Balance
One year ago, I was inspired to spend 2012 practicing love, meditating on the four brahma-viharas (translated as “divine abodes” or “best homes”). I was to spend three months on each: lovingkindness — goodwill and friendliness toward others and oneself compassion — often felt as a quivering of the heart, a sense of caring for [...]
Inside My Heart
“Compassion lives in a wise resonance with the tender and painful aspects of life.” — DaeJa Napier Yearning I want to let go of criticism. Criticism of others, of myself. I could put myself first, since I’ve found that I criticize others pretty much to the same degree as I criticize myself. And I am [...]
Ways to Bring More Mindfulness Into Your Days
This post is an excerpt from my free e-book Practicing Peace, and is shared here as part of the Natural Parents Network How-to Blog Blitz. Enjoy! photo credit Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves. —Thich Nhat Hanh Perhaps you’ve heard about how our brain works. That when we’re triggered emotionally, [...]
Now at 8
Our bedtimes totally unraveled earlier this year. What seemed to have become a pretty straight-forward Brush Teeth and Get in Bed for a Story with Papa turned into mayhem, with Papa snoring in bed as two kids prowled the house searching for Mama, who was hiding out with a book. It was late, and I [...]
Tangle
How can I set right a tangle which is entirely below the level of my consciousness? Nisargardatta: “By being with yourself… by watching in your daily life with alert interest, with the intention to understand rather than to judge, in full acceptance of whatever may emerge, because it is there. You encourage the deep to [...]
The Irony Will Set You Free
We are at the breakfast table, me and my two boys, eating breakfast. We make a half-moon round: me, Orlando to my right and to his right, Mica. Orlando is arguing with Mica, trying to convince Mica to trade something Mica doesn’t want to trade and I say to Orlando, “Leave your brother alone.” He [...]
Giving Myself a Minute
I wrote this short piece for the annual newsletter of my meditation community and thought I would share it here. Just another example of learning to feel my feelings… I sit down on the couch and pick up my iPhone. My two boys are at my feet, making a meandering animal menagerie across the living [...]
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