A Glimpse into the Pandemic
The ground around the mall is covered with snow and ice. People are covered with masks and parkas. I imagine tight lips behind the masks, but I can’t see so maybe I’m projecting. I follow a couple who looks lost in some random search for Gucci or Kate Spade. We’re in the middle of nowhere […]
Minding Love a Simple Pleasure
I’ve learned through my practice of meditation that joy and inner peace are usually wrapped up in the simplest things and we have a choice. Sometimes we get caught up in the spirit of wanting to our detriment. We think that if we’d just hit the lottery, for example, we would find joy and peace. […]
Guilt Free New Year’s Resolution
A few years ago I started a new tradition in my family to replace the dreadful New Year’s resolution, which was always a good idea but often left people feeling guilty, ashamed or empty in a matter of weeks. The tradition is somewhat like setting an intention because it asks you to look deep inside […]
What is Bardo?
Bardo is a Tibetan word that means in-between. It’s sometimes translated as intermediate state. Chögyam Trungpa, author of The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing In The Bardo, says Bardo means gap. It’s not only the interval of suspension after we die but also the interval of suspension in the living […]
Harness the Wind
During the last half of my jog on this typical 37 degree lower-Manhattan morning, staggering and breathless, a strong gust of wind came at me from behind. I was pushed forward and jolted, suddenly aware of this force of energy. What is this, I asked, this force of wind, given to me from the great […]
Sitting Meditation
I don’t want to do anything but sit. My mind shifts to empty. A far-away screen opens and I see images scatter and drift. There’s nothingness and nothing. Not wanting. And yet, you appear In the precise curve of my back. Thoughts feel heavy. I’m not interested in solving problems Or sorting out […]
On Dog and Man
This morning I jogged past an interesting dog couple. They got me thinking about the relationship between dog and man. He was a medium sized, grey terrier and the owner was a blond in her thirties. They were both sitting on a bench together. The dog was looking one way and she the other. She […]
In the Age of Face Covering
“The eyes are the window to your soul” William Shakespeare For women, the eyes are especially telling and even more so in an environment that requires face covering. Now, women (and men) all over the world are covering their face to protect themselves. The impact of this visual landscape is mesmerizing. In New York City, […]
Soles of our feet, soul of society
Our legs down to our feet mark where we stand and where we’re going. The sole is the bottom most layer of everything. It is the place where calluses grow. There is nothing wrong with a callus, only that it is there and it may mean it’s time to move differently. Smooth the sole. Appreciate […]
When The Soul Moves
We tend to distrust these feelings and avoid them at all costs because we are scared of being uprooted. We need to lose this fear. Pema Chödrön, Living Beautifully Whenever I think of you my soul moves. Not just one, but very few of you and I’m open to more coming. Perhaps you know what […]