There is an alternative. March 21, 2021 Just breathe. I’m a meditator. I teach meditation. And sometimes, for weeks in a row, I don’t get on the cushion and meditate. There, I’ve said it. But what I do every day is breathe. And I do it in a way that kicks my vagus …
All We Need is Attention
To make the world a lot less lonely. March 7, 2021 “Those who are unhappy have no need for anything in the world, but people capable of giving them their attention.” Simone Weil Some of us are living in a crisis of conscience. We are ashamed that we haven’t done more to …
Without Patience, All Other Qualities Are Shaky
To develop patience, practice the pause. February 21, 2021 When you’ve been trapped at home with your family for months, drained of compassion by the Groundhog Day experience that has piggy-backed on Covid, the antidote to wanting to leave your children to fend for themselves is patience. We want to be compassionate and loving, …
We Tell Stories not Only to Find Ourselves
We tell them to find and connect with, each other. January 7, 2021 If I told you when I was eighteen, my mom, my little brother and sister, and I moved from Troy, Tennessee, to Chicago, you would know a fact about my family. Still, you wouldn’t know me. But you might know me a …
Want More Peace?
Loosen the Iron Grip You’ve had on Some of Your Thoughts. January 24, 2021 Thoughts aren’t a problem — until we assume our ideas and opinions represent facts. THOUGHTS ARE NOT FACTS Just because somebody doesn’t wave back, it doesn’t mean they hate us, or we suck. Maybe they didn’t see us. Professor Froehling …
Will This Year Be Better for You than the Last One?
One predictor will be how you answer that question. January 9, 2021 Climate change will still be haunting and challenging us. Covid-19, injustice, and discrimination aren’t going away any time soon. Nevertheless, the quality of this year will, in actuality, be a reflection of our attitudes and perspectives. We are self-reflective creatures. We see …
Is it Possible to Waste Time?
Not if You’re a meditator. December 26, 2020 “In all your life, only a few moments matter. Mostly you never get a good look at them except in hindsight, long after they’ve zipped past you.” From Tana French’s New York Times best-seller, Faithful Place. As a child, I was pretty serious. I thought about big …
Oops!
December 13, 2020 I know this is a departure from my usual Seedlings. It’s just that I’ve wanted to send something light and playful. I hope you enjoy it. Oops! My new favorite word. Oops is a softener; it removes things. Like fabric softener removes wrinkles, oops removes shame. Oops puts a …
Who’s to Blame When I’m Miserable?
November 29, 2020 Hint: It’s not the candy’s fault if I overdo it. It’s not Covid-19. It’s not capitalism or socialism. It’s not the control freaks in my life. It’s not conservatives or liberals. It’s not my nomadic childhood. It’s not pro-lifers or pro-choicers. And I’m not to blame either. Let’s throw out the …
Autopilot Won’t Take You Where You Want to Go
November 15, 2020 In my last post, I quoted Holocaust survivor and brilliant psychiatrist Victor Frankl. I think his wisdom bears repeating: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Many years ago, I quit two jobs in …