Tag Archives | finding peace

Beautiful spring forest with carpet of bluebells or wild hyacinths on a sunny day, Belgium, Halle

A Mindful Life

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living […]

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How To Be Happy: Poof

In my previous article I introduced one idea—one idea that can free me from most of my suffering. This idea is that meaning is made up. An event occurs, or someone says something to me . . . and then I make meaning of that event, or the words that were spoken. I make meaning […]

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A small child looking out the gap of craft box

How to Get From There to Here

  Why are you reading this blog on this site? I started reading blogs on this site two years ago because I was trying to get from there to here—”there” being stuck and “here” being happy with myself. Since attending my first Live Conscious Retreat last summer I have transformed myself. I know that sounds dramatic, […]

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Want to be free

Being Perfect

 “The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ~ Anna Quindlen I recently returned from someone else’s 5-day workshop. I do this every year—attend a workshop—to keep myself growing and to stimulate my creativity for our own retreats. As usual, I chose […]

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Preciousness of Life

Kyoto, Japan It is Tuesday evening in Kyoto, Japan. We have just finished conducting a Live Conscious Retreat. In our retreats, all participants use pseudonyms, no one uses their real name. For this retreat Hannah chose the name “Yuuki”, which is the Japanese word for courage, and I chose the name “Mr. Lucky”—which in Japanese […]

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Back To The Future—Now

BACK TO THE FUTURE Yesterday I wore my NOW watch all day long.  This watch was a gift from my husband, Jake, on Valentines Day. The only thing on it’s face is the word NOW—a timely reminder to focus on NOW. BUT NOW IS NOT ALWAYS AN EASY PLACE TO BE Right now I have […]

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Forgiveness Is Not An Option

Please forgive me. I am sorry if anyone offends themselves, but I’m going to be controversial. Most everything I read these days says that forgiveness of those who have harmed or offended us is something we must do. I don’t agree, not if they haven’t apologized. A wise man once told me that true forgiveness […]

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I Never Step In The Same River Twice

For a dozen years, I attended a lot of meditation retreats. Two or three times a year I immersed myself in the practice, for week-long intensives. Before each new Zen ‘sesshin’, as they were called, or Vipassana retreat, I struggled with whether to take the time out of my life, my work, parenting, diminish my […]

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Two Bald Eagles fly near a mountain cliff by the seashore.

Peaceful State of Mind

How to achieve peace We recently received a request for help from a man who was frustrating himself because he wasn’t able to maintain a peaceful state of mind. He was sick of the roller coaster he found himself riding on a daily basis. At times he would find himself feeling centered and calm and […]

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Maya-Sunrise

How To Dream

I have a dream . . . I have a dream of a gentle world Spacious and soft A world where we each know what we value And we value our humanity and divinity alike I have a dream of a world where our differences Don’t divide us but define us As unique and irreplaceable […]

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