CARING FOR THE CRAZY

Awakening Our Loving Kindness   Our minds are huge—larger than we understand—capable of being incredibly sane, clear, and beautiful. But at times, quite the opposite. We can get lost in cul-de-sacs of unresolved reasoning, like a kid in a hall of mirrors distorting and reflecting upon itself. Today I want to address the circular, repetitive, […]


THE JOY OF SADNESS

The Experience of Feeling Human In the promotional clip for AMC Theaters, Nicole Kidman settles into her seat and says, “Even heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” There is something about the comfort of a darkened theater that allows us to open ourselves to difficult emotions. We follow the hero into danger. We […]


HELP

  Finding the Strength to Feel 1965 was a frenzied year in the already frenzied career of The Beatles. In a short 3 years they had gone from a punkish collective playing to handfuls of basement denizens to the largest public stage music had ever seen. The “Fabs” gave up their leather and donned coordinated […]


Red Light, Green Light

Navigating the Traffic of Life   In my coaching I use the analogy of traffic lights to illustrate how we might move through life with grace. Some people rush through life as though red lights were a personal challenge. They think they’re outrunning danger by never slowing down — like someone racing home before the […]


OUTSIDE THE BOX

The   S  P    A       C        E   Between Opportunities appear when we open to possibility. Opening is releasing the grip of tension. Despite conventional renderings, or panicky manifestations, thinking we know what we want doesn’t always help. When we cling to a specific outcome we miss whatever else life may […]


THE FIRE HORSE

Hello everyone, and happy Lunar New Year. I’m inviting everyone to join me this evening for a simple ceremony and conversation reflecting on the coming year. If the ancient traditions are to be believed, this year may be volatile. For many of us, life already feels that way. This may be a good time to […]


BETWEEN THE BOXES

PART 1 – The Comforts of Limitation I’ll admit a small secret: I watch cat videos. I particularly love cats in boxes, especially big cats. My favorite is a tiger fighting its way into a box far too small for its body. It squeezes, contorts, until it bursts the cardboard apart—and then lies there, content, […]


THE ATMOSPHERE OF VENUS

For Valentine’s Day    Valentine’s Day is set aside to commemorate falling in love. Saint Valentine, roses and chocolate, Cupid, and Venus—the morning star named for the goddess of love—are classic symbols of romantic love. But, as with romance itself, surface appearances often conceal deeper realities. St. Valentine was a tragic figure. Roses have thorns. […]


LEARNING TO SURRENDER

Where Do We Go If We Let Go?   I was heading into a massage session when the instructor entering behind me gently touched my upper back. She leaned over my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “what do you think will happen if you let go” and pressing the point said, “right here?” It […]


CUTTING THROUGH

The Signal in the Noise   Cutting Through is a term coined by Trungpa, Ripoche. It was inspired by a Tibetan Buddhist practice called “Trekcho” which is a series of practices used to cut through obstacles. This notion was foundational to Trungpa as he developed his teachings for the West. Faced with the profusion of […]