For the past few years on Thanksgiving, I’ve watched Brother David-Steindel-Rast’s Ted Talk about gratitude and happiness. He simply and elegantly points out that every moment is a gift for which to be grateful. Can you be grateful for everything that happens in every...
https://youtu.be/KBqT8nYryxM The light, unexpected rain began to lift as we found our hiking group near the lower shelter at John Bryan State Park in central Ohio. It was mid-October and this was one of the first group hikes planned for the duration of the 2020-2021...
https://youtu.be/ZfPdSdCsKr0 We ask the wrong questions. All the time. Maybe it’s the former journalist in me, but I always yearn for us to ask better questions. Lest you think I get it right all the time, I promise you I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. In my...
https://youtu.be/BqdBo1dH6AQ Sometimes sitting in meditation just sucks. There. I said it. People often regale us the stories of blissful, releasing, or enlightening experiences they have. Those times happen, but they are few and far between. My typical practice often...
Many of our routines and rituals have been upended this year. Give yourself a gift this fall by registering for my next online retreat, Reinventing Ritual. We'll discuss what about our past rituals and celebrations have given us purpose or joy, how is the current...
When I began planning my crazy Birthday Month of Connections event series, I seriously wondered if anyone would show up. It’s summer, and people want to be outside. People are tired of being on Zoom. “People wouldn’t be interested in hanging out for my birthday,”...
I have a very good friend who I call when I’m having a lot of feelings. They tell me that they treasure these rambling voicemail messages that usually start sometime like, “I’m having two or three feelings at one time, and I’m not quite sure what to do …” So the fact...
One of my goals lately has been to keep myself uncomfortable. For white people like me, it is far too easy to tune out the suffering caused by hundreds of years of enslavement, segregation, and mass incarceration of Black people in the U.S. We are made more...
“Fine, God. What do you want me to do?” The question marked my first flailing, frustrated attempt at discerning my life’s purpose. Spurred by successive failed job interviews, I felt caught between the rocky cliff of now and the edge of not yet. I was miserable at my...
***** Upcoming events! ***** The ideas in this blog are indebted to a number of people of color who have been writing, thinking, speaking and teaching about anti-racism much longer than I have. Here are a few links and resources that really influenced me this week:...
When I was in seminary (a.k.a. graduate school for pastors), one of my professors would fairly regularly give one of us the “it’s-not-about-you” speech when we were in times of distress (i.e. self-created drama). He would remind you firmly, directly, kindly that...
You may only know that Lent is a Christian season during which practitioners, “give something up,” as a spiritual practice. You may even know it is a season for preparing for Easter, or a big change more generally. This Lent which began for Christians on Feb. 26 has...
I was 7 or 8 years into my yoga practice before I really started listening to my body. I wanted to lose weight, but wanted to do it in a different way. I’d done it in the past, but my weight still yo-yoed with the ups and downs of life’s stress. I applied what I had...
I warned you. This is my year of shameless self-promotion. Along the way I’ve hit roadblocks. (Not surprising.) As someone who is specializing in teaching mindfulness and self-care, people are always genuinely interested in what I do, then tell me they can’t for a...
“If anyone needs a blanket or prop for Svasana, let me know and I can do delivery service,” my yoga teacher Marcia Miller encouraged in her airy and strongly assertive way. Since she happened to be standing right next to me, I reached up from my reclining position on...