"Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." - Omar Khayyam This is one of those excruciatingly simple things to read. But to embrace and explore the depths of this phrase takes a lifetime of work. Right now is the only real thing we can experience, everything else is a thought, surfacing in... Continue Reading →

Lately I have noticed my serious addiction to anticipation. That state of curiosity, anxiety, waiting and wanting, about some some future event. An example of anticipation is the feelings and idea's that are generated when I wait for an order from Amazon, the mail, or one of the independent carriers. I order a book, and... Continue Reading →

There’s joy in living from the perspective of engaged presence. “I am what I am” doesn’t require stories, fabrications, pre-conclusions, beliefs, or elaborate belief systems. Our lives are happening in front of us, who we are is exactly what's happening in these moments. Can I embrace that? Do I need to keep trying to improve... Continue Reading →

Recently, due to some challenging life events, I have had the opportunity to experience kindness as the recipient. One of my loved members of the Tuesday night study group had made food and her spouse delivered it. I was so grateful. She was well aware that my culinary experience is in boiling water, and although... Continue Reading →

Sometimes I get caught up in the "big picture." You know, all the doings and shenanigan's going on outside my direct experience. Sigh. The world needs to be fixed and sometimes I become delusional and think I can do that. (And I wonder why I become sad sometimes?) But lately I've been noticing how it's... Continue Reading →

Healing oneself is grounded in Shamanistic traditions and actions. Something that was helpful to me during my studies seems like an obvious concept but is sometimes overlooked. I was asked the question "Who is this self that believes it needs healing?" So before jumping into any healing process I first had to examine who needed... Continue Reading →

Lately I have been seeing this. Ending suffering is a fine concept that may belong in a perfect world but seems useless as a philosophical statement for living our lives. Reducing suffering is always possible. I can see how I'm suffering and finds way to reduce that. In the daily recollection there is a statement... Continue Reading →

"Sometimes it's not enough to know what things mean, sometimes you have to know what things don't mean." - Bob Dylan

A few nights ago I had a discussion with a few people that focused on issues dealing with the state of humanity and what's going on with all of our struggles. When we signed off I had an insight I found interesting and disturbing. We had spent the entire time problem identifying and offering opinions... Continue Reading →

Lately, I have been noticing how complex and intricate life's continuous movement is and how I am constantly attempting to minimize and simplify. But I also notice that there is a unique freedom that comes with attending to the complexity and accepting it. It redefines how I see myself and others. The major shift for... Continue Reading →