What's a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind? The question from the prompt is really, "Have you changed your opinion about anything?" What a question! Am I alive? Well then, my opinions1 about everything are constantly in flux no matter what I tell myself. Opinions Change, Sometimes Often Opinions. "Has my opinion … Continue reading A Transformed Mind
What skill would you like to learn? At one point in my life, conflict aversion was a core personality trait with the makings of a nickname, as in, “Just call me Conflict-Avoider.” My key skills in conflict-avoidance included, but were not limited to: Sprint away from the approach of perceived conflict; If the other person … Continue reading Dealing with the Unavoidable: Conflict
world I imagined,world I knew,gone.familiar markers moved, changed.Unknown.Absent.container of faithcarefully curatedneatly shelvedbroken open.remembered contentleaking.what remains?Emptiness. Possibility.Love?who will guide my feet?what will mark the way?to what shall I turn?there is no re-turnonly forward, downwardmarkers goneis this the path?is there a path?what container will I use?is there a container at all?mind of a beginner, seekingUnknown and Known.Absent … Continue reading Hidden Markers, Broken Containers
The truth in this startles once again: Unsought, what I need arises.Unbidden, this moment comes. Each new moment arising in my life offer to teach me something. Sometimes it seems as if the Universe is saying almost imperceptibly, “Here I am.” The Sugar Maple waves.Then stilling, she becomes my meditation guide. I watch the Sugar … Continue reading Unsought, What I Need Arises
For U.S. Americans born in the 1990’s and before, September 11, 2001 is a day we remember. The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia brought a different kind of large scale violence to our shores. This tragedy left a mark on our social and political landscape and … Continue reading September 11
There is something beautiful and pristine about the pre-dawn morning. I sit in the silence of this space, hearing sounds that are drown during louder parts of the day. My heartbeat is louder, more easily identified. The day is beginning and I feel unrushed which is a feeling unlike much of the rest of the … Continue reading Sunday Musings
Today was a normal day. I woke and then headed downstairs to the kitchen. I made coffee and oatmeal for my family, and then we shared the meal. There was pleasant banter about my wife's and son's insomnia last night- they watched Modern Family together while I slept upstairs, oblivious. After breakfast cleanup, I brought … Continue reading My Day Got Misaligned
Sundays are the day I consistently rise before the sun. I am awake by 5:00 AM and in “my chair” by 5:10 with a cup of coffee and the Silence as companions. This morning was no different and completely different. My space is at the back of our house, a small room addition with windows … Continue reading Another Beautiful Day
My title really should read something more like, “I used to practice for life as if life and practice were separate instances.” I have an everyday practice: meditation, journaling, reading, listening. I come to my space and sit. This sitting sets an intention for the day, an intention to inhale and exhale, to receive and … Continue reading Practicing for life
My wife recently bought local peaches from the Farmer’s Market. Yesterday, I decided to have one as a morning snack; nothing was particularly unusual about a morning snack nor my eating fruit she brought home. The peach I chose from the bowl cut easily and was ripe. The first bite was a heavenly experience and … Continue reading For Everything A Time
Infinitely Precious 