At the recent day of mindfulness on September 28, I gave a dharma talk about opening our hearts to another, to ourselves, to love... and how terrifying that can be. I thought about it for days before. Then I spent Friday and Saturday preparing for the day, searching through notes, books, and my heart to [...]
With the changing weather, leaves beginning to fall, and the holidays and winter ahead of us, even in New York City I feel surrounded by nature. The message of impermanence abounds. "Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that [...]
This is where it all begins—and ends. The foundation of any quiet corner is breathing. If you breathe into your quiet corner and allow your breathing to direct you in your search, it will create space and quiet for your corner. As I concentrate on breathing slowly, my focus shifts and I welcome the ensuing [...]
Situating Yourself: What is Our Purpose Here? Like everyone else, you probably are searching for something in this life to satisfy a dream, a longing, or something that you can’t even name. As you begin to read this book you may even have an agenda for yourself. Perhaps you’re looking for answers to the gnawing [...]
We can be moving at a furious pace even when we’re not in motion. This activity is usually our mind working overtime, which can cause stress, distress, anxiety, and health problems. The solution then is simple: Slow down the movement of our mind. But when our mind continues to move, even after our body is [...]
September always feels like a new beginning, a slightly larger and grander new beginning than the one I experience each time I sit on my meditation cushion. But that’s just my history. I now take each day, no matter the season, as a new beginning. Just back from a month in the Vermont countryside, I [...]
This will be my last blog until September. Gulp. And I’ll not be posting on FB or Twitter either. Another gulp. Unless the spirit moves me, and even then it’ll be just for fun. As a self-employed writer and teacher it’s not easy to stop paying attention to work. My work is my life and [...]
Recently, some friends offered us their weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share of vegetables and fruit. They were leaving town for a couple weeks and wanted to share the bounty. Among the plethora of just harvested vegetables from Roxbury Farm was a quart of yellow plums. We were delighted. The plums were delicious, but we [...]
On Sunday I will leave for the woods of Vermont for one whole month: To rest, to read, to restore. The approaching school year always brings to mind, change, new beginnings and exciting possibilities. It is engraved in my bones, my muscle memory and my heart. I look forward to it, but first the fallow [...]
I often ask my students, as Mary Oliver asks us in the poem below: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” As I plan for a month in the country, I ask myself this same question. This is my prayer for today, for my life, and [...]
