“The closest to being in control we’ll ever be is in that moment when we realize we’re not.” ~Brian Kessler
My 9-year-old son said something so profoundly right that it kept me awake. He said that in order for him to be happier I would need to let go of controlling him all the time.… Read More
For almost four years I held onto a feeling that I had somehow done something wrong—that I hadn’t tried hard enough, that I had somehow failed my daughter.
In May 2008 my daughter’s father had arrived home after staying out all night. He told me he no longer loved me, found me attractive, or even fancied me, and that at eight years younger than him I was “too old.”
I was completely stunned.… Read More
“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.” ~John De Paola
Pushing has always been the way I get things done.
Actually, I should be more specific: pushing myself harder has been the way I get things done.
I grew up believing that life was hard, and that the only way to survive was to give up indulgences, buckle down, and trudge forward.… Read More
“Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” ~Joan Borysenko
When I bought my car, I visited only one showroom. I’d made the decision that this was the car for me in around one hour, and chose not to spend more hours or days of my time going from one place to another to check other deals and different cars.… Read More
“Instead of complaining that the rose bush is full of thorns, be happy the thorn bush has roses.” ~Proverb
I am a member of a mercifully small subset of society. I am the mother of a dead child.
Twenty years ago, my daughter Grace—my first child, my only girl—was born prematurely and died 32-minutes later.… Read More
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” ~Paul Boese
I’m trying to meditate but I find myself overcome by sadness; I’m still grieving after all this time.
I’ve gone through phases of forgiveness recently that have shown me how to acknowledge the painful relationship I had with my mother, the anger and resentment we shared, and the loss of each other that we both went through the older we grew.… Read More
“Some people think it’s holding that makes one strong—sometimes it’s letting go.” ~Unknown
My mom leaned in and gave me a goodnight kiss. The only light illuminating her face was coming from the hallway. I looked up at her, and in the confidence of the dark confessed, “I saw it.”
“It” was my birthday present, waiting patiently for me to wake up in the morning and claim it from its place in the garage.… Read More
“We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” ~Kenji Miyazawa
I love my wife, so it stung the other day when she said, “Hmm … You’re going to have trouble letting me go, aren’t you?”
She’s not walking out on me. You see, she has multiple sclerosis (MS), and she’s referring to the day she can’t walk any more.… Read More
Important Note: The winners for this giveaway have already been chosen! You can purchase Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions on Amazon.com. Also, be sure to subscribe to Tiny Buddha for free daily or weekly emails!
The winners:
Happy almost 2012!
It’s been an exciting year for Tiny Buddha.… Read More
“Each time you stay present with fear and uncertainty, you’re letting go of a habitual way of finding security and comfort.” ~ Pema Chodron
Being the thought-out planner with a neatly plotted road map—and a compass tightly gripped in one hand, pointing due north—I cringe a bit (okay, a lot actually) at the thought of changing direction, being adventurous, and going off the beaten path.… Read More
“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon
Have you ever hung up a towel and not straightened it or folded it or arranged it in some way as you did so? Have you ever just casually tossed a towel over the towel rail?… Read More
“Never apologize for showing feelings. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.” ~Benjamin Disraeli”
We often experience resentment toward other people when we find it hard to forgive them and hold onto unspoken pain.
Whenever we feel we’ve been treated unfairly, judged, or wronged, we have a very powerful internal reaction.… Read More
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” ~Gandhi
The next time I feel it urgent to text someone off Craigslist after 11pm, I may think twice.
I was obsessed with attaining the body of a fitness model. I had recently been laid off and when life gets tough, I go to work—on my abs.… Read More
Life has a tendency to become overly complicated and stressful, particularly because things change so quickly. I’ve identified seven problems that you can eliminate to make your life a whole lot simpler (which doesn’t mean boring or less interesting).
Think back to a year or two ago.… Read More
Update: The winners for this giveaway have already been chosen. Subscribe to Tiny Buddha for daily or weekly emails and to learn about future giveaways!
The 5 winners:
“Sometimes we have to go right into the fire in order to find our true healing.” ~Jack Kornfield
No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve accomplished, no matter how well you’ve planned, you will deal with challenges in life.… Read More
“What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly.” ~Carl Rogers
I used to spend an awful lot of time worrying about people liking me. Or what people thought of me. Or what they thought of the clothes I was wearing. Or whatever.
It’s taken me a long time to realize two things:
1.… Read More
“No feeling is final.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke
I met him the last semester of college and was instantly attracted to him. I was definitely attracted to him physically, but it was the way he sat in class with such quiet confidence and mystery that made me long to know him.
I practically drooled all over my desk whenever he spoke, but couldn’t even bring myself to say, “Hello.” One night out, I saw him standing by the bar.… Read More
“Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.” ~Unknown
When I arrived home after a brief stint living in another state, I was anxious to reconnect with places from my childhood and the friends I’d left behind.
But while I was healing from a heart-wrenching break-up, suffering through sleepless nights on my parents rock-hard couch, and mulling over where all my freelance writing work had gone, my friends seemed to be successful, happy, and right on track.… Read More
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama
Self-confidence is an interesting concept.
You see, we all have ways of feeling good, bad, low, light, and peaceful. We all have triggers that tell us when to experience these states.
The really interesting part is that you can challenge how you respond to those triggers and change the strategies you use.… Read More
“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ~Lao Tzu
Pretty much everyone I know thinks they should be doing better in some way, at least sometimes.
Are you totally and completely satisfied with what you’ve done so far in life? No little part of you thinks, maybe I should have more money in the bank?… Read More
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