I first read May Sarton's journal in the early 80s. I recently reread it and being now closer to the age she was when she wrote it, I had a deeper and richer experience this time. As with all great works of art, they stand the test of time and this is most definitely in [...]
February can be a challenging month, especially for those of us who are lucky to live in an area with four distinct seasons. Sometimes when it’s frigid, icy, windy weather—which we’ve had a lot of this year—I don’t feel so lucky. But it definitely reminds me of the impermanence of all things, including whatever mood [...]
As a new year begins and I look forward to some new and exciting possibilities, I find myself coming back to these few words of inspiration that always ground me. I hope you too can sit with these a while and take them with you into this year and beyond. And check out more wonderful [...]
I often get a little sad at this time of year. I think it’s from all the expectations stored in my body from when I was a kid. Especially the expectation that something with my name on it would appear under the tree to magically transport me to a different place, take away all my [...]
With the change in weather, the darkening days and the upcoming holidays, I’m feeling a little melancholy today. The words I chose to share this month resonate for me as I dwell in this mood, and I hope something here strikes you as well. Sending good wishes and healing thoughts to all my family, friends, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
On an unfamiliar road, Don’t pretend you’re Not lost. Just ask where you are: It’s a real shortcut. Japanese Folk Zen Saying “We ought to listen to music or sit and practice breathing at the beginning of every meeting or discussion.” Thich Nhat Hanh “Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual [...]
“All of man’s woes derive from the fact that he cannot sit quietly in a room alone.” Blaise Pascal “As long as you are conscious of yourself, you can never concentrate on anything.” Buddha (by way of Walpola Rahula) “Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.” Lao-tzu “Real strength is not [...]
