […]
To tame a raging bull
It is rare that I consider aborting a blog I have almost completed. But how to keep writing, let alone think, when […]
Let’s celebrate 24 new hours
When you rise tomorrow it will be a new year. Or perhaps, where you are, it already is. For many, the turn […]
Your presence is a light
A friend shared a quote this week. It moved me so much I tracked it down, to Kent Nerburn in his […]
Light up a bleak midwinter
“In the bleak midwinter” could be my theme song these days. I’m tired. The weather is glum. I’ve had enough election news. […]
How loss can make us grateful
Thanksgiving was different this year. My husband and I ate alone for the first time in thirty-plus years. Of course, being the […]
Feeling safe
A lot of people aren’t feeling safe these days. Three million people in the US keep open-carry weapons with them at […]
Time for trust
We hoped it would be over. It’s not over. Maybe over was just a fantasy. The same forces that existed before the […]
What if the animals were our partners?
If you need a break from election-mania, here’s something different. (I voted Saturday!) I watched the video below about a scientist, Nan […]
What’s in your emergency joy kit?
The poet David Whyte has offered a series of soul-nourishing talks during the pandemic. After the most recent, he offered a […]
Pray for justice but not from fear
This week was struck by the first line from Wicked Game, Chris Issak’s iconic mega-hit from the early 90s. “The world was […]
Fuel the fire within
Here on the U.S. West Coast, we’ve had a tough week. Fires raging, and the whole coast socked in smoke. With hazardous […]
Tinker Bell needs us: let’s clap for the light
I’ve been in rich conversations recently about how life has been changed by the pandemic. The question, “How am I doing?” is […]
A deep breath, a moment of pause
We’ve been through a lot recently–no need to remind you of that. You deserve to take a deep pause to breathe […]
Devotion will change your life
I watched a charming video this week, one of those lift-you-up-in-the-storm pieces, about a man, Stjepan Vokic, in Croatia, who has spent the […]
Pausing to let the heart expand
This week, the cherry tree began its two week run of glory, set against a backdrop of near perfect Seattle weather. The […]
In case of panic, try this.
Anxiety is hovering in the air, like a cloud that might let loose with a storm of bad news at any moment. […]
Make your own heart sanitizer
You, like me, may be feeling overloaded by news of COVID-19. People are stocking up on hand sanitizers, (Hopefully not like the bloke […]
COVID-19 can teach us more than handwashing
This post is not another list of precautions about the coronavirus. You doubtless have them already. I won’t deny the enormous cost […]
“All shall be well again” (I hope)
Trust. It’s not the easiest quality for me to find in these dystopian-feeling days. So I turned to a fourteenth-century mystic who […]
How to sing our arms back open
Darkness makes the light stand out. When I was traveling in France after my mother’s death, I sought out the prayer candles […]
An easy way to discover more delight, daily
How might your life be different if, every day, you tracked on delight? I stole this idea from a poet. One of […]
Before you resolve, absolve (plus a gift for you)
I hope I’m not too late. I wanted to catch you before you make any…resolutions. Tonight, before the clock strikes twelve, whether you’re […]
Finding hidden madonnas everywhere
Next week, we enter a new decade. This week, as we move through the days between the years, it seems a good […]
How to welcome back the light
Welcome to the season of light. Whatever your faith, the light, in the Northern Hemisphere, can shine in radiant contrast to the […]
How to find Magic in the Ordinary
Last weekend, our furnace quit. That meant no heat and no hot water. We warmed the house by turning on our stove’s […]
Put the hallow back in Halloween (plus five freaky facts)
Halloween is coming, that once a year fest of spooks, villains, princesses, and pumpkins–a merchandiser’s dream. If we could ignore the overdose of […]
If fear knocks: 8 ways to survive an anxious day
Today I’m waiting for the outcome of a friend’s surgery, and whether that’s fear or anxiety, it’s pretty hard to take because […]
Finding your true “yes” and your true “no”
One thing I have noticed in recent years is that my “no’s” and my “yes’s” have gotten stronger and clearer. Being able […]
Heal the burn
It’s so difficult to watch the pictures of the Amazon burning, knowing that there’s so little that can be done, at least […]
3 Reasons not to think about death (and why you might reconsider)
What if thinking about death could bring you more life, more beauty, and more connection to the people you love? Most […]
When the tail stops wagging
Today, as this post is being published, our dog, the irrepressible Jackson, is being put down. Perhaps dementia was triggering his increased […]
When you’re feeling climate despair, give nature a face
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.21.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” z_index_tablet=”500″] I’m feeling pretty despairing about climate change these days. […]
Spring for a Pause
If you want proof of the complexity of the world, come visit my garden, a mélange of good and evil, light and […]
When Paris Burns: Finding the seeds of resilience
Last Monday, as I stumbled past my husband on my way to bed, he looked up from reading on his Ipad and […]
A midwinter’s night pause
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] My article for the winter issue of 3rd Act […]
Create a daily oasis with ordinary rituals
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] “We humans remember trauma better than pleasure, it’s the way […]
Welcome back the light
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] “There is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how […]
Taking the small steps back to thriving
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”22px|0px|15.2557px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] What do we do when we keep […]
Expanding our thanks
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”13px|0px|12.7415px|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] Thanksgiving, that holiday of family, friends, […]
When Grief comes to call
Grief is a tough master. When you don't run from him, he's can show you a way to your deeper creativity.
Don’t Photoshop Your Life
Over the past weeks, we’ve been forced to listen to a public biography that was photoshopped and edited to a polished, plasticized, […]
A wedding to remind us what matters
This weekend I went to a wedding that broke my heart apart and made it sing. I don’t think I ever, Laughed, […]
A question to guide your birthday
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” inline_fonts=”Abhaya Libre” background_layout=”light” disabled=”off”] I’m writing this on […]
Does your work make you better?
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] In her stunning collection of essays (highly recommended) This […]
When to invite your heart to think (or, How I got a dog last weekend)
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] Have you ever been wracked by a decision […]
Three words that can change your life (they’re not what you think)
If I asked you for the three most powerful words you’d use to change a situation, what would you offer? […]
Let’s Swap the Ladder of Opportunity for an Open Circle
Is freedom, independence, and opportunity only for the privileged? How can we invite and bear witness to the stories at the margins that need to be heard?
Before you deny your age, think about this
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] This Thursday, as this blog post launches, […]
Who ate your time?
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] Every day, an army of invaders enters […]
When you can’t always get what you want…
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] You can’t always get what you […]
What community do you dream of?
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] Sixty plus years ago, […]
What about your work do you love, love, love…
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.63″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid”] It’s been a hard week. […]
Pause for the light
i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of […]
Could we retire retirement?
Did I tell you that I’m writing a book? Maybe not, because saying I’m writing a book means so little until you […]
The ultimate guide to tidying (Marie Kondo, you didn’t go far enough)
As I was cleaning my closet in anticipation of my daughter-in-law visiting, (visitors are always an incentive for cleaning my […]
Five Reasons Advice Doesn’t Work and When It Might
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.63″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.63″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid”] I remember many years ago […]
On Valentine’s Day: How to skip the sugar and give some real appreciations
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.63″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid”] Remember “Sweethearts,” the little pink […]
Is patience your key to moving ahead?
Patience Is NOT my middle name. As I age and am aware of the years passing, I still want to do so […]
A surefire way to add joy to your life
I usually love the turn of the year, when I set time aside to do visioning and planning, think about the big […]
Taking time between time
Now is a time between times, this week between the end of one year and the start of the new one. […]
Why you should be dancing
My horses dance. You might say they’re just driven by instinct. But when you see them run into the field on a […]
How to find more light this season
How are you preparing for the holidays? The December holiday season, at least in the United States, requires so much preparation: shopping, […]
Take time out of time during the holidays
It’s officially holiday season in the United States and we’re off to the races! We watch the scorecard tick away telling us how […]
My gift to you: Five minutes, five breaths
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What could be better than the spirit of giving and thanking? But the week before Thanksgiving Day […]
After Me Too
The chorus of voices chanting “Me too” keeps getting louder. Hearing people finally speaking out against sexual harassment has been great, […]
Inviting death back into Halloween
Happy Dia de los Muertos, the end of the three-day festival from Mexico that celebrates the souls of ancestors, friends, and family members who […]
Honoring fall
I love fall with its bittersweet splendor. Months of dark rain lurk just around the corner, yet the leaves today are at […]
Is empathy wearing you out? (And what you can do about it…)
Do you feel exhausted after listening to just ten minutes of news? Last week, as I was driving to the ferry and […]
Cultivate the space for creativity
You know the adage: “The past is the past,” often spoken as if the past is over and no longer a dynamic force […]
When times feel senseless, work artfully
I woke up early Monday morning enjoying that magical moment before the dawn, when the earth lies resting, undisturbed, my mind is […]
How to plan a staycation that will make you want to stay home
Update: I wrote this during a summer when the smoke from fires was such we had to stay […]
Working from the vulnerable void
Brené Brown did the world a great service when she shared, from her research and experience, about the importance of being willing […]
Four insights from the solar eclipse
In Seattle, we didn’t see the total eclipse; at 92%, it seemed not even close. Light continued to pour over my property […]
This is not the New Normal
My heart breaks with Charlottesville. I am still grieving Charleston and so many other sites of senseless violence. Hate crimes wound us […]
When concise can cripple
Get to the point In my business writing class in B-school, I learned to be succinct, concise and make my point quickly. […]
