I Hope you Heal from Your Pain
Why They Wanted to Deny She Was Buddhist in Her Eulogy
“Live and let live.” ~Unknown
So there I was, sitting in front of the Zoom meeting, when it happened. The overwhelming grief just hit me like a freight train. And no matter how much emotional training I tried to dig into, or self-help tricks I tried to muster up, nothing could stop the train in that moment.
The emotions flooded over me and forced me to stop and break down with the simple, plain, beautiful, and powerful truth: I miss my friend.
I had been so busy in this new Covid world, gathering up pictures of her for her obituary, …
The Unexpected Impact of Growing Up with a Difficult Mother
“Difficulties in your life do not come to destroy you, but to help you realise your hidden potential and power, let difficulties know that you too are difficult.” ~Abdul Kalam
Do you sometimes daydream that your mom is gone, and all your troubles disappear along with her?
I used to imagine that, too.
When Mom was in intensive care, swaying between life and death, I sat outside, shell-shocked, trembling all over my body, trying to comprehend the doctor’s words: “Her condition is critical, and only time will show if she will make it. I’m sorry.”
For a moment, I …
How to Safely Enjoy the Pandemic Holidays
“Surreal” is the word that keeps coming to mind. Life has felt like an alternative universe for quite a while now, and it feels even stranger during the holiday season.
After a year of much sacrifice, reality is requiring us to forgo traditions we hold dear and distance ourselves from people we may feel we’ve already gone too long without seeing.
And many are navigating the season with a sense of grief—for lost loved ones, lost purpose, maybe even lost hope.
Maybe that’s not you. Maybe you are full of gratitude for everything you have, and now appreciate even …
Hate Your Life? 4 Ways to Boost Your Happiness
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” ~Desmond Tutu
I hate my life. Does this statement ring true to you at all? Do you feel like you’re at rock bottom? The good news is, it might not be as bad as you fear.
I spent a lot of time feeling afraid of everything.
I had an emotional collapse, and it made life suddenly seem terrifying. What had happened? Had the town I was living in changed? Had my country suddenly become different?
No, I had changed the filter through which I saw …
What to Do When You Can’t Seem to Love Yourself
“You’ll be amazed at what you attract when you start believing in what you deserve.” ~Unknown
“You just need to love yourself more.”
I’ve heard that advice so many times when I’ve felt rejected, inadequate, and not enough. And instead of that advice helping me, it has just made me feel even more rejected, inadequate, and not enough.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t angry at the person giving me the advice—I was angry with myself for not being able to love myself unconditionally.
It’s easier to feel love for yourself when things are going well. When …
How to Be Successfully Content with Your Life
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” ~Maya Angelou
Color within the lines. Math, physics and chemistry—there’s absolutely no point in taking drama. A main meal of straight A’s and a side order of volunteer work. A four-year degree with a “safe” major from a reputable college. Then comes the corner cubicle career at a listed company. What about the four-bedroom house and the annual holidays abroad? We can’t possibly forget about those things
All through life, from infancy to adulthood, we are told what it means to be successful. We are …
Shakya Handicraft: Buddha Statues, Tibetan Jewelry, Meditation Gifts, and More
As someone who appreciates handmade Buddhist gifts, and enjoys giving and receiving them around the holidays, I couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to Shakya Handicraft.
They’re a group of Newari artisans—the aborigines of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal—that are keeping centuries of tradition alive by making beautiful Tibetan and Nepalese handicrafts.
All of their products such as Buddha statues, Thangka paintings, Tibetan jewelry and rugs, singing bowls, and meditation gifts are 100% handmade and can be customized—and blessed by a monk at the Jyatha Buddhist Monastery for an extra fee, which helps keep the monastery running.
At the …
When Life Feels Too Hard: How to Mindfully Get Through the Day
NOTE: This post contains a giveaway – details at the bottom of the post!
“If today gets difficult, remember the smell of coffee, the way sunlight bounces off a window, the sound of your favorite person’s laugh, the feeling when a song you love comes on, the color of the sky at dusk, and that we are here to take care of each other.” ~Nanea Hoffman
I am currently exhausted. Absolutely beat. I’ve taken on more work than I can comfortably accomplish in my available time, I’ve been feeling under the weather for a while, and my eighteen-month-old son …
How Curiosity Can Improve Your Relationships and Your Life
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” ~Albert Einstein
When speaking to a parent recently, she said, “I have made it a rule that my kids read every day for an hour. There are no two ways about it. They now do it and it is great, but I have noticed that they have stopped asking questions, they have stopped being curious, and they look dull, and that bothers me.”
Strange that reading would dull their curiosity instead of sparking it. But beyond that, this conversation got me curious—about curiosity.
Why is it important to be curious? …
Calling Out Bullies: Why You Need to Stand Up for Yourself
“Standing up for yourself doesn’t make you argumentative. Sharing your feelings doesn’t make you overly sensitive. And saying no doesn’t make you uncaring or selfish. If someone won’t respect your feelings, needs, and boundaries, the problem isn’t you; it’s them.” ~Lori Deschene
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character Atticus Finch says, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter …
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