“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” ~Nietzsche
A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences found that a ninety-minute walk in nature slows our worried, troublesome thoughts about ourselves and our lives. Even better, it reduces …
“Boundaries are a part of self-care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary.” ~Doreen Virtue
I still have the journal entry that sparked my journey into boundary setting. It says, in striking black pen, “I wish I could speak my truth. …
“I’ve come to trust not that events will always unfold exactly as I want, but that I will be fine either way. The challenges we face in life are always lessons that serve our soul’s growth.” ~ Marianne Williamson
At …
“Compassionate listening is to help the other side suffer less.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
In late 2017 my husband and I were both getting ready for work one morning when I casually said, “Hey, I think I’m going to start teaching …
Older
Beautiful inside and out—
Invisible
I gave a little start when those words flashed onto the screen during a presentation by the poet Elizabeth Bradfield. Liz was in the process of describing six-word memoirs, modeled on Hemingway’s heartbreaking story …
“Life is a balance between what we can control and what we cannot. I am learning to live between effort and surrender.” ~Danielle Orner
Over a year ago, I boarded a plane and found myself on the beautiful beaches of …
“A pause gives you breathing space so listen to the whispers of the real you waiting to happen.” ~Tara Estacaan
You and I, we’re much too busy. We’re doing too much. We’re stressed. We’re overscheduled and overwhelmed. And we’re not …
A couple weeks back I shared a quote on Facebook that really spoke to me:
“A child is going to remember who was there, not what you spent on them. Kids outgrow toys and outfits, but they never outgrow time …
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a …
“The beautiful thing about fear is that when you run to it, it runs away.” ~Robin Sharma
During my first-grade choir concert, my classmate, Meg, fainted from the top row of the bleachers, and in a subconscious gesture of empathy, …
“What you tell yourself every day will lift you up or tear you down. Choose wisely.” ~Unknown
It was a story I just couldn’t get out of my head. A young teen had died in a town not far from …
“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” ~Deepak Chopra
I found my peace in New York City, where I spent a year as a consultant on a temporary work assignment.
It may seem counter-intuitive that …
“You will never be free until you free yourself from the prison of your own false thoughts.” ~Philip Arnold
Every meditator knows the dilemma of trying to find that perfectly quiet place to meditate, where silence is the golden rule …
“You are not a mistake. You are not a problem to be solved. But you won’t discover this until you are willing to stop banging your head against the wall of shaming and caging and fearing yourself.” ~Geneen Roth
I’ve …
“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life.” ~Gordon Parks
Have you ever noticed how powerful enthusiasm is? It can be contagious.
If a friend or someone around us is enthusiastic there’s a certain energy or presence that shines from them that …
“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” ~Alan Watts…
“Obstacles do not block the path, they are the path.” ~Zen proverb
I thought the concept of a “cold sweat” was unreal and paradoxical until the evening of August 27, 2014. That was my first cold sweat. My first of …
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” ~Jack Kornfield
It seemed like the natural thing to do.
A middle-aged man had dropped his keys near me. I jumped up, hopped over, picked the keys up, and gave …
Hi friends! Since we’re well into December now, I imagine many of you may be either starting or rounding out your holiday shopping. If you’re not yet familiar with Backpack Buddha, I highly recommend checking them out!
What I …
“Mindfulness is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn
I started meditating and practicing mindfulness more seriously several years …
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