Friday August 31, 2012

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.  

What is essential is invisible to the eye."

--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Friday August 24, 2012

"Prayer is one of the most versatile tools human beings

have ever designed for coping with stress...when we have almost

nothing, if we have our consciousness, then prayer is an option."

--Greg Epstein, Good without God

How do you keep close?

It takes effort to create the conditions for authentic cohesion with the folks around us, since in 2012 our environment does not force us to gather around a fire with the clan we were born into. 

According to Rebecca G. Adams, Professor of Sociology and Gerontology at UNC Greensboro, one of the key factors for experiencing cohesion with others is proximity, which she defines as "repeated, unplanned interactions [in] a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other."

And while, so far, it appears to be a fact in my suburban life that there is no such thing as "unscheduled" I have found that the practice of getting together with people at a regular time and place creates the sense of ease that beckons in the word "unplanned."  

Lately, I have been feeling grateful for the opportunity to gather in proximity with people I respect and care about....to forage, to hunt, and as a cobbled together clan, guard all that is precious.

To read more about proximity check out:

this article in the New York Times

Friday June 15, 2012

Friday June 15, 2012

"This world is its own magic.  If we are looking for something, 

it can vanish from our sight, but if we do not try to see it, 

that something cannot vanish."

--Suzuki Roshi

Friday July 27, 2012

"We’d planned it so

much that we had thought it was real--

a solid future, just waiting for us to come and inhabit it."

--Anne Cushman

Yesterday I dropped my two year old off at pre-school and one of her classmates was crying.  I watched my daughter's teacher shift the other little girl's mood by scooping her up, settling her into this gigantic plush teddybear chair, and reading a book to her. The two year old quickly quieted.  

Anyone who's dropped a child off at preschool has witnessed this scene themselves.  What clicked for me this time was the role that the senses played in clearing the way for a fresh state of mind.  In this case the child was engaged in touching the fluffy bear, hearing the teacher's voice, and seeing the colorful illustrations in the book. 


Recently I was at meditation retreat led by Jon Kabat Zinn, and when he introduced mindful walking, a kind of meditation practice, he said, "Put your mind in your feet."  At first I found this instruction difficult, my mind didn't quite get it.  But after walking, I think my feet did.

It seems to me that following the instruction to put our minds in our senses, to the extent that we are able, can produce a quick shift in mood.  Next time you need a shift, what would it be like to put your mind in your nose while smelling a lavender eye mask or your mind in your hands while washing lettuce?  


In this picture I'm pretty sure my two year old has her mind in her fingers and in her eyes and in her nose.  Inspiring!

This statistic changed the way I live my life:

According to the most recent Pew report on religious life in America, the fastest growing religious affiliation in the United States is not having one.  Currently, the non-religious make up 16% of our population, that number is growing, especially along the coasts and with young people.  

This is a personal one for me because at 18 I very consciously dropped a religious affiliation that had shaped my life.  The leaving was painful in a few ways, but it piqued a personal challenge to build a spiritual practice outside the boundary of a religion or traditional notion of god.  This was not always an easy personal challenge for me to take on, especially because after a somewhat successful academic and professional career, I felt embarrassed about pursuing a topic that others might consider “hippy dippy,” “new agey” or just plain, no quotes needed, weird.  Consequently, I cultivated a kind of “closeted” spiritual life.

But it was this statistic, combined with alarming statistics about the increasing rates of depression (at younger and younger ages) in the United States, that’s given me the sense of purpose I’ve needed to bring this personal challenge out of the closet in a bigger way.

Right now that commitment is calling me to connect with others who share this kind of question.  My hope is that by sharing some of what feels real and true to me, others might be inclined to do the same, and that together, we can authentically reclaim some of what is joyful, hopeful, mysterious and universal about being human.


If this resonates with you, I hope you'll subscribe!

Friday July 13, 2012

"Oh to love what is lovely, but will not last!

What a task

to ask

of anything, or anyone

yet is ours,

and not by the century or the year, but by the hours."

--Mary Oliver

Friday July 6th

I believe that savoring, deeply enjoying what you have when you have it, may be one of the highest forms of gratitude practice.