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Violence Diminishes Us
This is written on the wall of my office. “Violence diminishes us.” It is a hammer where a scalpel is required. Or a suture. Or a feather. It is almost never what is called for. There is a pull to violence in us. Our egos offer this command on a regular basis: “This world is…
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Not in New York
I went on a meditation semi-retreat this weekend. (That is, we went and studied/meditated all day, and then went home in between.) Like all my experiences of retreat, it was a lot like getting sandblasted. Gently. At the end of the first day, I went home and I cried. I felt so lonely, and I…
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Two Ways of Looking at Time
You might have to click on it and look at it in all its glory for the details.
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Wordless Wednesday: Playing Science
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Might Be Good For Something-itis
The handle came off the kettle this morning: My husband said, “Maybe this would be a good time to get that electric kettle we’ve been talking about [for the last several years, on account of electric kettles are more efficient, I’ve heard.]” “Sure,” I said. “But I think I’ve got a handle that will do…
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Temporary Solutions
My life is filled with temporary solutions. “I’ll just put this here until…” It is amazing how much time can pass with a bookshelf tucked into a corner until I decide where to actually place it. How many years can go by while we attempt to save enough money to replace the thing that is…
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Reasoning towards peace
If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities. If there is to be peace in the cities, There must be peace between neighbors. If there is to be peace between neighbors,…
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Just… practice.
A couple of years ago, in a moment of frustration/inspiration, I grabbed a permanent marker and wrote on the wall in my sunroom. “Life is Practice,” I reminded myself. I was in the middle of parenting, writing, partnering, thinking about the meaning of it all, and trying to make time for practice in the midst…
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On Genius, Enlightenment and The Voices
There is a Buddhist fable about a traveller who arrives at an enlightened sage. “Please, master,” he says. “Please. I want to know how to become enlightened.” “Are you sure?” asks the sage. “Oh, yes. Absolutely.” “Are you willing to go through whatever it takes?” “Anything. I’ll do anything.” The sage looked him in the…
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Dancing into the Future
I don’t know what comes next. I mean, I really have no idea what I’m going to do. There will be things that I’ve started (raising kids, building the greenhouse, making the beer) that need finishing. (And by “finishing,” I mean, “continued commitment over a period of days-to-months-to-years-to-TheRestOfMyLife without which all previous effort is wasted”) …
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After Loch Ness
I read a short story this week about an utterly conventional and dull fellow who found himself hiking in the “wilds of Scotland” (his complaint, having been forced to go for a walk by his new wife while on their winter honeymoon). At the end of the story, while watching the sun set, they see…