When You’re Out Over Your Skis

When You’re Out Over Your Skis

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When it turned out that skiing for the first time in ten years was not exactly like riding a bike for me I had a little meltdown. And then, thanks to my mindfulness practices, a part of me that was deeper and wiser than my dejected skier-self realized that I had to the power to choose how I would experience the remainder of our vacation. I am so grateful that I was able to let go and thereby free myself to enjoy the gifts we’d given ourselves by taking a family vacation – the rare opportunity to spend time together with all of my grown children and the even rarer chance to play with one another. I am thankful for the reminder that mindfulness really is a superpower.

Perfectly Perfect Rarely Looks Perfect

Perfectly Perfect Rarely Looks Perfect

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On the first night of our family vacation, I had a moment of perfect contentment. It was late. We were hungry. The restaurant was too loud, too warm, too crowded, too slow. AND I was perfectly happy. Happiness and contentment are not around the corner in some imaginary future. They are right smack in the middle of each messy, hangry, less-than-perfect, hilarious moment along the way. All we have to do is notice.

The KISS Rule

The K.I.S.S. Rule

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I’m here today to tell you that the K.I.S.S. rule (Keep It Simple, St*pid) works. Read on to see how something so (forgive me) simple can help in simple, less simple, not-at-all simple and downright impossible moments. By the way, if it works better for you to soften the second “S” to silly or sweetheart, go for it!

No Mud, No Lotus

No Mud, No Lotus

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I love the saying, “No mud? No lotus!” It’s helpful when we catch ourselves slipping back into a bad habit we thought we’d broken long ago; or are filled with remorse for saying something we never should have said; or when we let an opportunity to help a friend slip by because we were overwhelmed with our own issues. In “muddy” moments like this, the lotus reminds us that it’s only by being aware of our own “muck” that we can rise again to bloom brightly in the world.

Unity and Connection Feel Good

Unity and Connection Feel Good

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Have you ever been at a concert and felt the massive crowd moving, breathing, singing, and bouncing up and down together in synchrony? This is called collective effervescence. It feels amazing. I believe it is also a glimpse that we are all indeed connected. Each one of these experiences helps us understand that we are meant to live keenly aware that are connected to a great whole.

Wonder Both Seen and Unseen

Wonder Both Seen and Unseen

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I don’t know if I’ve ever been haunted by a photograph before. It has been weeks since my photographer friend put her phone away after showing me the image and it has popped into my mind almost daily. Though it is a beautiful image, its resonance has felt deeper than that. Last night, as I lay in bed, I realized why the image so captivated me. Somehow, magnificently, in artfully framing what she saw, she also created an image that points to the unseen wonder and mystery of life. Her photo is a perfect visual description of what happens in spiritual direction sessions. I hope you’ll read on to share my written experience of her visual image.

Between Beginning and Ending

Between Beginning and Ending

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What are you currently in the middle of? A semester, a process, a disagreement, a marriage, a volunteer commitment, an art project, or something else? Remember, though the middle can feel uncertain, it is heart of every story. The most important thing you can do is show up and participate. And pause every once in awhile to appreciate that the best part of every story lies in between the beginning and the end.

Sh*t Happens

Sh*t Happens

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Life is made up of as many bumps in the road and flies at the picnic as it is sweet, easy, sunny days. While it doesn’t make the hard times any more fun, it is possible – with tears, sarcasm, humor, profanity, or whatever else you need – to shift your focus from the current mess to the preciousness and wildness of this one life of yours.

Not Letting Go Can Hurt

Not Letting Go Can Hurt

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I may be a little more hard-wired than most to cling or grip. After all, one of my most visceral lessons in letting go involved crashing into a cliff wall while rappelling. Letting go can be scary and often less than graceful, but is absolutely necessary to a life well lived. Being stuck – on a cliff or otherwise – is not the way we are meant to live. We can’t grow and change and become the people we yearn to be if we’re clinging to where, and what, and who we already are. While I hope your experience with letting go goes better than mine did on that cliff, I hope you can trust that even the clumsiest attempt to do so is a step away from stuck-ness and a step closer to freedom and fulfillment.